12KBW Motor Indemnity Seminar

Stephen Worthington KC

The Chambers Directory 2025 ranked Stephen as a “Senior Statesperson” in personal injury and said “He’s very practical in dealing with cases. He takes a firm but realistic position…He’s very nice as well as phenomenally clever”.

The Legal 500 for 2025 ranked Stephen as a Leading Silk in personal injury and said that he has a “superb attention to detail, very practical and down to earth. Absolutely excellent at mediations and settlement meetings.”

His work involves very high value catastrophic injury claims principally involving brain and spinal injuries.

He also has a particular specialism in motor insurance law for which he is considered to be one of the UK’s pre-eminent lawyers.

He has recent experience of cases in the Channel Islands.

He has been a Recorder since 2002 and he is a Bencher of Gray’s Inn.

Patrick Vincent KC

Patrick is a specialist in Insurance, Personal Injury and International/Travel law. He acts for Claimants and Defendants in insurance and policy construction disputes, complex catastrophic personal injury claims, property damage claims and cross jurisdictional litigation.

Tom Vonberg

Tom is highly regarded for his expertise in matters involving serious injury, fatality, defective products, clinical and professional negligence, insurance coverage disputes and damages claims involving multiple parties.

In injury work, the latest editions of the legal directories highlight that he is “well known for his handling of high-value personal injury claims” with “a great knowledge of brain injury claims”.

In product liability and group claims he is recognised as “adept at handling product liability cases”, “able to simplify complex technical issues” and with “experience of appearing in multi-party litigation”.

Tom is repeatedly recommended for his ability to “build an instant rapport with clients”, his “commercial attitude and impeccable manner with clients”, his willingness to collaborate with instructing solicitors to whom “he is hugely responsive and approachable” and for his court room advocacy where he described as “a highly impressive advocate” and “very robust in court.”

Other recent feedback in the directories includes that he is “organised and meticulous in his attention to detail”, “calm under pressure with a logical approach to cases and a great client manner” and “excellent on points of law and strong with clients”.

Tom lives in North Yorkshire and London. He travels nationwide to represent his clients. Before coming to the independent bar, Tom was a barrister at the leading Cayman Island law firm Walkers Global.

Isaac Hogarth

Isaac is Joint Head of our Clinical Negligence Team.

Isaac has a specialist clinical negligence, personal injury and insurance practice. Isaac is generally instructed in cases involving life-changing spinal and brain injuries, chronic pain, amputations and fatalities. He is ranked as a leading junior in personal injury and clinical negligence in both the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners 2025.

In addition to his injury practice, Isaac has an established reputation as an insurance specialist and is often instructed to advise insurers and the MIB on technical coverage and indemnity issues.

Isaac is an experienced advocate with an excellent track record at trials, joint settlement meetings and mediations. He is often instructed as a junior in high value claims, and also has extensive experience as sole counsel.

In addition to his civil practice, Isaac is often instructed to provide representation at inquests, particularly those arising from deaths in hospitals and road traffic accidents.

Helen Waller

Helen is a highly experienced junior with a practice well beyond her year of call. She specialises in personal injury and industrial disease work. Her practice includes catastrophic injury and fatal accidents, both as sole and junior counsel. Helen is regularly instructed on multi-million-pound cases, including complex traumatic brain injuries, catastrophic spinal injuries, and amputations. She works for both claimants and defendants, receiving instructions from leading solicitors and major insurers. She has developed particular expertise in quantum. Helen has been instructed as junior to a number of leading practitioners in the field, including Paul Russell KC, Chris Kennedy KC, William Audland KC, Steven Snowden KC, David Sanderson, Nigel Lewers and John-Paul Swoboda KC.

Helen regularly appears in trials, CCMCs, approval hearings and applications against opponents of all seniority, including silks. She also has considerable experience of JSMs, both as sole and junior counsel.

The legal directories recognize Helen as “tenacious” and “an absolute bastion of client service”. She is ranked as a “rising star” in the Legal 500 and “up and coming” in Chambers & Partners.

