Personal injury, inquests & public inquiries
In terms personal injury, Philip has a busy court diary as well as a strong paperwork practice, acting for both claimants and defendants; in terms of drafting, he has experience beyond his years of call, having previously worked as the legal assistant to leading clinical negligence counsel. A recent highlight of his practice was acting for the London Fire Brigade in a multi-track claim regarding PTSD allegedly sustained during a work training event; the matter settled for less than half its pleaded value on exchange of Philip’s counter-schedule of loss. He is currently instructed as part of a larger counsel team in the Mariana Dam litigation.
Philip’s personal injury experience dovetails with his strong interest in coronial law. He is regularly instructed in inquest proceedings by bereaved families and other ‘interested persons’ (including hospital trusts, ambulance services, local authorities and the police). He has experience representing clients at both complex PIRHs and multi-day final inquest hearings.
Lastly, Philip has experience of acting in major public inquiries. He was instructed by the Department for Business & Trade in the Horizon IT Inquiry, and by Borison Johnson in the Covid Inquiry. This work involved, inter alia, analysing many thousands of pages of documentary evidence and drafting corporate witness statements.
police law
Since joining Serjeants’ Inn, Philip has developed his practice across the full spectrum of police law matters: –
- Philip has experience of making applications in the Magistrates Court for a range of civil orders on behalf of the police (e.g., stalking protection, property closure and account freezing).
- Philip regularly presents cases on behalf of the ‘Appropriate Authority’ at police misconduct hearings.
- Philip is instructed to advise and represent police forces in defending various civil actions (including allegations of negligence, unlawful arrest, human rights breaches and contravention of data protection legislation).
public law
Philip has a keen interested in public law. He is currently a member of the GLD’s ‘junior-junior’ panel. Some highlights of his recent public law instructions include: –
- Successfully representing a police force in the High Court in a judicial review permission hearing.
- Advising on a serious of high-profile unlawful detention claims relating to the Manston short-term holding facility.
- 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.
Prior coming to the Bar, Philip had broader exposure to public policy issues while working as an Intern at the European Parliament in Brussels.
Employment
Philip has a particular interest in employment and discrimination law. In addition to his private practice, he regularly takes on pro-bono work via Advocate. Highlights include:
- Advising a police force on public interest immunity in the context of ET disclosure obligations.
- Appearing in multiple ET 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 judgment for a gym worker bringing a claim for discrimination and harassment (and later representing her at the respondent’s application to have this judgment set aside).
Philip is presently instructed in a whistleblowing matter relating to the charity sector.
Qualifications
BPTC, BPP Law School: Outstanding
GDL, City Law School
BA History, University of Oxford (Exeter College)
Prizes & scholarships
Middle Temple: Meddle of Honour; Astbury Scholarship, Harmsworth Entrance Exhibition
Exeter College: Laura Quelch Thesis Prize
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