Park Square Barristers Ltd.

Personal Injuury and Employment

Personal Injury
Simon is a leading name in employers’ liability personal injury claims on the North Eastern Circuit. He is especially well regarded for his enthusiasm and proficiency in the niche discipline of occupational stress. Renowned as a fearless trial advocate, he has achieved successful outcomes in claims arising from psychiatric injuries caused by breaches of contract, bullying, discrimination, harassment (both s.26 Equality Act 2010 and Protection from Harassment Act 1997 claims), nervous shock, overwork and protected disclosures.

As well as psychiatric injury claims, Simon is known for his interest in chronic pain conditions that typically involve a psychological component, such as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (C.R.P.S.), Fibromyalgia, Somatic Symptom Disorder, neuropathic pain and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.). In particular, he has considerable experience of effectively adopting a multidisciplinary approach both to establishing and challenging chronic pain claims, including the identification of exaggerated or false claims.

Simon is popular with claimants and is noted for his excellent client care skills, particularly with individuals who have suffered life-altering psychological harm. Whether in conference or cross-examination, engaging with forensic psychiatric experts comes as second nature, as likewise does drafting high-value schedules of loss that span the remainder of a person’s working and pensionable life.

Having background in both personal injury and employment law makes Simon especially well-suited to advise on jurisdictional issues including limitation, alternative causes of action, cause of action and issue estoppel, damages and costs. As a training provider he delivers seminars for solicitors specialising in psychiatric injury litigation, and has hosted stress related health and safety courses for managers in the public sector and in industry. He is instructed nationally by leading disease firms.

Occupational stress aside, he has a strong practice in other disease claims including pulmonary and skin conditions, hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) and noise induced hearing loss (NIHL). For many years he successfully defended public liability housing, highways and occupiers’ claims. Simon is viewed as an expert on limitation in the context of personal injury litigation, and is naturally proficient in all areas of civil procedure.

Employment
Simon’s employment law practice encompasses all aspects of individual employment litigation, including contractual disputes, unfair and wrongful dismissal, redundancy, the transfer of undertakings, protected disclosures and equality claims. He has also been involved in professional disciplinary hearings and local-authority health & safety notice appeals.

Simon is highly regarded for his ability in claims relating to discrimination, victimisation, bullying and harassment. A complementary background in personal injury law also enables him to offer comprehensive practical and tactical advice in the specialist field of occupational stress.

He is experienced in managing lengthy multi-party tribunal hearings featuring complex issues of fact and law, conflicting expert medical evidence, high-value schedules of loss, and jurisdictional points.

Simon has had High Court involvement in executive-pay claims and the enforcement of post-termination restrictive covenants, including obtaining interim injunctive relief. He has notably acted for solicitors threatened with proceedings in the tort of conspiracy resulting from recruitment. Simon has also been involved in claims based in contract and misrepresentation for losses sustained as a consequence of an employee’s breach of the implied duty to take care.

Call 1997

North Eastern CircuitPersonal Injury Bar AssociationEmployment Law Association

1993 University of Leeds, LLB (Honours)1997 Inns of Court School of Law, BVC ('very competent')