Edward Ramsay

Edward is ranked as a Leading Junior for Clinical Negligence in the Legal 500 and for Inquests and Inquiries in both the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners. He has been described as showing “huge attention to detail”, with “a razor-sharp intellect” and an “unrivalled knowledge of coronial law”. In court the directories describe him as being “skilled”, “impressive”, and “fantastic on his feet”, with “a natural instinct of which lines of inquiry to pursue with witnesses”.

Edward accepts instructions across all practice areas in Chambers. He specialises in healthcare and inquest law and is frequently instructed in lengthy and complex hospital inquests, including enhanced Article 2 inquests and jury inquests.

In 2021 Ed was appointed Assistant Coroner for the Swansea Neath Port Talbot area.

He is frequently instructed on personal injury and clinical negligence cases acting for claimants and defendants, particularly in the field of fatal accident claims, and often where he has previously appeared at the inquest relating to the death in question. He has led many high value cases through from inquest to successful settlement, including at JSM and mediation.

Ed has extensive experience managing experts in conference and in drafting statements of case and complex schedules of loss. As a result of his inquest practice, he has a wealth of experience in general witness handling, including examination of experts.

Ed continues to act for large insurers in fraud and related costs work arising out RTA and exaggerated credit hire claims.

Inquests

Edward is ranked as Leading Junior for Inquests and Inquiries in the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners.

In May 2018 his cross-examination of a DVSA witness in the Gurung case was reported on the front page of The Times. The inquest received extensive media coverage and led to the recall of over 300,000 vehicles in the UK and a separate Parliamentary Select Committee Inquiry.

Edward represents interested parties at all types of inquest (including Article 2 and Jury), but with particular expertise in hospital inquest cases, principally in the areas of mental health, emergency care, and other serious untoward incidents, but also including primary care, cancer misdiagnosis, failed organ transplantation, obstetric and neo-natal care, and paediatrics.

Edward is also instructed to represent care homes, local authorities, RTA insurers, and fire and rescue services. He has particular experience of cases involving fire safety.

In most of Edward’s inquest cases, he is instructed to then bring or defend a potential civil action.

Many of Edward’s cases have been reported in local and national media and he appears regularly as sole counsel (often against senior juniors and KCs).

He frequently provides advice on issues of evidence and procedure, and has extensive experience in the drafting of written submissions (both at pre-inquest review and final hearings).

He has delivered seminars on the legislative changes to the coronial system following implementation of the CJA 2009. He has detailed knowledge and experience of post-inquest remedies including JR and Section 13 applications.

Past instructions include:

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Personal Injury

Edward has extensive experience in all aspects of personal injury law, including employers’ liability, public liability, slipping claims, defective premises, road traffic accidents, psychiatric injury claims, as well as related procedural and costs issues and appellate work.

Edward receives instructions from respected national firms representing both claimants and defendants and their insurers. Edward has also represented many private sector businesses, local authorities, and care homes. His cases cover a variety of claims including the following:

  • Complex orthopaedic and psychiatric injuries (including amputations);
  • Brain and neurological injuries;
  • Fraud and exaggerated claims;
  • Fatal Accidents;
  • Pain disorders including “CPRS” Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, somatoform disorders, chronic pain and fibromyalgia.

Edward is frequently instructed to advise on liability and quantum in high value claims, draft pleadings, schedules, and counter-schedules, as well as Part 18 and 35 questions to experts. He is routinely instructed to lead conferences with multiple experts.

Edward has extensive experience representing clients at trial, joint settlement meetings and mediations.

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Clinical Negligence

Edward has an established clinical negligence practice covering the full range of cases – from orthopedic injuries, obstetric, gynaecological and urological injuries, misdiagnosis and cancer cases, and hospital fatalities.

Many of his instructions arise out of his hospital inquest work where there is a follow-on civil action. Through his inquest practice Edward has extensive experience examining expert witnesses in court and has particular expertise in cases where hospital systems errors are raised.

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Credit Hire

Edward acts for large insurers including multi-track and appellate work. He was junior counsel for the Respondent in the leading case of McBride v UK Insurance Ltd [2017] EWCA Civ 144 concerning the approach to the calculation of Basic Hire Rates.

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Fraud

Edward is regularly instructed in cases where fraud is alleged. The majority of these instructions relate to fraudulent and fundamentally dishonest whiplash and credit hire / storage claims. Edward has extensive trial experience cross-examining claimants on these issues. He has appeared in many cases where ancillary costs issues have arisen (including obtaining wasted costs orders against solicitors, third party costs orders, and disapplying QOCS).

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Product Liability

Ed’s practice includes representing claimants and defendants in personal injury and fatal accident cases involving defective products, including claims with an international/cross border dimension. Ed had particular expertise in fatal accident cases arising from defective products where there may be related coronial proceedings.

Recent instructions include a large fatal accident claim involving a defective vehicle ramp, a fatal claim relating to a defective hospital device for administering IV medication, and claims against BMW in connection with the B+ cable issue and 2018 recall.

