Our International and Travel team deliver seven talks which include a practical guide on how to litigate foreign accidents after Brexit and a panel discussion on pleading and proving foreign law.
A panel discussion on pleading and proving foreign law
John-Paul Swoboda
John-Paul specialises in Asbestos Litigation, Sports, International litigation, Serious injury, Aviation, Clinical Negligence, Professional Negligence and Inquests. He undertakes high value work appearing in the High Court and Appellate Courts. He enjoys working as part of a team. He won the Legal 500 Personal Injury Junior of the Year Award in 2023. John-Paul was elected joint Deputy Head of Chambers in July 2024.
In relation to asbestos claims, he is instructed by most, if not all, well-regarded claimant firms with an established asbestos team. He is ranked in Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500. Recent reported cases include:
- Johnstone v Fawcett’s Garage (Newbury) Ltd [2023] EWHC 3010 (KB) (appeal listed in February 2025)
- Keegan v Independent Insurance Co Ltd [2022] EWHC 1992 (QB);
- Brooks v Zurich Insurance Plc [2022] EWHC 1170 (QB);
- Witham v Steve Hill Ltd [2021] EWCA Civ 1312 (led by Steven Snowden KC);
- Gregory v H J Haynes Ltd [2020] EWHC 911 (Ch);
- Helm v Kenyon & Sons Ltd v Somewatch Ltd [2019] EWHC 1108 (QB);
- Cary v Vauxhall Motors Ltd [2019] EWHC 238 (QB);
- Mark v Universal Coatings and Services Ltd v Barrier Ltd [2018] EWHC 3206 (QB);
- Stacey v Triplex Safety Glass Company Ltd [2017] EWHC 1945 (QB).
His private international law expertise spans jurisdiction (pre and post-Brexit), applicable law (pre and post-Brexit), forum non conveniens cases and service out of the jurisdiction in both injury and non-injury commercial work. John-Paul also has expertise in Aviation, having worked on cases arising from air disasters. He regularly appears in Package Holidays claims, Admiralty matters, Athens and Montreal Convention cases and clinical negligence cases with a foreign element. As a result of his Spanish language skills, John-Paul is often instructed in Spanish cases and has appeared as an expert in English law in the Spanish Courts. Recent reported cases include: Chouza v Martins & Ors [2021] EWHC 1669 (QB) (Spanish law); Haggerty-Garton v ICI [2021] EWHC 2924 (QB) (Scots law); Maddison v TUI [2023] EWHC (to be heard by the Court of Appeal). John-Paul is ranked in the Legal 500 for Travel Law including Jurisdictional issues.
John-Paul’s clinical negligence work is high value and he receives instructions from most ranked firms. He is ranked in the Legal 500 for his clinical negligence work. He enjoys the medical and scientific aspects of such litigation and works closely with his instructing solicitors and experts. He has significant experience of cases involving birth injury, amputation, unnecessary and negligent surgery, delayed diagnosis, fatal cases, disclosure of risk and the negligent administration of clinical drugs.
John-Paul is listed in the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners for his more general personal injury work which includes EL, PL and RTA cases. Recent reported cases include Irani v Duchon [2019] EWCA Civ 1846.
John-Paul undertakes professional negligence work, mainly in respect of actions arising from personal injury claims. He successfully represented the Claimant in the Court of Appeal in Witcomb v Keith Park Solicitors [2023] PNLR 20.
He practices Sports Law where he is able to bring his extensive Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence knowledge to bear on such matters. However, his practice is not restricted to injury related work; he accepts non-injury Sports work of a contractual or regulatory nature. He has received instructions relating to those in the English Premier League.
John-Paul acts for bereaved families, and occasionally acts for other interested parties, at Inquests. John-Paul has particular interest and expertise in Article 2 ECHR enhanced Inquests. He has acted in high profile Inquests such as the Inquest touching the death of Toni Speck (a death in police custody); the Inquest touching the death of Graham Coker (a death following oesophageal cancer surgery where their department was subsequently shut down); the Inquest touching the death of Jodie White-Charles where a young mother died of sickle cell complications as a result of Trust failures.
View full profileCharley 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.
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Griffiths
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.
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Local Standards
Henry King
Henry is ranked as a rising star in the Legal 500 with “encyclopaedic knowledge” in relation to costs and litigation funding.
He routinely appears for both paying parties and receiving parties in detailed assessments as well as on discrete points of law. Henry is particularly interested in solicitor/client assessments at all values.
