Long-recognised in the leading directories, Mat specialises in personal injury and clinical negligence work. His practice predominantly comprises catastrophic and serious injury cases, and cases of complexity. He is regularly involved in cases of the highest value, where care and case management claims comprise the bulk of the value. He also has significant experience of complex earnings claims, whether for the self-employed, those just entering the labour market, or those with less than perfect record-keeping.
Mat receives instructions equally from claimants and defendants.
He regularly gives talks on a variety of topics relating to serious and catastrophic injury claims, and is a contributing editor to BPILS.
Brain injuries
Mat has many years’ experience of brain injury litigation, having acted for the CICA in dozens of pre-tariff claims, many of which he saw through to final assessment. His current case encompasses the spectrum of brain injuries, from mild TBI or post-concussional syndrome through to those whose brain injuries significantly affect their life expectancy.
Mat’s current or recent caseload includes:
- Liability-disputed EL claims in the haulage industry, one with mild TBI resulting, the other causing C to lose capacity.
- Road traffic accidents, involving young children.
- Passenger claims with disputes as to knowledge of allegedly drunk drivers.
- RTA for a self-employed nurse, causing moderate TBI, with complications also arising from SCI.
- Untraced driver/dispute driver claims.
Spinal Injuries
Mat’s spinal injury work arises predominatly from RTAs, although he also has experience of workplace accidents giving rise to varying degrees of SCI.
Recent or current cases include:
- Paraplegia arising from a construction site fall.
- RTAs causing incomplete SCI but significant neurological compromise.
- RTA for a self-employed nurse, with T-spine SCI in addition to TBI (as above).
- Pedestrian suffering SCI with no direct spinal fractures.
Mat has long experience of assessing the accommodation and related needs of claimants with significant spinal cord injuries, and their changing needs during the ageing process.
Amputation cases
Mat has many years’ experience of cases involving amputation. The following are current or recent examples:
- Above knee amputation as a result of delayed diagnosis of sepsis developing in the foot.
- Many below-knee amputations, often required as a result of road traffic accidents or workplace accidents.
- Amputation of feet and toes, commonly as a result of industrial accidents.
- An injury to the contra-lateral foot of a pre-accident amputee (against Henry Pitchers), said to give rise to additional accommodation, care, and prosthetic needs.
Mat recognises the importance of keeping abreast of developments in prosthetics and technology, given their centrality to such claims.
Fatal accidents
Mat has many years’ experience of FAA claims, whether arising from RTAs, workplace accidents and/or industrial exposure, through clinical or other alleged state mismanagement.
As a result, he has wide-ranging experience of the Coroner’s Court, representing families, companies, state institutions and NHS Trusts in a wide variety of inquests, including article 2 and other jury inquests involving allegations of misfeasance or neglect.
Mat has wide experience of drafting complex schedules and counter-schedules in such cases.
Recent cases have included claims where the deceased had a newly established business not known to HMRC; where the deceased minicab driver had partly formed but credible plans to convert stables into quasi-industrial units; and a deceased who had retired young who, it was suggested, would have returned to work once again. All achieved significant settlements.
Complex orthopaedic
Whether arising through RTA or workplace accident, many of Mat’s clients have multi-site or complex injuries. Recent cases have included:
- A young motorcyclist, suffering lower limb poly-trauma, returning to manual work but missing out on a potential career in the Marines.
- An HGV driver who suffered knee and shoulder injuries, and developed diabetes allegedly as a result of enforced inactivity.
Psychiatric
Whilst physical injuries comprise the bulk of his practice, Mat also has significant experience of claims arising predominantly through psychiatric mechanisms, recently including:
- A child suffering minor initial physical injury, developing into somatic symptom disorder.
- Parents whose child suffered TBI, developing psychiatric symptoms following the RTA; impacting on their capacity to run the family business.
- Minor/mild TBI misdiagnosed as more significant injury, giving rise to functional/somatic symptoms.
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
“A bright guy, who is very careful in his preparation.”
Chambers UK 2020
“His ability to deal with complex issues of medical causation is second-to-none.”
Legal 500 2020
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)
