Clerking team

Chris Shaw
Chris Shaw

Senior Clerk – Civil, Commercial & Employment Clerk

Martin Craggs

Assistant Senior Clerk

Jennifer Carr

Civil Clerk

Matthew Smith

Civil Clerk

Amie Finch

Junior Civil Clerk

Gareth has an exclusively civil practise with an emphasis on claims arising as a result of personal injury. He acts on behalf of both claimants and defendants in all types of cases. He is happy to provide assistance both pre and post issue and indeed prefers to be involved early in the life of a case preferably in the form of a conference thereby enabling an early assessment of credibility. He is conscious of the practicalities of the modern litigation and is keen to utilise Chambers’ extensive telecommunications equipment to facilitate conferences by telephone or video-phone.

Gareth provides papers turnaround in line with Chambers’ stated service standards but is willing to provide tailored turnaround as and when required. He has facilities to enable him to work from emailed instructions thereby avoiding the need for a paper brief.

Prior to coming to the bar Gareth travelled the country as part of his family’s fairground. He retains membership of the Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain. His background has made him appreciate the need to deal with lay clients in manner that is both professional but also approachable. His background has also led to an interest in claims arising out of leisure activities both in this jurisdiction and abroad. He also has an interest in cases involving engineering evidence.

Gareth also maintains a general common law practise and has experience of advising and representing clients in a wide range of disputes. He has acted in cases concerning subjects as varied as veterinary negligence, builders’ liability and conversion of a motor vehicle.

 

Personal injury

Gareth’s practice encompasses all types of personal injury litigation.

He has had extensive experience of claims arising from road traffic accidents including those involving the MIB and arising from accidents that have occurred abroad. He has been instructed in cases involving complex issues of fact and medical opinion including evidence regarding the presence and/or extent of a subtle brain injury.

He has experience of cases where fraud has been alleged having been involved in such cases on behalf of both claimants and defendants. He frequently represents insurers in cases where the decision has been taken that they should be represented separately.

Employers’ liability claims continue to make up an increasing proportion of Gareth’s work. He has a particular interest in claims involving public bodies in which claimant is entitled to rely upon European directives as opposed to just the domestic regulations.

He also undertaking work involving general public liability with a particular interest in claims arising from the leisure industry.

He is willing to accept instructions on a conditional fee basis.

Fraud

Gareth is regularly instructed in cases where fraud has been alleged including where there are allegations of staged/induced accident and whether it is alleged that the Claimant is malingering.

He regularly acts in cases where it has been alleged that the claim for credit hire has been inflated by the conduct of third parties.

Cases

Shakell v Sajid (Oldham CC)

Successfully obtained findings that the Claimant taxi driver had been driving his damaged vehicle during the period in which it was alleged to be un-roadworthy.

Esure Services Limited v Benjamin Opoku (Manchester CC)

One of many cases in which Gareth has successfully obtained declarations on behalf of insurers following misrepresentations made at the time of incepting the policy. Common examples are misrepresentations regarding address, accident history and/or driving experience.

Norzoe v Ghafari (Croydon CC)

Acting on behalf of the Defendant’s insurer in a counter claim for damages arising from the Claimants’ fraudulent conduct. Quantifying on the basis of the Claimant’s intended fraudulent gains.

Hiscock v Mead

A claim in which the Claimant, who had sustained serious orthopaedic injuries, withheld the fact that he had been able to compete in the London Marathon. His presentation to the medical experts had been inconsistent with this information.

Costs

Gareth accepts instructions to advise on and present cost arguments, especially as they arise in cases involving personal injury.

Travel claims

Gareth is a member of chamber’s Travel Law Group. He is happy to advise on all aspects of general travel law but with a particular emphasis on cases involving personal injury irrespective of the cause. He has a particular interest in cases involving injuries sustained whilst working abroad and has recently advised in relation to injuries sustained by an English worker whilst working in the Netherlands.

He also has an interest in RTA cases from the insurance point of view; in particular, disputes arising from the use of a vehicle abroad such as accidents which occur on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Gareth is happy to provide solicitors with general advice regarding the considerations which apply when accidents occur abroad in particular those sustained in the course of dangerous activities undertaken on holiday (e.g. skiing, quad-biking, scuba-diving).

Gareth is also happy to advise in relation to Regulation 261/2004 concerning compensation for denied boarding, cancellation and delay.

Commercial & chancery litigation

He also advises on claims involving the sale of goods and the supply of services.

He has advised on cases involving animals including claims against vets for negligent treatment.

Inquests & coronial

Gareth has wide experience of inquests at both the interlocutory stages and at final hearing. He has appeared on behalf of families and other interested parties in circumstances including the following:

  • Represented the family of a man who was inappropriately discharged from an A&E Department having disclosed thoughts of deliberate self-harm, including having taken steps to put such plans in to affect. Represented the family both at the inquest and in the subsequent action in negligence and under the Human Rights Act 1998.
  • Represented the family of a man who died following a collision between his bicycle and a stationary heavy goods vehicle. Appeared at the 4-day inquest and represented his dependants in a claim pursuant to the Fatal Accidents Act 1976. The claim settled.
  • Represented the family of woman who died during the course of undergoing a cardiac paracentesis.
  • Industrial accident in the leisure industry. Represented the operator amusement equipment whose employee died during the course of assembling the equipment.
  • Represented the operator of amusement equipment. The deceased had been trespassing on the equipment when he was the victim of a freak accident.
  • Represented a company engaged in providing remote translation services to police stations. The deceased died in custody having been refused access to medication.
  • Represented the family of a man who died in prison following a heart attack.

Appointments

  • Fee-paid Judge of the First-tier Tribunal
  • Deputy District Judge (Civil)

Memberships

  • Personal Injury Bar Association