He also maintains a substantial practice in personal injury, as well as insurance work including property damage, indemnity disputes and cases involving suspicions of fraud.
Henry’s practice is managed by:
- Lily Baker – Practice Manager (baker@12kbw.co.uk); and
- George Gosling – Assistant Practice Manager (gosling@12kbw.co.uk)
Litigating foreign accident claims pre/post the expiry of the Implementation Period
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.
View full profilePhilip Mead
Philip is a member of the International and Travel Group of 12KBW with an established practice in the field of cross-border personal injury and employment law. He has been named as a Band1 or Star Individual in Chambers & Partners for several years in respect of International and Travel Claims and has appeared in the leading cases on jurisdiction and conflict of laws. Philip has particular expertise in the field of European law, in respect of the application of the Judgments Regulation, the Rome II Regulation and the Motor Insurance Directives.
Philip’s personal injury practice involves claims of the utmost severity and includes the following areas: road traffic accident claims, direct actions against foreign insurers and compensation bodies, employer’s liability claims, product liability claims, fatal accident claims, package holiday claims and maritime and aviation claims.
Philip’s employment practice has involved peripatetic and overseas workers, seafarers, claims against foreign embassies and international organisations, in relation to claims for breach of contract, discrimination and breach of statutory rights.
Philip has received instructions directly from foreign lawyers and foreign clients. He is able to act on a direct access basis without the need to instruct an English solicitor.
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Aliyah Akram
Aliyah Akram is acknowledged as a leading junior in personal injury and industrial disease litigation. She is renowned for her expertise and experience in group litigation in all of the core areas in which she practices. Many of her cases have an international aspect and give rise to both jurisdictional issues and conflicts of laws.
Aliyah is a robust and persuasive trial advocate. She prides herself on working closely as a team with instructing solicitors, not just in group litigation, but in every case in which she is involved. Her focus is always on maximising the client’s prospects of success. She is able to cut through the background noise and gets straight to the issues.
She is a contributing author of Asbestos: Law & Litigation (Sweet & Maxwell, 2nd edition, 2022).
She is ranked by the legal directories as a leading junior in Personal Injury, Industrial Disease and Travel: International Personal Injury.
View full profileSpencer Turner
Spencer specialises in sports disputes, personal injury, clinical negligence, international and travel law, industrial disease, information law, and group litigation. He is regularly instructed in complex and high-profile matters for claimants and defendants, both as led and as sole counsel across all of his core practice areas and before a range of different courts and tribunals. He is a sought-after junior barrister who is often praised for his diligence, excellent client care, strong advocacy and ability to work well in teams.
The legal directories recognise Spencer’s expertise across a broad range of practice areas where he is ranked as a ‘rising star’ or ‘up and coming’ in personal injury, industrial disease, insurance fraud, international personal injury, clinical negligence and sports law. They variously describe him as “great” with “impressive advocacy”, “already having developed a practice that exceeds his seniority”, “absolutely superb”, and “thorough, professional and well-liked by clients”.
Spencer’s sports disputes practice sees him regularly instructed on behalf of sports governing bodies, players/athletes, clubs, coaches and agents across the full range of sports matters. His personal injury, clinical negligence, industrial disease and travel work involves cases of the utmost severity, and he has experience of large-scale litigation, being led, and acting as sole counsel.
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Telemark Heroes: A Lugano Case Study
William Audland KC
William is ranked as a leading silk in the major directories in all his principal areas of practice - international and travel, personal injury, clinical negligence and sports law - and specialises in cross-border claims which combine these areas of expertise. He represents both claimants and defendants, and has a growing practice as a mediator.
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James Pickering
James is a leading junior in cases involving serious injuries and fatal accidents, with expertise in international and group litigation. He acts in the most cutting-edge and high profile litigation, often with a cross-border element.
Chambers UK and The Legal 500 describe him as “really excellent” and “a super junior with a massive future. He is incredibly bright, meticulous and approachable.” He “possesses a towering intellect and is able to master the law in a wide range of areas from international law to English procedural law before deploying it with lethal effect.”
He is ranked as a leading junior in Personal Injury (Chambers UK and The Legal 500), Industrial Disease (Chambers UK), and International Personal Injury (Chambers UK).
James leads 12KBW’s Band 1-ranked International & Travel Team. He edits the key practitioner textbooks in his areas of practice: Occupational Illness Litigation (Sweet & Maxwell), Asbestos: Law & Litigation (Sweet & Maxwell), and Butterworths Personal Injury Litigation Service (Accidents Abroad) (LexisNexis UK).
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