Pupillage Open Evening 2025

Megan Griffiths

Megan has a mixed claimant and defendant personal injury practice with particular experience in claims for complex psychiatric injuries. She is a regular and effective court advocate. With a combination of due sensitivity, attention to detail and commercial awareness, Megan works collaboratively with her instructing solicitors to achieve results for their lay and insurer clients. 

Megan’s personal injury practice includes claims arising from road traffic accidents, public liability and employers’ liability. Her employers’ liability practice includes claims arising from manual labour, educational settings, healthcare, sports, the military and religious institutions.

On the claimant side Megan is particularly experienced in claims for psychiatric injury arising from sexual abuse engaging complex issues of limitation, liability and causation. She recently secured an assessment of damages on the Masters’ Corridor in excess of £300,000 to beat a Part 36 offer.

On the defendant side she is particularly skilled at forensically analysing disclosure in catastrophic and non-catastrophic injury claims to inform the best approach to litigation. She is regularly instructed to advise upon and pursue findings of fundamental dishonesty and her effective cross-examination has seen claims discontinued before judgment.

On both sides Megan frequently advises on tactics and settlement parameters and conducts conferences with expert and lay witnesses. She is frequently instructed to prepare without prejudice schedules and advise on paper offers. She has conducted JSMs with co-counsel and as sole counsel in six figure claims.

Megan is regularly in court before Masters, Circuit Judges and the district bench. She is experienced in witness handling across liability, causation, quantum and fraud and has been commended by her tribunals for her skilful cross-examination. She is procedurally aware and regularly makes and opposes interlocutory and costs applications.

Megan’s mixed practice and regular appearances in court inform her approach to both her claimant and defendant work. She is praised by her instructing solicitors for her communicative and thorough approach.

Megan is instructed as junior as well as sole counsel. She has previously been instructed by the defendant as junior counsel in a multi-million TBI and amputation claim and by the claimant as junior counsel in group litigation arising from sexual abuse abroad. She is currently instructed in the rugby litigation and another high-profile group action.

Before joining chambers Megan worked as a paralegal in a London law firm’s clinical negligence department. She therefore appreciates the importance of working closely with solicitors to achieve the best results for commercial and lay clients.

Megan regularly contributes to chambers’ various blogs and has been published by AvMA, Law in Sport and LexisPSL. She speaks at chambers’ various events and at in house events for solicitor and insurer clients.

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.

Hollie Patterson

Hollie’s principal areas of practice are employment and discrimination. She has been instructed in various high value, high profile and complex trials, and is in demand not only for her ability to obtain excellent outcomes, but also for her approachable and reassuring manner with clients.

Hollie is also an experienced CEDR accredited mediator. The focus of her mediation practice is employment and workplace disputes.

Hollie acts for both employers and employees. She has worked with a range of clients from national corporations and NHS trusts to small businesses and private individuals. She has specialist experience in claims involving public sector organisations and is well aware of the challenges, both legal and practical, such claims pose.

Peter Hale

Peter is an experienced courtroom advocate, appearing on a daily basis in trials, interim hearings and applications on behalf of both claimants and defendants. He is also known for his robust and thorough pleadings and provides detailed and tailored advice in writing or in conference on all aspects of claims which fall within his various areas of specialism.

Peter accepts instructions in all of chambers’ practice areas but has developed particular expertise in claims arising from road traffic accidents, credit hire, public liability and highways claims, employers’ liability and workplace accidents, international and cross-border litigation, military claims and industrial disease.

Peter is regularly instructed to act on behalf of claimants and defendants and is prepared to consider accepting instructions on a CFA basis where appropriate. Peter is happy to attend court in London and further afield, in person or remotely.

Before coming to the Bar, Peter worked in the International Injury department of a well-known specialist injury firm, dealing with catastrophic injuries sustained abroad or involving international elements. This has given Peter additional insight into cross-border litigation and catastrophic injury claims as well as the demands of running a busy caseload within a firm of solicitors, which enables Peter to give meaningful and practical advice on complex claims.

Peter has a postgraduate degree in European Law from the University of Rennes, France and has professional working proficiency in French as well as basic proficiency in German.

Away from Chambers, Peter enjoys classical singing, having previously worked as a cathedral musician, and currently directs an amateur chamber choir. His sporting career, which has included competing at various levels in hockey, mixed netball, shooting and chess, is more noted for its variety than its finesse.

Jessica Muurman

Jessica joined Chambers in October 2024 following the successful completion of her pupillage under the supervision of Marcus Dignum KC, Isaac Hogarth, and James Pickering. She accepts instructions in all areas of personal injury, appearing in court several times a week while developing a busy paperwork practice. She is interested in all the core areas of Chambers’ expertise.

Prior to pupillage, Jessica worked for HMCTS in an Employment Tribunal and a criminal court, and for a healthcare regulator. She also undertook ProBono work, notably representing families in appeals against school exclusions (via the School Exclusion Project). In addition, during her legal studies she volunteered with Advocate (formerly the Bar ProBono Unit), Liberty, and various law clinics, gaining experience across a breadth of civil work. Jessica will consider cases on a ProBono basis.

Jessica studied biomedical sciences, where she graduated with a first-class degree. In her legal studies, Jessica obtained a distinction in both the GDL and Bar Course, and was supported by Inn and institution scholarships.