Zoë Thompson

PROFILE

Zoë specialises in litigating catastrophic and large loss personal injury claims. She is listed as a leading junior in this field by the legal directories. She is known as a fierce trial lawyer who is commonly instructed on cases that are likely to proceed to trial due to credibility issues, complex liability points and/or polarised expert evidence. She is a highly experienced appellate advocate, having conducted appeals on her own and with leading Counsel in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. She is also a well respected negotiator, who is called upon to act both as an independent mediator (particularly in cases involving multiple defendants) and on behalf of clients at Joint Settlement Meetings.

The cases that Zoë litigates include a number of sub-specialisms in the fraud, travel and clinical negligence teams. The type of cases she covers range from fatal accidents to brain injuries, amputations, spinal cord injuries and chronic pain disorders. Her particular expertise is exaggerated claims. Zoë is currently the Head of the Insurance Fraud group. Before that she spent 5 years as the Head of the Travel and International Personal Injury Team in Chambers.

NOTABLE CASES

Zoë has over 24 years experience at the bar, over which time she has litigated a varied array of civil cases. In the field of judicial review, Zoë appeared in the pinnacle homelessness case in the House of Lords of Moran v Manchester City Council [2009] UKHL 36. Following the introduction of the Anti- Social Behaviour Act 2003, she represented many councils in first wave of Court of Appeal cases, including Manchester City Council v Higgins [2005] EWCA Civ 142. In the commercial field, Zoë acted in the Manchester High Court litigation against the banks in respect of unfair relationships and declarations of enforceability, in cases such as Carey v HSBC [2009] EWHC 3417. She previously spent a decade practising employment law and appeared numerous times in employment appeal cases in the EAT and the Court of Appeal. She no longer practices employment law but her experience in this field has led to her being instructed in high value cross over claims in the High Court for stress at work for Claimants and Defendants.

Zoë’s early personal injury practice focused primarily on fraud ring operations, in which she was trial Counsel in cases involving up to 100 accidents that were tried as part of organised rings. She has been at the forefront of civil contempt of court proceedings, tort of deceit proceedings, and declaratory relief proceedings brought by insurers who were defrauded by Claimants. Since the inception of the Criminal Courts and Justice Act 2015, she has secured over 50 findings of fundamental dishonesty at trial, including in respect of road traffic accidents, accidents at work, and travel law claims. She has a particular interest in cases of exaggerated and fraudulent brain injuries and PTSD. She has secured findings of fundamental dishonesty in claims pleaded in excess of a million pounds. Her personal injury related appellate practice includes the landmark case on the use of work equipment in Casson v Hudson [2017] EWCA Civ 125 and Johnson v Warburtons Limited [2014] EWCA Civ 258.

Examples of recent litigated cases include:

• Represented a police force in a claim in which a police officer was injured after a fall from height during the course of a drugs raid.
• Represented a prisoner who suffered life changing injuries after a gang assault whilst serving a custodial sentence.
• Represented a personal trainer after a Claimant suffered severe ophthalmic injuries during the course of using equipment under instruction at a gym.
• Represented multiple Claimants who were injured in a gas explosion at a nuclear site and suffered severe burns and psychiatric injuries.
• Represented a care worker who sued her employer after she was sexually assaulted whilst visiting a service user at his own home.
• Secured a finding of fundamental dishonesty against a Claimant who claimed a half million pound sum after allegedly suffering a traumatic brain injury in a minor road traffic collision.
• Secured a finding of fundamental dishonesty against a Claimant who deliberately amputated his own finger in a machine at work in an attempt to get compensation from his employer.
• Represented a foreign hotelier in a group action pursued by over 50 Claimants who became ill whilst on holiday.
• Represented a UK tour operator in a claim brought by a Claimant who suffered a spinal cord injury after a skiing holiday in America.
• Represented a Claimant who suffered severe lower limb injuries after crashing into a barrier at a go-carting venue.
• Represented one of multiple defendants in a fatal accident liability dispute after a death at work in a bespoke piece of packaging machinery.
• Represented one of the Defendants in an accident at an amusement park in which a child was ejected from a ride at height.

OTHER

Zoë sits as a part time Employment Judge in Manchester.
Zoë is currently a governor at Altrincham Grammar School for Girls.