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Home  >  Barristers  >  Andrew Ritchie QC
 
Andrew Ritchie QC

Call: 1985   Silk: 2009
Appointments: Queen's Counsel, Vice Chairman of the Personal Injuries Bar Association 2005-2007, 2009- continuing, The Legal Service Committee Appeal panel 1999 – 2002 [LSC], Executive Committee of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers 1996 - 1999, Fellow of APIL
Education: MA Law, Magdalene College, Cambridge, Qualified as a solicitor 1982, Called to the bar in 1985,

Practice Summary

  • Personal Injury
  • Clinical Negligence
  • Professional Negligence (PI Related)
  • Regulatory and Disciplinary
 

Memberships

  • Vice Chair of the Personal Injury Bar Association
  • Professional Negligence Bar Association
  • Fellow of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers
 
   

Described as approachable, dependable, a classy team player, hard on the issues and hard working, Andrew has enormous experience in fatal accident claims, occupational health  litigation especially mesothelioma claims, employers liability litigation (for example Corr v IBC, the suicide case, HL) road traffic claims, Motor Insurers Bureau law and insurance law (for instance Rafiq v MIB, CA).


Andrew writes 9 chapters of the leading Personal Injury text Kemp & Kemp  on Quantum including the fatal accidents chapter. 


Many of Andrew's reported cases concern catastrophic injury claims involving brain damage, spinal injury and PTSD,  for instance he represented many victims of the Paddington rail disaster.


Andrew’s Clinical Negligence practice covers in particular Hypoxia at birth, Urology, Cardiology and neurosurgery.


Andrew also represents medical professionals before regulatory and disciplinary tribunals and also has considerable experience in professional negligence work arising from personal injury litigation.



Commentaries:


Recommended in Chambers & Partners guide to the legal profession for many years, now as a grade 1 Queen’s Counsel. Fellow professionals have commented as follows:


In Silk:


2012 edition: Possessed of "one of the sharpest minds around," the "astute and straight-talking" … "can really drill down and extract the relevant detail in any matter." He has a "forensic yet innovative appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of personal injury claims,"


2011 edition: “ … known for his "persuasive, dogged and focused" approach.  


2010 edition: "An extremely astute barrister of undoubtedly high calibre" he "offers a guarantee of excellence."


As a junior:


2008 edition: Awarded “PI junior of the year.  Described as “An extremely knowledgeable advocate who gains a recognition for his incredible grasp of detail and his ability to make something complex seem straight forward. As general editor or Kemp LPP he is renowned expert in the field”


2007 edition:  "tough yet friendly" and "one of the best on his feet …"

he earns Kudos for being "incredibly straight" and "someone you now where you stand with."


 


Recommended in the Legal 500 UK Client's Guide to the Legal Profession for many years: Fellow professionals commented as follows:


In Silk:


2010 edition: is ‘devastatingly clever’, ‘fearless and brilliant’.


As a junior:


2008 edition:  " ... has outstanding technical knowledge allied to tough forensic skills" and a "personable and decisive approach".


2007 edition: "He is tenacious, meticulous and understated, ... simply he is extraordinarily good all round."

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Cases









Personal Injury  


J v M & Insurer [2012] Representing a young man with very severe brain injuries from a road traffic accident who descended into drink and drugs. Approved settlement (Eady J) £2.2 million plus PPOS of £71,000 pa index linked to RPI.


Habtu v Mckenzie & MIB [2012]  The Claimant who Andrew represented was injured in a road traffic accident by an uninsured driver. He suffered severe brain injuries, hip fractures and needed constant care and support with a case manager. Case settled for £1 million plus periodical payments of £72,500 per annum for life.


Ademneskell v Bryan and MIB [2011]  The claimant was a pedestrian knocked down by an uninsured driver on an off road style trail bike. The MIB defended on the basis that as a matter of interpretation of the Road Traffic Act 1988 no insurance was required for off road trail bike. Hence they were not liable to compensate. Complicated European Law aspects and interpretation of statute. Case of general public importance. Case settled after the Secretary of Sate was joined to the action and the expert evidence was served.  


Carswell v Sec of State & MIB [2010] EWHC 3230 (QB) representing a widow asserting that the Untraced Drivers Agreement 2003 was drafted in breach of European Law because it fails to provide adequately for the claimants legal costs.


