Personal Injury / Clinical Negligence: Claimant work, including:
• catastrophic brain injury claims • cases involving substantial future loss of earnings based on the Ogden tables A to D • claims by military and private security personnel, including training injuries and cold injuries • chronic pain cases • accidents at work, in particular claims where there is an employment law overlap (see above) • road traffic accidents • fatal accidents
Laura is regularly instructed in substantial personal injury claims as sole counsel and is also instructed as a junior in very large claims. She has specific expertise and experience in dealing with claims (typically running into six or seven figures) where the Claimant has a disability as a result of an accident or other injury but has or may have some residual earning capacity.
Laura accepts instructions in claims involving clinical negligence.
Employment: Extensive experience in the Employment Tribunal and experience in the Employment Appeal Tribunal, representing both employers and employees in a wide range of employment disputes including:
• unfair and constructive dismissal cases • sex, race and disability discrimination claims • wage disputes including holiday pay • other contractual disputes • equal pay claims • restrictive covenants
Laura has a particular expertise in the overlap between employment and personal injury claims, for example in relation to accidents at work, disability discrimination, harassment and stress at work claims. She has conducted a number of cases involving both areas of law.
Property / Landlord and Tenant / Professional Negligence: Experience across a wide range of commercial and residential property and landlord and tenant work including the following:
• business tenancies including renewals and forfeitures • construction of leases • easements, covenants, rights of way and boundary disputes • mortgages • constructive trusts • Party Wall Act disputes (including urgent injunction applications where necessary) • agricultural tenancies • adverse possession • disrepair (sometimes including related personal injury claims) • residential tenancies, including nuisance related injunctions and evictions • rent and housing benefit issues • leasehold enfranchisement and lease extensions • service charge disputes • professional negligence claims arising from property law issues
Reported Cases:
Privy Council
Bundhoo v Mauritius
Privy Council (Mauritius), 25 April 2007
(civil procedure, sale of land by judicial auction)
Daby v Mauritius
Privy Council (Mauritius), 13 October 2008
(nuisance, measure of damages, water law, civil procedure)
Court of Appeal
Winter v Traditional & Contemporary Contracts Ltd Court of Appeal (Civil Division), 20 December 2006
(costs in the Lands Tribunal)
[2006] EWCA Civ 1740; [2007] 2 All E.R. 343; [2007] R.V.R. 122; [2007] 3 E.G. 124 (C.S.)
Winter v Traditional & Contemporary Contracts Ltd Court of Appeal (Civil Division), 07 November 2007
(restrictive covenants affecting freehold land, compensation, loss of amenity)
[2007] EWCA Civ 1088; [2008] 1 E.G.L.R. 80; [2008] 3 E.G. 180; [2007] R.V.R. 353; [2008] J.P.L. 1011; [2007] 46 E.G. 177 (C.S.); (2007) 104(45) L.S.G. 30; [2007] N.P.C. 117
Raja v Van Hoogstraten (Application to Strike Out) Court of Appeal (Civil Division), 21 July 2004
(strike out, civil procedure, right to fair trial)
[2004] EWCA Civ 968; [2004] 4 All E.R. 793; [2005] C.P. Rep. 6; Times, July 27, 2004; Independent, July 27, 2004
Zarb v Parry Court of Appeal (Civil Division), 15 November 2011 (adverse possession, boundaries, reasonable belief) [2011] EWCA Civ 1306; [2012] 1 W.L.R. 1240; [2012] 2 All E.R. 320; [2012] 1 P. & C.R. 10; [2012] 1 E.G.L.R. 1; [2012] 3 E.G. 88; [2011] 47 E.G. 105 (C.S.); (2011) 161 N.L.J. 1633; (2011) 155(44) S.J.L.B. 31; [2011] N.P.C. 118
Billett v Ministry of Defence [2015] EWCA Civ 773; [2016] PIQR 1
(cold injuries, Ogden 7 reduction factors, disability, personal injury)
High Court
Billett v Ministry of Defence Queen's Bench Division, 5th September 2014
(cold injuries, Ogden 7 reduction factors, disability, personal injury)
[2014] EWHC 3060 (QB)
Davidson v Aegis Defence Services (BVI) Ltd Queen's Bench Division, 24 January 2013 (limitation, extension of time, personal injury) [2013] EWHC 590 (QB) (on appeal at Davidson v Aegis Defences Services (BVI) Ltd [2013] EWCA Civ 1586)
Employment Appeal Tribunal
Mehmet (t/a Rose Hotel Group) v Aduma
Employment Appeal Tribunal, 30 May 2007
(race discrimination, unauthorised deductions from wages)
Premium Care Homes Ltd v Osborne
Employment Appeal Tribunal, 01 September 2006
(procedure, non-compliance, striking out)