Nicholas has a broad personal injury practice, acting predominantly for defendants. He regularly appears in both the County and High Court and undertakes work in high-value claims, including those involving complex and catastrophic injuries. He has a busy paper-work practice (often being instructed to advise early as to complex issues of liability, quantum, evidence and tactics), and attends joint settlement meetings.
In 2023, Nicholas was appointed to the Attorney General’s Panel of Junior Counsel to the Crown and so frequently acts for a wide variety of government departments.
Nicholas has a particular specialism in employer’s and public liability, along with considerable experience of: product liability; industrial disease (including NIHL, VWF and HAVS); fraud and fundamental dishonesty, and the use of surveillance, telematics and other intelligence evidence; and significant past experience of general common law and employment law.
Recent/current instructions include:
Acting for the Department of Work and Pensions in a claim brought by an employee who suffered a permanent, life-changing, brain injury at work.
Acting for the defendant in multiple claims for respiratory and psychiatric injuries, including some of significant value, which arise out of an ammonia leak from a refrigeration system at its food production facility, and in the contribution proceedings brought by the defendant against the designers and installers of the refrigeration system.
Acting for the defendant in a very substantial employer’s liability claim. Fundamental dishonesty was in issue and surveillance evidence was deployed. The claim was eventually struck out and QOCS disapplied. The appeal to the HC was successfully resisted.
Acting for the Department of Work and Pensions in claim arising out of the stabbing of a security guard, said to result in life-changing physical and psychiatric injuries, at its premises.
Acting for the Government Property Agency in a stress at work claim brought by an employee said to be permanently unable to return to his work as a high-ranking member of the Civil Service.
Acting for the Ministry of Justice in a claim brought by an employee who suffered a career-ending spinal injury at work.
Acting for the Ministry of Justice in claim arising out of a hammer attack at a prison in which the claimant suffered a permanent brain injury.
Acting for the Ministry of Justice in a claim arising out of an assault in prison, resulting in permanent physical and serious psychiatric injuries.
Acting for the Ministry of Justice in a claim brought by multiple employees injured as a result of a sustained episode of violence between multiple prisoners.
Acting for the claimant, a world class musician who suffered a permanent acoustic trauma injury, in his claim against two audio-visual engineers.
Acting for the defendant construction company in a claim in which a steel erector fell from the roof of a multi-story building under construction and thereby suffered life-changing injuries.
Acting for the defendant in an employer’s liability claim where the claimant suffered an amputation injury, and in which fundamental dishonesty was in issue and surveillance evidence deployed.
Acting for the defendant in a claim arising out of an RTA in which hearing loss and multiple orthopaedic injuries were alleged to have been suffered, and in which fundamental dishonesty was in issue and surveillance evidence deployed.
Acting for the defendant in a claim arising out of an RTA in Italy in which the jurisdiction of the English court was challenged on the basis of forum non conveniens.
Acting for a defendant to fatal accident claim arising out of a mid-air collision between aircraft.
Nicholas has extensive experience of credit hire. He acts predominantly for defendants in high value claims and often in claims giving rise to issues of enforceability and illegality.
He has recently been instructed to write a guide to claims handling for a major client. His notable cases include multiple appeals as to enforceability issues and Chen Wei v Cambridge Power and Light (a first instance decision on the applicability of the Cancellation of Contracts Made in a Consumer’s Home or Place of Work Regulations 2008).