Streets v Esso [2009] QBD Lawtel, £315,000 award for widow of mesothelioma victim.


X v MIB [2009] representing brain injured child. Settled for £1.3 million plus PPOS of £32,000 rising to £70,000 for care and case management.


Morjaria v Samwell [2009] Mediated settlement. Representing successful Claimant, Damages £2 million, for a Cambridge student who was run over by a lorry. Loss of career in investment banking.


Thomas v Merck Sharpe & Dohme, 1.12.2008, HHJ O'Brien, representing the Claimant who suffered ulcerative colitis whilst taking part in a drugs trial of Rofecoxib a Vioxx derivative. First successful judgment for Claimants on this drug.


Corr v IBC  [2008] UKHL 13, representing the successful Claimant in her Fatal Accident Act claim arising from the suicide of her husband caused by the Defendant’s negligence 6 years earlier. Employers liability, kind of harm, forseeability and causation.


Purdue v Port Line [2008] QBD, Master Whitaker, living mesthelioma sufferer, summary judgment obtained against “bluewater” shipowners, on the basis that they had land based shipwrights. Date of knowledge 1955 of dangers from asbestos.


Horch v Thames Trains [2007] QBD; for the successful Claimant. Damages £1.5 million.  Horrific burns & PTSD sustained in the Paddington Rail crash.


Phillips v Rafiq and Motor Insurers Bureau [2007] EWCA Civ 74, Times, February 21, 2007. Fatal accident claim, interpretation of the Uninsured Drivers Agreement 1999 – representing the successful widow of the deceased could claim damages from the MIB despite her husband knowing that the driver was uninsured.


Morby v Richards [2006] Birmingham District Registry. For the successful Claimant. £1,012,000 in damages for the Claimant who suffered a severe brain injury in a road traffic accident.


Corr v IBC [2006]  EWCA civ 331, 3WLR 395; For the successful Claimant, industrial accident causing severed ear leading to depression and 6 years later suicide.  Causation, remoteness and forseeability in PI cases. Judgment for the C in the C/A.  Value £633,000.


Miller v QBE [2006] EWHC 1529; Statutory interpretation of the Road Traffic Act 1988 S.145 – the Claimant police officer was not an employee of the insured hence able to claim compensation from the insurer under S.151 for his serious injuries when a criminal ran him down in a police car.


Clough v First Choice  [2006] EWCA Civ 15, PIQR P22, for the Claimant, young man made paraplegic after swimming pool accident abroad.

sustained during an accident at work.

Oldham v Robinson [2004] Settlement 9/8/2004. Lawtel. For the claimant, a 33-year-old man, who received £935,000 for the spinal injuries sustained in a road traffic accident in November 1998. Paraplegia and had no movement or feeling in his legs and no control over his bowel or bladder. Much reduced life expectancy.


Wallis v Balfour Beatty [2003] EWCA Civ 72; Employers liability, breach of Workplace Regulations, causation. For the Claimant.


Russell v Smith [2003] QBD; HH Judge Rich QC. 30/7/2003 Lawtel, For the Claimant. Liability trial. Child claimant with brain injury after road traffic accident on bike, contributory negligence.


Stiles v Thames Trains [2003] QBD, Master Whittaker, settlement. For the Claimant. Recovering £750,000 for a victim of the Paddington Train Disaster who suffered severe burns and PTSD.


Wells v Watford NHS Trust [2000] April QBD, Lawtel L.R., N. Baker Q.C. sitting as deputy, Lawtel C7400041  For the Claimant. Liability trial, manual handling in the delivery suite in NHS hospitals, finding MHOR applies to delivery suites.


Smee v Adaye [1999]  March, QBD, HHJ Steele sitting as deputy, Kemp B2-011/1 & confirmed  C.A 19.04.2000 Lawtel C7400040.  For the Claimant, award £1.1 million, RTA, hip and leg injury, pension loss and future risk of retirement.


The needlestick doctor [1998] August, settled. For Claimant, PTSD, phobia of needles after needlestick injury. Loss of career.  Settled for £450,000.


Various v Tesco [1997] QBD, settled. For Claimants, 40+ RSI cases against Tesco for checkout cashiers.  Lead cases packaged for trial in High Court then all settled.





