Mr David Knifton KC KC > Exchange Chambers > Liverpool, England > Barrister Profile
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ONE DERBY SQUARE
LIVERPOOL
L2 9XX
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Mr David Knifton KC KC
Work Department
Personal Injury
Position
David Knifton KC specialises in high-value personal injury and clinical negligence cases, particularly those involving brain or spinal cord injuries and amputations. He acts almost exclusively on behalf of claimants, where his abilities as an outstanding advocate are widely recognised. He is consistently recommended as a leading barrister in Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500, and was shortlisted as PI Silk of the Year by the Legal 500 in 2023 and 2024.
He is regularly instructed in claims of the utmost severity, and consistently achieves multi-million pound settlements each year. His enormous experience, meticulous preparation, excellent client skills and pragmatic approach are highly-valued by clients.
David generally only accepts new instructions in cases with a value in excess of £1m.
In addition to contested litigation, he has acted at a number of high-profile Inquests and Public Inquiries, including the North Wales (Waterhouse) Child Abuse Inquiry and the ‘Blue 25’ Inquest concerning the deaths of 5 UK servicemen shot by a rogue Afghan policeman.
David Knifton KC regularly provides lectures and training on topical legal issues both through Chambers and to organisations including AVMA, APIL, SCIL and PIBA, and is a frequent contributor to Chambers’ PI Newsletter.
He has over 20 years’ experience sitting as a Recorder in the Crown and County Courts.
Career
Called 1986; Silk 2018; Recorder 2002; Accredited Mediator 2006.
Memberships
- Northern Circuit
- Personal Injury Bar Association
- Professional Negligence Bar Association
Education
- LLB (Hons), University of Nottingham (Class II.i, 1985)
- Inner Temple, Duke of Edinburgh Entrance Scholarship
Leisure
David is married with 4 children, 3 of whom have autism spectrum disorders. He was responsible for setting up an award-winning pro bono alliance between Exchange Chambers and the National Autistic Society to provide advice and representation in the field of special educational needs. Until its termination by the NAS in 2024, this alliance provided invaluable assistance to numerous parents struggling to secure appropriate education to meet their children’s needs. Away from work, he is a keen musician, singing in a choir and occasionally playing guitar and keyboards in a band. He enjoys cycling, and was a member of the Chambers’ team which raised nearly £30,000 following a trans-Pennine charity ride.
Lawyer Rankings
Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Clinical negligence
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1David Knifton KC – Exchange Chambers ‘David is a magnificent leader and true heavyweight silk on the northern circuit. An exceptionally talented tactician and strategist, he is dazzling; clients trust in him completely and he will fight tooth and nail to get the best result possible.’
The clinical negligence department at Exchange Chambers is frequently instructed by both a broad range of claimants as well as defendants including hospitals and NHS organisations, medical defence organisations and other insurers. Gerard Martin KC specialises in brain and spinal cord injury clinical negligence cases, in addition to amputation-related claims, while David Knifton KC acts predominantly for claimants in cases surrounding obstetric injuries, delays in diagnosis, and consent issues. Of recent note, he acted for the claimant in Brown v Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, a clinical negligence claim arising from the failure to investigate and treat major falls in blood pressure in a diabetic woman who went on to suffer from strokes. Christopher Barnes KC and Bill Braithwaite KC are also notable members of the set. Turning to the juniors, Kevin Naylor is a key name, having previously practised as a doctor, and Matthew Stockwell has significant experience in handling cases arising from brain, spinal, and life-changing injuries.
Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Personal injury
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1David Knifton KC – Exchange Chambers ‘David is one of the most forensic minds at the Bar. He excels in work requiring complex, detailed analysis and is prepared to fight to secure optimal results for his clients.’
Exchange Chambers is ‘excellent, with a wide range of expert counsel specialising in the area of personal injury’. Its members have substantial expertise in handling high-value and complex claims, including fatal accidents, industrial diseases, and catastrophic brain and spinal cord injuries. William Waldron KC now sits as head of chambers, and he has significant experience in representing claimants who have suffered from severe brain and spinal cord injuries, as well as amputees. Both Christopher Barnes KC and Andrew Ward are notable for their military-related claims work; Ward is currently representing the Ministry of Defence against a claim of over 400 cases regarding non-freezing cold injuries sustained by soldiers during their military service (Bargh and others v MoD). David Knifton KC and Chris Gutteridge exclusively represent claimants in cases arising from their catastrophic and life-changing injuries. Knifton KC represented the claimant in Gheorghe v Bradford MDC, a claim regarding a drowning accident which left an 8-year-old boy with a catastrophic hypoxic brain injury while in foster care. Gerard Martin KC has expertise in claims surrounding amputations, chronic pain, and somatoform disorders, while Louis Browne KC is sought after by both claimants and defendants in cases regarding psychiatric injuries. Alice Dobbie is another key name, and she exclusively represents defendants and often appears before the High Court.