Tom Nossiter

Called 1999

He is an impressive advocate - persuasive without being aggressive. A junior happy to take on the most challenging of cases.

The Legal 500 (2024) - Personal Injury (Tier 2)

About

Tom is ranked as a leading junior by both Chambers UK and the Legal 500.

He is a specialist in personal injury litigation, acting for both Claimants and Defendants.

While he continues to deal with some fast track work, generally road traffic fraud and credit hire, employers’ liability, public liability and disease claims, most of his time is spent dealing with multi track work.

He is instructed on behalf of Claimants and Defendants in high value personal injury litigation which generally arises out of accidents on the road, at work and in public places.

He deals with claims involving fatal accidents and life changing injuries, including brain injuries, spinal injuries, significant orthopaedic injuries, injuries leading to amputation and injuries leading to chronic pain.

 

Areas of Expertise

Accolades

Inquests

Tom regularly acts for interested parties at inquests.  His time on the Tsol panel has given him particular experience of death in custody and healthcare issues.

Road Traffic Accidents

Tom deals with all aspects of fast track and multi track work arising from road traffic accidents, including: pleadings; liability and quantum advice; MIB issues; LVI issues; and fraud issues.

Disease

Tom deals with a variety of disease work. In particular, he has dealt with a large number of deafness claims for both Claimants and Defendants and has significant experience of limitation issues.

Public, Product and Occupiers’ Liability

Tom regularly acts for Claimants and Defendants in claims in the fields of public liability, product liability and occupiers’ liability.  He can provide wide ranging advice in relation to all issues relevant to liability and quantum.

Employers’ Liability

A particular feature of Tom’s practice over the last ten years has been employers’ liability claims.  He has significant experience of dealing with liability issues under the ‘six pack’ and other employers’ liability regulations.  He acts for both Claimants and Defendants.

Serious and Catastrophic Injury

Tom has a large amount of experience of dealing with claims involving serious and life changing injuries.  He regularly deals with chronic pain type cases.

Motor fraud

Tom has a great deal of experience of dealing with all aspects of motor fraud cases, acting for both Claimants and Defendants.  He regularly prepares pleadings, assesses and advises on liability issues in conference and represents Claimants and Defendants at trials on the fast track and multi track.

Tom has a great deal of experience of dealing with all aspects of civil fraud cases, particularly in the fields of road traffic accidents, employers’ liability claims and public liability claims.  He acts for both Claimants and Defendants.  He regularly prepares pleadings, assesses and advises on liability issues in conference and represents Claimants and Defendants at trials on the fast track and multi track.  He has significant experience of dealing with allegations of fundamental dishonesty.

The  Legal 500 2014 described Tom as “Highly skilled in all aspects of motor fraud cases”.

Motor Fraud

Tom has a great deal of experience of dealing with all aspects of motor fraud cases, acting for both Claimants and Defendants.  He regularly prepares pleadings, assesses and advises on liability issues in conference and represents Claimants and Defendants at trials on the fast track and multi track.

Tom is instructed on behalf of Claimants and Defendants in high value personal injury litigation which generally arises out of accidents on the road, at work and in public places.

He deals with claims involving fatal accidents and life changing injuries, including brain injuries, spinal injuries, significant orthopaedic injuries, injuries leading to amputation and injuries leading to chronic pain.

Examples of Tom’s recent work as junior alone and/or with a leader, include:

