Barrister Profile

Profile

Principal areas of practice are Personal Injury, Clinical Negligence, Torts, Health & Safety, Administrative & Public Law, Licensing, Registration & Consumer Protection

Recommendations

Bruce Silvester has "great charm and presence in court". He is "like a dog with a bone when pursuing relevant arguments and issues within a case" He advises both claimants and defendants on clinical negligence and health and safety matters, as well as handling group litigation and catastrophic injury work" Chambers and Partners UK 2009

"Bruce Silvester can take a difficult point and make it look easy" Chambers and Partners UK 2008

Bruce Silvester has also been handling some high-profile cases involving substantial damages. He will put his neck on the block and fight difficult points"
-Legal 500

Areas of Practice

Personal Injuries and Clinical Negligence
Over 15 years experience of all aspects of personal injury, health and safety, and clinical negligence litigation including advocacy, advisory work and mediation. All levels of work including catastrophic injuries and group litigation, for claimants and defendants.

Cases include:

• Everard v. Unigate Dairies - [1990] CL 1670: liability, general damages and Smith v. Manchester

• Osborne v. Magwick - [1994] CL 1678: general damages; cost of future operation and Smith v. Manchester

• Dashiell v. Luttit - [2000] CL 248: severe head injury - £5m damages

• Rushton v. Jervis - [2000] CL 147: serious head injury - £900,000 damages

• Kershaw v. Federal Express - [2001] QBD, Back injury - £266,079 awarded after trial

• Wooldridge v. Hayes - [2003] QBD, Serious Head injuryresulting in 'locked in syndrome' - £601,480 awarded

Public Law and Local Government
Litigation and advisory work concerning all aspects of local government law, civil litigation, judicial review, from internal and statutory tribunals up to the High Court and Court of Appeal. Areas of work include local authoritys powers and duties, police powers, local government reorganisation, education, licensing; Human Rights; Registered Homes.

Cases include:

• R v. Chelmsford Crown Court ex parte Chief Constable of Essex - [1994] 1 WLR 357, [1994] 1 All ER 352: public interest immunity, judicial review

• R v. Harlow JJ ex p Gumble - [1998] 2 CL 446: judicial review of Magistrates Court procedure

• Jenkins v. Essex County Council - (1988) Times, 15 October: Children Act 1989, criteria for registration

• R v. Suffolk Health Authority ex p Kowlessur - [2000] ILR; (2001) CL 535 (CA)

• R v. Chelmsford Crown Court ex p Farrer - [2000] 1 WLR 1468 [1994] 1 WLR 357, [1994] 1 All ER 352: public interest immunity, judicial review

Seminars & Lectures

Lectured extensively in the field of Personal Injury litigation at professionally organised conferences: Euroform, Butterworths and Lloyds of London and Legal Network Television, as well as providing seminars as pert of the in-house training programs of a number of firms of solicitors

Professional Membership

PIBA, PNBA, ABA

Associate Fellow of the Society for Advanced Legal Studies.

Association of Trial Lawyers of America.

Education

Inner Temple Cecil Yahuda Scholarship; Inner Temple Law Grant (1983)

Additional Information

Interests: Antique books, contemporary design, cycling, skiing