Available to accept instructions in all areas of Chambers’ practice. Before coming to the Bar, he worked as a broadcast journalist for the BBC.
David is rapidly developing a specialism in clinical negligence. His busy practice is divided equally between claimant and defendant work. He is regularly instructed in matters of greater complexity and value than would be expected of a barrister his call. By way of example he is currently acting in several High Court claims with values between of up tp £900,000, including claims concerning claims relating to deceased patients under the Human Rights Act 1998.
David appears in clinical negligence matters in the High and County Courts. His practice ranges from Fast-track trials factually detailed multi-week hearings concerning claims involving multi-disciplinary treatment, serious injury and complex questions of causation.
He is regularly instructed to settle pleadings and schedules and to advise on all aspects of cases from pre-trial disputes and correspondence through to interim applications, settlement negotiation and trial.
He also has experience of and is available to be instructed in costs proceedings.
He is happy to be instructed under a CFA and is always willing to assist instructing solicitors with a brief opinion on the merits of a potential claim.
Coming from a family of doctors, David has a good understanding of medical practice, an excellent grasp of clinical jargon and a relaxed and confident manner with experts.
In both his clinical negligence and personal injury practices David is developing a particular interest in claims involving pain disorders. His recent and current instructions include matters concerning the following areas of clinical practice:
David's experience includes claims concerning allegations of negligence against the medical professionals including:
David has a particular interest in insurance law. He contributed to the 2015 edition of MacGilvray on Insurance Law (Sweet & Maxwell), Chapter on Reinsurance, as well as the earlier second supplement. He has offered seminars to solicitors providing an update on top insurance cases.
His recent experience includes:
David is instructed in a broad range of commercial disputes. Recent experience includes:
David is building a personal injury litigation practice. He has experience of infant settlements, small claims and fast-track trials.
As pupil to Robert Hunter, David gained exposure to personal injury litigation in the following areas:
During his first six, David assisted Robert Weir QC in the leading case on combat immunity: Smith and others v Ministry of Defence [2013] UKSC 41; [2013] 3 WLR 69, which concerned claims in negligence and under the Human Rights Act in relation to members of the armed forces killed in Iraq.
David has also assisted Colin Mendoza on personal injury claims involving allegations of fraud and exaggeration, particularly in relation to loss of self-employed earnings.
David is building a strong practice in all areas of employment law. He advises and appears on behalf of claimants and respondents in preliminary, one-day and multi-day Employment Tribunal hearings, as well as contractual disputes in the civil courts. He is regularly instructed to draft pleadings and witness statements (including statements in complex and high-value claims) in employment matters.
David also has considerable experience of advising on and drafting employment and employment-related contracts.
Examples of recent cases and matters include:
David has a broader experience of Employment Tribunal litigation than would normally be expected of a junior tenant, having appeared in a considerable number of full hearings as a Free Representation Unit representative, including several multi-day hearings. These include:
During pupillage David has gained experience of employment litigation alongside Shaen Catherwood and Akash Nawbatt, assisting on the following appellate and High Court matters:
David is rapidly building a tax practice. Recent experience includes:
As a pupil to Akash Nawbatt, David assisted on a number of cases concerning residence, discovery assessments and CGT in the First-tier Tribunal, the Upper Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, including:
2012-13 Secretary, Free Representation Unit Management Committee
ELA, ELBA, & BILA
2012 Barstow Scholarship (for overall performance on the BPTC)
2012 Busfield Prize (awarded for the best performance in Opinion Writing on the BPTC)
2012 Wolfson Scholarship
2012 Buchanan Prize (for performance on the BPTC)
2011 Lord Denning Scholarship
2011 Hardwicke Entrance Award
2012 City Law School – Bar Professional Training Course – Outstanding (3rd highest mark in a year of 360)
2011 The College of Law – Graduate Diploma in Law – Distinction
2000 Peterhouse, University of Cambridge – BA (Hons) Social and Political Science
French (conversational)
Dogs, especially border terriers. Electronic music, particularly UK garage and its offshoots. Tennis. Walking, ideally with dogs.