  • Acting for Claimant, a teacher who had an accident at work leading to sacral nerve injury which affected bladder, bowel and sexual function. Developed depression.  Ill health retired as a result of accident.  Significant care needs. Settled at JSM for over £900K gross.
  • Acting for Defendant waste collection company in a claim by its employee for damages for back injury and consequential losses arising from manual handling of bulky waste. Liability dispute.  Claim dismissed.
  • Acting for a Claimant, an elderly gentleman who suffered a severe traumatic brain injury as a pedestrian in a road traffic accident. Claimant had been carer for his wife, who had dementia.  As a result both had to move into an expensive care home.  Causation and quantum dispute.  Issues of life expectancy of Claimant and wife, and recovery of wife’s care costs arose.  Settled at JSM for over £925K net of CRU and interim payments of several hundred thousand pounds.
  • Acting for Defendant public house company in claim by a customer arising from a fall on external steps. Liability dispute.  Steps alleged to be of a construction / layout which was in breach of Building Regulations.  Claimant’s case supported by an expert engineer who gave oral evidence at trial. Claim dismissed.
  • Acting for Claimant injured in a work accident in which he suffered traumatic amputation of his lower leg while working at a sawmill. Contributory negligence, causation and quantum dispute.  Fundamental dishonesty alleged.  Settled for £1.1m gross.
  • Acting for Claimant who suffered a severe traumatic brain injury as a cyclist involved in a road traffic accident. Issues of contributory negligence (failure to wear cycling helmet), capacity, extent of recovery, care needs.  Fundamental dishonesty alleged.  Settled at mediation for £1.3m net of contributory negligence.
  • Acting for Claimant with prior traumatic brain injury suffering index accident which is alleged to have caused psychological injury significantly increasing his care needs. Liability, causation and quantum dispute.  Pleaded at approximately £10m.

Chambers and Partners (2024) - Personal Injury (Band 2) - "Tom is a reliable, straight-talking barrister who always gives sound, uncomplicated advice. He has an excellent client manner and builds strong rapport easily." "Tom has the ability to put a nervous or emotional client at ease and guide them through in a compassionate way." "His advice is practical and realistic but his academic knowledge is also excellent, allowing him to achieve the best results for the client."

The Legal 500 (2024) - Personal Injury (Tier 2) - "He is an impressive advocate - persuasive without being aggressive. A junior happy to take on the most challenging of cases."

Chambers and Partners (2023) - Personal Injury (Band 2) - "Tom Nossiter receives high praise for his exceptional client care skills, which lend strength to his claimant-focused practice. He acts in high-value occupiers' and public liability claims as well as complex employment liability cases. He is also experienced in the handling of industrial disease claims."

The Legal 500 (2023) - Personal Injury (Tier 2) - "He is tactically very impressive, thorough and thoughtful, and has a great manner with the lay client."

Chambers and Partners (2022) - Personal Injury (Band 2) - "Extremely approachable, good with clients and straightforward with his advice." "He is very down to earth, easy to get along with and good with clients in terms of reassuring them. He also has a good eye for strategy."

The Legal 500 (2022) - Personal Injury (Tier 2) -  "He is calm and reassuring with clients and has a very good tactical approach to cases involving multiple experts."

Chambers and Partners (2021) - Personal Injury (Band 2) - "He is always very well prepared and is able to get to the heart of the case very quickly. He is all round a very safe pair of hands."

The Legal 500 (2021) - Personal Injury (Tier 2) - "Calm and measured. Good with difficult and/or unrealistic clients, without being over blunt. Thorough, but can also see pragmatic solutions."

Chambers and Partners (2020) - Personal Injury (Band 2) - "He's very hard-working and prepared to go that extra mile. He's excellent tactically in JSMs and is very popular with clients." "Very approachable and pragmatic."

The Legal 500 (2020) - Personal Injury (Tier 2) - "Well-liked by clients and technically excellent."

Chambers and Partners (2019) - Personal Injury (Band 2) - "He's good with clients and always gives realistic and appropriate advice." "He's experienced, sound in his advice and provides prompt responses to instructions."

The Legal 500 (2018/2019)  - Personal Injury - "He has a good style with lay clients."

Chambers and Partners (2018) - Personal Injury (Band 2) - "Receives high praise for his exceptional client care skills, which lend strength to his claimant-focused practice. He acts in high-value occupiers' and public liability claims as well as complex employment liability cases." Strengths: "An incredibly thorough and hard-working barrister. He has a good knowledge of the law, and he is also very organised." "A really likeable chap. He's able to reassure clients and put them at ease." Recent work: Acted in Bradley v Ciprini, a claim for damages brought by a bus driver who allegedly suffered PTSD after a rugby player tackled his bus.

