Pupillage Open Evening 2025

Megan Griffiths

Megan specialises in claims for psychiatric injury arising from abuse, personal injury more widely and clinical negligence. She is happy to consider instructions on a CFA or publicly funded basis where appropriate.

Megan’s abuse practice sees her regularly advising on limitation, liability, causation and quantum in six figure claims for psychiatric injuries and consequential losses. She appreciates the sensitivities involved with this work and always reflects that in her approach. In recent months she has worked on claims arising from abuse within the military, in healthcare settings, in the workplace and at home.  She is instructed in claims involving both adult and child survivors and both institution and abuser-in-person defendants.

Megan’s wider personal injury practice includes claims arising from road traffic accidents, highways claims, public liability claims and employer’s liability claims. Her court practice informs her approach to her written and advisory work in this area, including on allegations of fraud where appropriate. She also advises on tactical and procedural issues including offers and costs. She recently completed a short secondment with a defendant insurer city law firm.

In her clinical negligence practice Megan works on a wide variety of cases. Recent subjects include ophthalmic treatment, negligent management of medication leading to hospitalisation, failure to obtain informed consent and delayed diagnoses. She is particularly keen to build her practice in women’s health and apply her experience in traumatic and sensitive cases to this area.

Megan is also instructed to assist leading counsel in high value claims and group actions. She has assisted in an amputation and brain injury claim which settled for millions and a group action arising from gender-based discrimination sexual harassment in the workplace, contrary to workers’ human rights.

She has been praised by her instructing solicitors for her communicative and thorough approach to case preparation in both her court work and paper practice.

Megan is a member of the Government’s Junior Juniors Scheme and of the Metropolitan Police Panel of Counsel. She regularly contributes to chambers’ various blogs and has been published by AvMA, Law in Sport and LexisPSL.

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.

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 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, David Sanderson, Nigel Lewers and John-Paul Swoboda.

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.

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

Charley Turton

Charley specialises in clinical negligence, abuse, and injury claims with an international element.

Her broader personal injury practice encompasses interests in sports law, motor insurance and military claims.

Charley has been led by William Audland KC, Harry Steinberg KC, Patrick Vincent KC and Andrew Roy KC of 12KBW and regularly does work for other members of chambers in high value cases.

In addition to frequent paperwork cases, Charley is regularly in court for trials, PTRs, CCMCs, interim applications and approval hearings.

As a member of Advocate (formerly the Bar Pro Bono Unit), Charley is willing to act in a pro bono capacity, where appropriate.

Prior to coming to the Bar, Charley studied English Literature at Merton College, Oxford, and was awarded a Blue for football.

When she is not in chambers Charley plays for Camden Town Football Club and is a loyal participant in the annual Blenheim Palace Triathlon.

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.

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.

During her pupillage, she gained a wide breadth of experience in personal injury, clinical negligence, inquests, industrial disease, indemnity, travel and military work. She is interested in all the core areas of Chambers’ expertise.

Prior to pupillage, Jessica worked at an Employment Tribunal and 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 Pro Bono 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.