Ed Ramsay represents family of Narayan Gurung in widely reported BMW safety recall inquest

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International and Travel

Ed is a member of the Travel and International Law Group and accepts instructions in relation to accidents abroad brought under the Package Travel Regulations and Montreal/Athens Conventions. He is also advises on questions of applicable law, jurisdiction and service.

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Insurance

Ed has experience in motor insurance and insurance indemnity work. He is regularly instructed by motor insurers, and by the MIB, on issues of indemnity and the liability to satisfy judgments in road traffic claims.

He has experience of cases involving the Third Party (Rights Against Insurers Act) 2010 and the Insurance Act 2015.

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Industrial Disease

Edward has acted for claimants and defendants in noise induced hearing loss claims and has experience in cases concerning exposure to asbestos.

He was junior to Frank Burton KC and Harry Steinberg KC. Greenway & Ors v Johnson Matthey Plc [2016] EWCA Civ 408 (platinum sensitisation) exploring the limits of actionable injury in claims in tort and contract.

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Qualifications & Awards

Bar Professional Training Course, (Outstanding).

Graduate Diploma in Law, (Distinction).

MA (Oxon) (History & Politics; First Class; 1st place in year).

Major Scholar, Inner Temple (2012)

Scholar, St. Catherine’s College, Oxford (2007-2009)

Appointments & Memberships

Assistant Coroner for Swansea Neath Port Talbot


PIBA

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Directories

Huge attention to detail with a razor-sharp intellect and fantastic on his feet – Legal 500, 2024

Edward’s knowledge of coronial law is unrivalled and he can handle the most difficult of coroners or witnesses with ease. His advocacy is clear and concise – Legal 500, 2024

He has a good instinctive grasp of matters in the coroner’s court – Chambers & Partners, 2024

He is really good on his feet and really impressive with coroners in inquest hearings – Chambers & Partners, 2024

Edward is a fantastic advocate and is always well-prepared and focused. He is good with clients in emotive and difficult situations and is a safe and trusted pair of hands – Legal 500, 2023

Edward has a superb and in-depth knowledge of coronial law, and passionate about achieving justice for families needing representation at Inquest. Prepares the best submissions for Article 2 inquests, and really goes the extra mile for instructing solicitors and lay clients – Legal 500, 2023

Utter and dogged commitment to leaving no stone unturned when considering a case’s strengths and weaknesses, and an innovative thinker in respect of inquests – Legal 500, 2022

Very proactive and gives clear and concise advice. Easy to approach and communicate with. Very good on his feet and with witnesses – Legal 500, 2021

A natural instinct of which lines of inquiry to pursue with witnesses – Legal 500, 2020

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Cases

Holt v Allianz Insurance Plc [2023] EWHC 790 (KB) – landmark decision on the use of pre-action disclosure applications by putative defendants facing claims for credit hire.

Jones v HM Coroner for Mid Kent and Medway [2020] EWHC 3733 (Admin) – successful application under s.13 of the Coroners Act 1988 to quash inquisition on grounds of insufficiency of inquiry and new expert evidence as to the medical cause of death.

R (on the application of Parkinson) v HM Senior Coroner for Kent [2018] EWHC 1501 – leading case concerning the domestic application of ECtHR jurisprudence on Article 2 in hospital inquests

McBride v UK Insurance Ltd [2017] EWCA Civ 144 Whether the Court should revisit its earlier decision in Stevens v Equity Syndicate Management [2015] EWCA Civ 93 regarding the correct approach to the calculation of Basic Hire Rates in credit hire litigation.

Greenway & Ors v Johnson Matthey Plc [2016] EWCA Civ 408. Whether platinum sensitisation is an actionable injury and/or capable of giving rise to more than nominal damages in contract and/or an exception to the rule against recovery for pure economic loss in tort.

Publications

Contributor Asbestos: Law & Litigation, Sweet & Maxwell, 2019 (Chapter; Practice & procedure)

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Huge attention to detail with a razor-sharp intellect and fantastic on his feet

Legal 500. 2024

Edward’s knowledge of coronial law is unrivalled and he can handle the most difficult of coroners or witnesses with ease. His advocacy is clear and concise

Legal 500, 2024

He has a good instinctive grasp of matters in the coroner's court

Chambers & Partners , 2024

He is really good on his feet and really impressive with coroners in inquest hearings

Chambers & Partners , 2024

Edward is a fantastic advocate and is always well-prepared and focused. He is good with clients in emotive and difficult situations and is a safe and trusted pair of hands.

Legal 500, 2023

Edward has a superb and in-depth knowledge of coronial law, and passionate about achieving justice for families needing representation at Inquest. Prepares the best submissions for Article 2 inquests, and really goes the extra mile for instructing solicitors and lay clients.

Legal 500, 2023

Utter and dogged commitment to leaving no stone unturned when considering a case’s strengths and weaknesses, and an innovative thinker in respect of inquests

Legal 500, 2022