Deka Chambers

Tom Collins specialises in travel and cross-border litigation, personal injury and clinical negligence.

Tom deals increasingly with high value/catastrophic injury claims and has experience in handling group litigation, particularly with an international dimension.

He has considerable experience as a Trial and Appellate advocate and has appeared in Courts at all levels (including the Court of Appeal). In recent years has appeared in a number of landmark appellate decisions on jurisdiction as well as the last ever reference by a UK court for a preliminary ruling from the CJEU. He has extensive experience in ADR and had acted for clients in Arbitrations and JSMs

Tom is a specialist in travel and cross-border claims, acting for both Claimants and Defendants. His clients include foreign insurers, tour operators, air and sea carriers and foreign Hoteliers as well as private individuals.

His practice in this field includes (1) Conflicts (jurisdiction and applicable law disputes in a variety of contexts from claims against the MIB to overseas clinical negligence to the assessment of damages under foreign law); (2) ‘traditional’ package and other travel/holiday related claims against tour operators or Hoteliers, including arising out of excursions or winter sports; (3) claims against air and sea carriers under international conventions.

Tom is regarded as approachable and provides clear, practical advice. He lectures and writes widely within his specialist areas of practice and is a contributor to the Travel Law Quarterly.

Tom has a broad defendant personal injury practice, encompassing occupiers’ and employers’ liability claims, claims under the Highways Act 1980 and claims involving road traffic accidents. His clients include many of the UK’s leading insurers and local authorities.

Tom has a broad clinical negligence practice, encompassing failures of consent, to diagnose or refer and in relation to treatment across a wide spectrum, ranging from elective sterilisation to cosmetic procedures to dentistry. His clients include NHS Trusts, private healthcare providers and individual clinicians as well as private individuals.

He has a particular focus on clinical negligence claims with an international dimension, where his knowledge of jurisdiction and applicable law issues is of considerable value.