The Legal 500 (2017) - "Clients love his self-assured manner."

Chambers and Partners (2017) - "Receives high praise for his exceptional client-care skills, which lend strength to his claimant-focused practice. He acts in high-value occupiers' and public liability claims as well as complex employment liability cases. Strengths: "A very bright guy who is excellent at managing clients' expectations. He is very straightforward with clients and lays the risks out for them, but he is also very sympathetic and has a good bedside manner." Recent work: Acted in Mario Poathy-Pratha v Leeds City Council, a public liability claim concerning a cyclist who hit a pothole in the road.

The Legal 500 (2016) - "He is a knowledgeable with a down-to-earth, friendly attitude."

Chambers and Partners (2016) - "Recommended after receiving warm praise from market commentators. Acts principally for claimants on serious injury cases involving employers' and public liability and RTAs. Strengths: "He has a great manner and approach and he is excellent with clients."  

The Legal 500 (2015) - "A robust advocate who has a down-to-earth approach."

The Legal 500 (2014) - "Highly skilled in all aspects of motor fraud cases"

The Legal 500 (2013) -  "Tom Nossiter is attentive and works hard."

Personal Injury Bar Association (PIBA)

  • Acting for Claimant, a teacher who had an accident at work leading to sacral nerve injury which affected bladder, bowel and sexual function. Developed depression.  Ill health retired as a result of accident.  Significant care needs. Settled at JSM for over £900K gross.
  • Acting for Defendant waste collection company in a claim by its employee for damages for back injury and consequential losses arising from manual handling of bulky waste. Liability dispute.  Claim dismissed.
  • Acting for a Claimant, an elderly gentleman who suffered a severe traumatic brain injury as a pedestrian in a road traffic accident. Claimant had been carer for his wife, who had dementia.  As a result both had to move into an expensive care home.  Causation and quantum dispute.  Issues of life expectancy of Claimant and wife, and recovery of wife’s care costs arose.  Settled at JSM for over £925K net of CRU and interim payments of several hundred thousand pounds. 
  • Acting for Defendant public house company in claim by a customer arising from a fall on external steps. Liability dispute.  Steps alleged to be of a construction / layout which was in breach of Building Regulations.  Claimant’s case supported by an expert engineer who gave oral evidence at trial. Claim dismissed.
  • Acting for Claimant injured in a work accident in which he suffered traumatic amputation of his lower leg while working at a sawmill. Contributory negligence, causation and quantum dispute.  Fundamental dishonesty alleged.  Settled for £1.1m gross.
  • Acting for Claimant who suffered a severe traumatic brain injury as a cyclist involved in a road traffic accident. Issues of contributory negligence (failure to wear cycling helmet), capacity, extent of recovery, care needs.  Fundamental dishonesty alleged.  Settled at mediation for £1.3m net of contributory negligence.
  • Acting for Claimant with prior traumatic brain injury suffering index accident which is alleged to have caused psychological injury significantly increasing his care needs. Liability, causation and quantum dispute.  Pleaded at approximately £10m. 

 

Tom is a former Junior Counsel to the Crown and former Deputy District Judge.

Tom welcomes CFA work and has a reputation for a fast turnaround of paperwork.

 

Attorney General's Junior Counsel to the Crown (Regional Panel) 2007-2011.

Tom provides in-house training to several firms of instructing solicitors and has recently delivered lectures on:

  • The Work at Height Regulations 2005
  • Motor Claims Update
  • Back injuries
  • Special damages claims
  • Fatal accidents
  • Inquests
  • Disease claims

  In addition, Tom has taken part in mock trials which Chambers has delivered to various solicitors firms.

Leeds Grammar School; University of Birmingham (BA (Hons) History); Leeds Metropolitan School of Law (PGDL); Inns of Court School of Law (BVC).

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