Jack Macaulay

Personal Injury

Personal injury work forms the cornerstone of Jack’s practice, and he is regularly instructed on behalf of both Claimants and Defendants, at all stages of litigation.

He is listed as a leading junior by Legal 500.

His extensive experience encompasses:

• Fraudulent and exaggerated claims
• Cases of serious permanent injuries, with damages well into seven figures
• Brain injury claims
• Chronic pain cases, including cases of CRPS and somatoform disorders
• Psychiatric injury claims from primary and secondary victims
• Fatal accidents (including inquests)
• Injuries as a result of the deliberate criminality of third parties
• Accidents in the workplace, and,
• acting for the emergency services.

Selected Cases

• Advising a nationally recognised entertainment company on the implications of the end of the Brexit transition period on a potential claim against a Spanish equipment supplier, following a fatal accident in England, and acting in the civil claim by the deceased’s dependants.
• An ongoing brain injury claim arising out of a road traffic accident, led by Christopher Kennedy QC.
• Representing a driver at an inquest into the death of a very experienced cyclist who came off his bike shortly after being passed by the driver. The deceased’s family considered that a “close pass” was probably responsible for the death, but no such finding was made by the coroner.
• A chronic pain claim against a supermarket following a slipping accident; at trial the claimant succeeded in recovering only a small fraction of the damages claimed after Jack was able to persuade the judge to reject her evidence, and the opinion of her expert psychiatrist.
• Fryatt v Nottingham Forest FC. Jack acted for the well-known football club at the interlocutory stages of a claim by one of its former players, who alleged that the club failed to manage his ankle injury, resulting in the premature end of his career.
• Acting for the defendant in a case of alleged diffuse axonal injury (led by Shaun Ferris). The claim at one point was pleaded in excess of £10m, but eventually settled for a small fraction of its pleaded value. Additionally, a favourable settlement was achieved in contribution proceedings, after earlier negotiations had collapsed.
• Acting for a claimant who developed PTSD, depression, and chronic pain having been injured while restraining young patients at the defendant’s child and adolescent mental health unit. Liability was initially vigorously disputed before it was conceded just before the PTR for the liability trial. The case eventually settled for a seven-figure sum.

Articles

• Fundamental dishonesty – the importance of ensuring that you’ve given sufficient notice and that your grounds go to dishonesty rather than incompetence
• Ho v Adelekun: a need-to-know decision for all PI practitioners

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News

• Chambers is delighted to announce that two members have been appointed to the Attorney General’s London Panel of Counsel
• Jack Macaulay successfully defeats novel limitation argument

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Qualifications

LLB, Law with European Legal Studies (First Class) King’s College London, 2003-7

ERASMUS year at Uppsala University, Sweden, 2005-6

LLM (Cantab) 2007-8

BVC (Very Competent) BPP London, 2008-9

Lord Denning Scholar, Lincoln’s Inn

Languages: French (intermediate), Spanish (improving), Swedish (basic)

Memberships

• PIBA
• PNBA