David is a very experienced practitioner of clinical negligence litigation. He has a very extensive experience of cases involving most types of clinical injuries in most areas of clinical speciality.
As a senior junior, David is content and competent to undertake high value and complex cases without the input of Leading Counsel. However in cases of sufficient value and complexity, David is often led. David is used to working in large teams of experts and lawyers is happy to assist instructing solicitors to select the appropriate experts for a particular case.
David is consistently recommended as a leading barrister for clinical negligence cases. He is recommended as a band one clinical negligence barrister in Chambers and Partners 2017/2018 (“Really cracking eye for detail and brilliant at getting experts on track.” “A proactive counsel, he is not scared to explore novel legal points.” “He is very understanding and very approachable with clients.”) and as a leading personal injury and clinical negligence barrister in the Legal 500 guide 2017/2018 (“Very intelligent and knowledgeable on complex or novel legal points”).
David is on the Spinal Injuries Association list of barristers recommended for spinal injury litigation.
David often gives talks to solicitors and other professionals involved in clinical negligence litigation. He has been an invited speaker to AVMA events. David also undertakes high value personal injury cases involving serious and catastrophic injuries. His experience of doing so adds to his background knowledge of and familiarity with medical issues which helps him quickly to get to the heart of clinical negligence cases. David is a member of all five specialist subgroups in the clinical negligence team.
“His preparation for conference and attention to detail are excellent. I know that he explores every aspect of a claim.” “He is calm, measured and convincing on his feet.” “David is a great technical lawyer and a tenacious advocate.” “He is technically outstanding.” “He is very intelligent and fights hard for the client.” “David is an excellent barrister who works on very complex cases.”
Chambers and Partners 2023 (Clinical Negligence)
“David is thorough, meticulous and always willing to go the extra mile for clients.” “a safe pair of hands who shows great resilience in difficult cases.”
Legal 500 2023 (Personal Injury)
“David is extremely knowledgeable, tenacious and very focused. He is methodical and has great client empathy.” "David is one of the go-to silks and has brilliant attention to detail. He identifies all the key issues in cases missed by an expert. He richly deserves his recent appointment as a KC." “David is superbly thorough and an excellent advocate on technical matters especially.”
Legal 500 2023 (Clinical Negligence)
“His drafting skills are excellent and he demonstrates significant attention to detail. He is always well prepared.”
Chambers UK 2022 (Clinical Negligence)
“A very strong advocate with a meticulous eye for detail.” “He is very good at advising on tricky points of law and is very thorough in his work.”
Chambers UK 2021 (Clinical Negligence)
“His meticulous approach and grasp of complex areas of law and medicine makes him one of the strongest practitioners on circuit.”
Legal 500 2021 (Clinical Negligence)
“His drafting skills are excellent, and he has very good attention to detail.” “A very diligent and incredibly hard-working barrister with great client care skills.”
Chambers UK 2021 (Clinical Negligence)
“Unflappable even in the most complex of cases, with client care skills that make him a good choice for vulnerable claimants.”
Legal 500 2021 (Clinical Negligence)
“Calm, measured and has great attention to detail and analytical skills.”
Legal 500 2021 (Personal Injury)
"He is approachable and a good negotiator, and he is keen to get the right result for his client.” “He has a very good eye for detail and he is immensely helpful when discussing cases.” “He is a very meticulous and knowledgeable barrister and I am always impressed by his advice.”
Chambers UK 2020
Notable Cases
Nottinghamshire County Council v Emma Bottomley (by her Litigation Friend Helen Ryan) and East Midlands Strategic
Health Authority (CA) [2010] Med LR 407
Memberships
Personal Injuries Bar Association
AvMA
Qualifications
MA Juris, Christ Church, Oxon