Away from 12KBW Helen enjoys wine tasting, cycling, and travelling.

Cressida Mawdesley-Thomas

Cressida specialises in all aspects of Personal Injury law. She has a thorough and collaborative approach and is recognised by The Legal 500 as a Rising Star who “has already amassed an extremely impressive caseload, far beyond that of many barristers much more senior”.

In disease litigation Cressida acts for Claimants suffering from mesothelioma, lung cancer, diffuse pleural thickening and asbestosis. She is also experienced in VWF/ HAVS claims. She regularly appears in the Masters’ corridor and is well versed in limitation arguments and complex issues of causation. As second junior in Mather v MOD she helped obtain a settlement of over £3 million for a former RAF painter & finisher who developed MS following exposure to organic solvents in breach of the COSHH Regulations.

Cressida has particular interest in equine claims brought under The Animals Act 1971.  She is currently junior counsel in a high value, complex CRPS claim following a military riding accident. Cressida is adept at drafting schedules of loss in cases involving the loss of a military career.

In clinical negligence Cressida has experience in a range of different cases, including delayed diagnosis, as well as unnecessary and negligent surgery. This compliments her coronial practice where she is instructed in inquests involving multiple expert jurisdictions. She successfully obtained a regulation 28 prevention of future death report in a case arising out of the police’s treatment of head injuries and questioned experts in pathology, neuropathology, and toxicology.

Cressida is adept at handling complex motor insurance indemnity points. She successfully acted as Junior Counsel for the Second Defendant in Covea Insurance Plc v Greenaway [2021] 3 WLUK 379, considering the meaning of the ‘stolen or unlawfully taken’ exception under s. 151 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. Greenaway was the first case to practically consider how the domestic court is to interpret retained EU law under section 6(3) of the EU Withdrawal Act 2018. Unled she successfully acted for the Second Defendant in Kelec v (1) Kotwal (2) Nelson Insurance (HHJ Dight CBE, central London County Court, 18 August 2022). The case concerned the limits of a direct action under The European Communities (Rights against Insurers) Regulations 2002 (‘the 2002 Regulations’).

Cressida acts and advises in costs litigation, including detailed assessment hearings, where she is an effective advocate. She co-edits 12 King’s Bench Walk’s Costs blog with Deputy Costs Judge Andrew Roy.

Prior to coming to the Bar Cressida worked at a top American investment bank. She is highly numerate and drafts living and fatal schedules of loss beyond her year of call.

Rebecca Henshaw-Keene

Rebecca has an established practice across Chambers’ core areas of expertise and is developing specialisms in group actions and industrial disease.

In group litigation, Rebecca is instructed on a number of complex and high-profile multinational actions in toxic torts, product liability, and military claims. She has a growing practice in aviation disputes.

In industrial disease, Rebecca is instructed in claims arising from exposure to asbestos as both sole and junior counsel. She is also experienced in claims for injuries caused in military service.

Rebecca is currently instructed as a second junior Counsel to the largest group of patients and families participating in the Lampard Inquiry.

Before pupillage, Rebecca taught contract administration and law at University College London. She studied History at Newnham College, Cambridge, where she graduated with a first-class degree

Alexander Cornelius

Alexander joined Chambers in October 2025 following the successful completion of his pupillage under the supervision of Patrick Vincent KC, Charlotte Reynolds, and Edward Ramsay. He is in court several days a week, appearing in small claims and fast track trials alongside interim applications. He is interested in all the core areas of Chambers’ expertise.

Alexander obtained an Outstanding on the Bar Practice Course, supported by a scholarship from Gray’s Inn, with an overall average of 90% and marks of 98% in Civil Litigation and 97% in Criminal Litigation. He also obtained a distinction in his LLM at University College London obtaining the highest mark in the year in International Commercial Litigation.

He has been a guest lecturer at the University College London International Commercial Litigation summer school.