Philip Matthews

Call 2023

Philip Matthews | Call 2023

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Overview

Philip’s practice spans the full range of Chambers’ work, including police law, inquests and inquiries, clinical negligence and public law.

Philip recently secured an award of over £40,000 for a claimant in a fast-track personal injury trial, in circumstances where the Claim Form indicated damages of just £10,000.

Philip is a member of the Government Legal Department Junior-Junior Scheme.

Experience & Expertise

Philip joined Chambers as a tenant in 2026 after completing a period of practice at a leading set of civil law chambers. He has experience of a broad range of work including personal injury, inquests and inquiries, public law, and employment and discrimination. Philip is committed to pro-bono work and accepts instructions via Advocate.

Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury

Philip has both a busy court diary and strong paperwork practice, acting for both claimants and defendants; he regularly appears in quantum/liability trials and the full range of interlocutory hearings, in addition to settling pleadings and providing advices to his clients. In terms of drafting, he has experience beyond his years of call, having previously worked as the legal assistant to a leading clinical negligence and personal injury barrister.

Recent highlights of his practice include:

For claimants

  • Securing an award of over £40,000 in a fast-track quantum trial, in circumstances where the Claim Form indicated damages of just £10,000.
  • Successfully resisting an application by a defendant to adduce surveillance evidence in a multi-track personal injury claim.
  • Acting for claimants against police forces in road traffic accident claims.

For defendants

  • Achieving dismissal of multiple fast-track personal injury claims.
  • Obtaining strike-out of a multi-track personal injury case brought by a litigant-in-person.
  • Representing multiple police forces in road traffic accident claims.

Inquests and Inquiries

Philip’s experience of civil law dovetails with his interest in inquests and inquiries. His standout work includes being instructed as junior counsel for the Department for Business and Trade in the Post Office Inquiry, acting for Boris Johnson in the Covid-19 Inquiry, and representing a transportation company at a one-day inquest into a fatal road traffic collision. This has given him extensive experience reviewing thousands of pages of documentary evidence, interviewing high-profile witnesses, and drafting witness statements.

Public Law

Philip has experience of a range of public law work, including human rights claims, judicial reviews, and immigration work. He is also a member of the GLD Junior Junior Panel. Examples of his recent work include:

  • Being instructed to advise in a series of high-profile unlawful detention claims.
  • Regularly working with the Office for Financial Sanctions Implementation on matters relating to The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, for which he has been security vetted.
  • Acting on behalf of Requested Persons in hearings at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
  • Attending proceedings at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers.

Prior coming to the Bar, Philip had broader exposure to public policy work while working as an Intern at the European Parliament in Brussels.

Employment and Discrimination

Philip has a particular interest in employment and discrimination law and regularly takes on pro-bono work via Advocate. Highlights of his recent practice include:

  • Appearing in multiple Employment Tribunal preliminary hearings, including for a former police constable bringing a disability discrimination claim, and for a hospitality worker for whom Philip successfully applied to amend the ET1 to include a claim for associative racial discrimination.
  • Advising an autistic student in respect of a claim against his college for their refusal to allow his support dog on campus.
  • Obtaining default judgment for a gym worker bringing a claim for discrimination and harassment and later representing her at the respondent’s application to have this set aside.

Memberships

  • Personal Injury Bar Association
  • Administrative Law Bar Association

Privacy

Philip adopts and adheres to the provisions of his privacy policy which can be found here.

Further Information

For further details of Philip’s practice please contact a member of the clerking or client service team.

Bar Council Membership No: 79168
Registered Name: Philip Robert Russell Matthews
VAT Registration No: 462 6022 13