Emma Woods

Areas of expertise

• Clinical negligence & personal injury
  • Personal injury

    Personal injury

    Emma is regularly instructed in small claims and fast track matters in the County Court. Her experience includes:

    • representing Claimants and Defendants in liability disputes arising out of road traffic accidents;
    • dealing with credit hire, both for Claimants and for Defendants;
    • cross-examining an expert in a diminution of value claim;
    • cross-examining a Claimant who required an interpreter; and
    • representing a Claimant in a trial in which she was required to make submissions on what constituted an accident for the purpose of the European Communities (Rights against Insurers) Regulations 2002.

    Emma has dealt in her own right with interlocutory applications, including applications for relief from sanctions, set aside default judgment, summary judgment, strike out, adding a Defendant and an application for a further stay while the claim was still in the portal.

    She has represented Claimants and Defendants at Stage 3 hearings, including cases where claims were pleaded in excess of £10,000, claims involving credit hire, and claims brought by cyclists.

    Emma also has experience of:

    • drafting pleadings, providing liability/prospects of success advices and holding conferences with clients with respect to occupiers’ liability and EL/PL claims, including claims brought by prisoners;
    • advising on quantum, including infant quantum advices;
    • Animals Act claims;
    • Montreal Convention claims; and
    • Fatal Accident Act claims, including helping to research case-law on the 2 year co-habitation requirement.
  • Fraud

    Fraud

    Emma’s experience of personal injury claims involving issues of fundamental dishonesty includes:

    • dealing with many fast track trials representing the Claimant where the Defendant has made allegations of fundamental dishonesty and/or the impact being a low velocity impact; and
    • advising a Defendant pre-issue on the likelihood of a finding of fundamental dishonesty.
  • Clinical negligence

    Clinical negligence

    Emma has a particular interest in clinical negligence. Her experience of clinical negligence includes:

    • delayed diagnosis and treatment claims;
    • breast surgery errors;
    • wrongful birth claims;
    • pressure sores claims; and
    • dental claims.

    Emma assisted researching case-law concerning section 33 of the Limitation Act 1980, where a key witness or party has since died since the date of accident or expiry of limitation.

• Professional liability

  Professional liability

  Emma is developing an expertise in Professional Liability.  As well as acting in clinical negligence cases, she also acts for legal professionals, primarily those involved as a result of alleged negligence in the conduct of personal injury/clinical negligence claims.