Matthew specialises in all aspects of personal injury and clinical negligence work, including catastrophic injuries, accidents at work, occupiers’ and other public liability, road traffic accidents (with a particular interest in fraudulent claims), sports claims and industrial diseases. Matthew is often instructed at a very early stage in such proceedings, giving practical strategic advice in writing and conference, and thereafter representing parties through to final hearings, settlement meetings and appeals.
Matthew’s work is split equally between claimant and defendant work.
His claimant practice includes fatal accident act claims, spinal cord injury, brain injury, amputation and disease claims. He is currently instructed for the claimants in the sofa dermatitis GLO. He has significant experience of complex loss of earnings claims for the self-employed and sole traders. For claimants much of his work is CFA or CCFA funded.
Matthew also regularly acts for several multinationals, spanning road, rail, construction, oil, retails and leisure industries. In the past few years his defence practice has included claims arising from an oil refinery explosion, multiple claims from theme park rides, rail industry injuries (including under the rail industry CAHA), direct instructions from insurers and numerous multi-party construction site claims.
Matthew has significant experience of inquests representing families, companies, state institutions and NHS Trusts in a wide variety of inquests, including article 2 and other jury inquests.
Matthew has significant experience of the CICA, having appeared in a large number of multi-million pound pre-tariff brain injury claims. He was involved in the drafting of a Peters-type undertaking for use in CICA claims of significant value which would meet with the approval of the Court of Protection.
Matthew advises defendants and insurers about motor and other insurance policy coverage, including RTA liability, notice requirements and in respect of declaratory proceedings. Matthew also has significant experience of claims against the MIB.
Recent cases include a trial on the issue of date of commencement of proceedings against second Defendant for purpose of s152 RTA.
In 2007 Matthew was appointed to the Attorney-General’s regional panel. He is a contributing editor to Butterworth’s Personal Injury Law Service.
Recommendations
“Matthew is great at putting clients at ease; he is sympathetic and empathetic. Matthew has good attention to detail.”
Chambers UK 2023
“Matthew is equally as good on papers as he is in court. He has a meticulous eye for detail, clever strategies, a sound grasp of commercial considerations, and a surgeon's precision during cross-examination.”
Legal 500 2023
“He has a very softly spoken advocacy style which is really effective - judges listen to him and he makes good points.” “He is excellent - very thorough, detailed and able to look at the broader picture in terms of the commercial aspects of a case.”
Chambers UK 2022
“Matthew’s attention to detail is fantastic. He is able to identify subtle points that are easily overlooked and use those points to great effect. He is tactically astute and has fantastic commercial awareness which is vital to insurers.”
Legal 500 2022
“A very impressive advocate who really fights his corner.” “His strength is his ability to assimilate vast quantities of information and apply it to the case. He has an understated but highly effective style.” “He has a very good manner with clients.”
Chambers UK 2021
“Tenacious, tactically astute, and comfortable going up against silks.”
Legal 500 2021
“He is compassionate and extremely good with clients, as well as being very clever and technically gifted.” “Insightful, calm and hard-working.”
Chambers UK 2020
“His ability to deal with complex issues of medical causation is second-to-none.”
Legal 500 2020
Matthew is instructed by the lead Claimants in the ongoing Linkwise group action. More than 4,500 claimants have issued claims against a number of retailers alleging they suffered dermatological injuries from exposure to Chinese-manufactured leather furniture containing mould inhibitor DMF. The litigation has been named in The Lawyer’s Top 10 Cases for 2010 (across all categories).
Farrell and Short v Birmingham City Council and DAMS [2009] EWCA Civ 769;
Avena Bennett v Compass Group UK and Ireland Ltd and Britis
Ceramic Research [2002] EWCA Civ 642;[2002] CP Rep 58;[2002] CPLR 452;[2002] ICR 1177
Appointments
Attorney General’s Panel of Junior Counsel to the Crown (2007) but did not re-apply in 2012
Memberships
Personal Injuries Bar Association; PNBA
Qualifications
BA (Worcester College, Oxford)
