Experience
Vanessa has extensive experience handling high-value and technically challenging claims involving traumatic brain injury, spinal injury, amputations, severe orthopaedic injuries, chronic pain, psychiatric injury and fatal accidents. She regularly advises on complex liability, causation and quantum issues, working closely with insurer clients, experts, rehabilitation providers and counsel to achieve commercially focused outcomes.She is experienced in coordinating rehabilitation under the Rehabilitation Code.
She has a strong track record in defending exaggerated and fraudulent claims, including those involving allegations of fundamental dishonesty.
Vanessa also has considerable experience pursuing contribution and indemnity claims arising from complex liability disputes. She successfully conducted a complex engineering claim in the Mercantile Court involving highly technical expert evidence, securing a favourable judgment together with an award of indemnity costs for the insurer client.
She recently achieved settlement of a severe traumatic brain injury claim pleaded at £8.5 million, for £2.3 million. She also successfully defended at trial a Somatic Symptom Disorder claim valued in excess of £250,000, in which the claimant was found fundamentally dishonest.
In addition to specialising in catastrophic injury and large loss litigation, Vanessa has extensive experience supporting defendants facing prosecution for serious road traffic offences. She has worked closely with partners throughout the process, from the initial investigation and police interviews through to Crown Court trial and sentencing.
Vanessa also has considerable experience representing insureds and interested persons at Coroners' Inquests arising from fatal accidents and has assisted insurers and corporate clients involved in significant Health and Safety Executive investigations and prosecutions. This experience has given her a detailed understanding of the interaction between coronial, civil and regulatory proceedings, together with the wider strategic, reputational and commercial considerations faced by insurers and insureds following serious and fatal accidents.