Clinical Negligence


W v South Yorkshire HA [2012] Sheffield, acting for a child who suffered athetoid cerebral palsy due to negligence intubation during resuscitation after birth. Approved award: £2 million plus PPOS of £112,400 pa for life.


Potter v South Tees Hospitals NHST  [2012] Representing the claimant who suffered septicemia due to negligent lack of prophylactic antibiotics during a kidney operation. Liability eventually conceded and damages settled at £1 million.


Deneven v Leeds Hospitals [2010] Leeds DR, Representing child blinded by the hospital’s failure to treat eye infection after birth. Approved award £1,000,000.


Morris v Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust [2007] Cardiff D.R. Lawtel, Hypoxia at birth, cerebral palsy, settlement, Lump Sum value £3 million, periodical payments for lost earnings £15,000 pa to age 70, stepped periodical payments for care £70,000 pa for life (index linked to the ASHE).


Raichura v Leicestershire H.A. [2003] Lawtel, Leicestershire District Registry (HHJ Hall QC). The claimant, a 23-year-old man, received a "bottom up settlement" or periodic payments settlement (with an old style lump sum value of £2,920,000) for the severe hypoxic-ischaemic brain damage sustained during his birth in November 1979. Cerebral palsy and tetraplegia, severe cognitive impairment, wholly dependent on others for his care and daily needs.






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Seminars

Andrew has given evidence to the House of Common Select committee on law reform, provided seminars on a wide range of topics relating to personal injury and clinical negligence law and lectured to the APIL and PIBA annual general meetings.  Andrew often chairs the Chambers Flagship annual personal injuries and clinical negligence seminars.

10th Annual Clinical Negligence Seminar and Legal Update
10th Annual Personal Injury Seminar & Legal Update
12th Annual Clinical Negligence Seminar and Legal Update
9th Annual Personal Injury Seminar & Legal Update
Asbestos Claims: Law, Practice and Procedure
Asbestos history and medicine
Brain damage at birth claims
Brain Injury Conference 2009
Causation Update
Consent in Clinical Negligence
Employers' Liability Update
Future loss and the Ogden Tables
Head Injury Claims
Interest on damages
Interim payments
Lack of consent claims
Life expectancy in serious injury claims
Limitation in Personal Injury claims
Manual handling
Multipliers
Pain, suffering and loss of amenity
Periodic payments in Clinical Negligence Cases
Periodical Payment Orders
Provisional damages
RTA liability update
RTA quantum update
Schedules of loss and expense
Smith v Manchester Awards
Smith v Manchester awards
Spinal injury claims
The MIB - The Uninsured and Untraced Agreements, practice and procedure
The Road Traffic Act 1988


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Publications

Kemp & Kemp on the Quantum of Damages,   2004 onwards, contributing editor 8 chapters, Sweet & Maxwell. 


Kemp & Kemp, Law Practice and Procedure,  2005 – 2009 ,General Editor, Sweet & Maxwell.


Clinical Negligence claims:                   2nd ed 2011  co-author, 9


                                                                         Gough Square.


Asbestos Claims: Law, Practice and Procedure   published by 9 Gough Square, March 2007: Contributing Editor.


APIL Guide Road Traffic Liability:              2nd ed Jordans, 2012, general editor.


Manual Handling Claims,                            9 Gough Square, March 2008: Author.


The Journal of Personal Injury Law,         2000 - 2003, General Editor.  Sweet & Maxwell.


APIL Guide to MIB Claims,                          Author, Jordans, 1st ed  2001 and 2nd ed 2003, 3rd edition 2008.


The Professional Negligence and Liability Reports, Co-Editor, Sweet & Maxwell 1996-1999.


Medical Evidence in Whiplash Cases,      Author, [book] 1998 Sweet & Maxwell.

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Interests







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  Andrew Ritchie QC
is a member of these
practice teams:
  Personal Injury
Clinical Negligence
Regulatory and Disciplinary
  W v South Yorkshire HA [2012] Sheffield, Andrew obtained damages for a child who suffered athetoid cerebral palsy due to negligence intubation during resuscitation after birth. Approved award: £2 million plus PPOS of £112,400 pa for life.
 
  Untraced Drivers Agreement 2003. In April 2012 Andrew completed a successful appeal to the arbitrator who gave judgment in favour of the paraplegic Applicant after a 3 days hearing. The MIB had rejected the Application on paper.
 
  9 Gough Square are always happy to help with any further enquiries
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