Photo of Beth Caunce

Beth Caunce

Year of call 2021

criminal.clerks@9sjs.com  

Areas of Expertise
Clinical Negligence, Criminal, Insurance Fraud, Inquests & Public Inquiries, Personal Injury

PROFILE

Beth completed pupillage in 2022 and has developed a busy and varied practice with a growing client base in multiple disciplines, specialising in Personal Injury but with a growing caseload in Inquests and Public Inquiries and Crime.

Beth has experience in serious personal injury, road traffic accident and employers' liability claims with a particular focus on brain injury, spinal cord injury, complex chronic pain and fundamental dishonesty.

Beth worked for many years as a legal assistant at blue chip, personal injury solicitor firms on both the Claimant and Defendant side. With this background she understands what matters to the instructing solicitor.

AREAS OF PRACTICE

PERSONAL INJURY, CLINICAL NEGLIGENCE AND INSURANCE FRAUD

Beth has a busy personal injury practice acting for both claimants and defendants. Beth has experience of multi-track, intermediate track, fast track and small claims track trials and frequently appears at quantum disposal, application and case management hearings. Beth also maintains a busy paperwork practice.

Beth regularly defends road traffic claims on grounds of fundamental dishonesty, on the full spectrum of RTA fraud cases from staged accidents, to phantom passengers and LVI arguments.

INQUESTS AND PUBLIC INQUIRIES

Beth is deputy head of the Inquest and Public Inquiries Team.

She has a wide-ranging inquest practice and is experienced in cases involving the engagement of Article 2 ECHR and the requirement for a jury. Beth draws on her experience in the criminal courts when representing interested persons at jury inquests.

Beth represents a range of interested persons, including families, local authorities, police forces, housing associations and care homes. This work can dovetail with Beth’s personal injury and medical negligence practice.

CRIME

Beth prosecutes as a CPS Panel Advocate and defends in the Magistrates' and Crown Courts. Beth has also appeared in the Court of Appeal in her capacity as a criminal advocate.

NOTABLE RECENT CASES

R v Murise (2024): Beth successfully appealed sentence to the Court of Appeal, resulting in sentence being quashed. Beth drafted the advice and grounds of appeal and appeared as sole counsel in the appeal hearing.

Elzbieta Szwed v Mark H Poskitt Ltd (2023): Beth appeared for the Claimant in a multi-track 2-day Employers' Liability trial. Liability was determined for the Claimant on a 100% basis and the Claimant was awarded substantial damages.

Inquest touching the death of WL (2024): Beth appeared for Cheshire Constabulary and successfully submitted at the conclusion of evidence that Article 2 ECHR was not engaged.

Inquest touching the death of LJ (2024): Beth appeared for Warrington Borough Council and successfully submitted at the conclusion of evidence that Article 2 ECHR was not engaged.

PUBLICATIONS

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Outside of work Beth's hobbies include cricket, football and golf. Beth plays for Croston Cricket Club weekly in the summer, though recently relinquished captaincy of the 2nd team to facilitate more time for work! Beth does find time to coach the junior teams and her under 11 squad finished runners-up in the 2024 season. Beth has also recently joined a golf club and is working on bringing her handicap down.

Beth also enjoys volunteering with aspiring barristers and has recently delivered advocacy training days to students from Bridging the Bar, and regularly judges moot competitions.

Scholarships and Prizes

University of Law Manchester Mooting Competition 2020, Winner
National Speed Mooting Competition 2020, Runner-Up
Gray’s Inn: Uthwatt Scholar (BTC)
BPP Manchester: Academic Excellence Scholarship
University of Law (Manchester): Highest Achieving GDL Student 2020
Gray’s Inn: Leonard Caplan Scholar (GDL)
University of St Andrews: Dean’s List

Associations

Gray’s Inn
Northern Circuit
PIBA

Education

BPP University (Manchester), Bar Training Course
University of Law (Manchester), GDL
University of St Andrews, M.Litt Medieval History
University of St Andrews, MA (Hons) History

Prescribed Information

Beth Caunce is a practising barrister, regulated by the Bar Standards Board. Details of information held by the BSB about Beth can be found here

Beth’s clerks will provide no obligation quotations for all legal services that she offers. Beth accepts instructions on legal aid rates where those are available, details of which can be found here. For other work, Beth usually charges a brief fee plus refresher fees for court hearings, with advisory, conference and other preparation work charged at an hourly rate.

Beth aims to return paperwork within 10 working days, however her professional commitments, complexity and volume of documentation can affect these approximate timescales.

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