Eliot Woolf KC specialises exclusively in the fields of Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury (domestic and international). His Clinical Negligence practice is wide ranging, representing both claimants and defendants. His Personal Injury work has a focus on catastrophic brain and spinal injury claims, military claims and foreign accident / group illness claims.
He is regularly ranked as a Leading Individual in each of his practice areas in both The Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners.
Eliot is a Head of Chambers (Deputy Head of the Health Team).
Eliot’s Clinical Negligence practice covers most areas of clinical practice, acting on behalf of Claimants and the NHSR. His cases are of high value and complexity, with capitalised values often exceeding £10m. He has appeared in contested trials in the fields of spinal surgery, haematology, accident and emergency medicine, cardiology, general surgery, vascular surgery, orthopaedic surgery and ophthalmology.
Meadows v Khan [2021] UKSC 21
Eliot appeared on behalf of the Claimant with Philip Havers QC as this case worked its way up to the Supreme Court. They succeeded at first instance in establishing that the scope of the duty of care in a wrongful birth claim included not only the child’s haemophilia (for which advice had been sought prior to the pregnancy) but also his autism which was unrelated to the haemophilia but arose as a natural consequence of the pregnancy. That decision was reversed by the Court of Appeal. In its landmark decision dismissing the Claimant’s appeal, the Supreme Court brought the test for determining the scope of the duty in a clinical negligence claim firmly into line with commercial cases about pure economic loss.
Jaciubek v (1) Gulati (2) Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust [2016] EWHC 269 (QB)
Successful defence at trial of a claim on behalf of a Trust concerning an alleged failure to diagnose a subarachnoid haemorrhage at the Trust’s A & E Department.
Crammond v Medway NHS Foundation Trust [2015] EWHC 3540 (QB)
Succeeded at trial acting on behalf of the Claimant, concerning negligent referral from A & E to a Same Day Treatment Centre.
Sumner v Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust & Anr [2015] EWHC 293 (QB)
With Christopher Wilson-Smith QC. Successfully established liability and quantum on behalf of behalf of a Claimant who was inappropriately mobilised with spinal injuries.
Michael v Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust [2014] EWHC
Successfully defended a claim at trial on behalf of the Trust concerning allegedly negligently performed cholesystectomy and anastomotic repair of the bowel.
Eliot’s Personal Injury practice covers all areas in this field, with a particular emphasis on RTA related catastrophic brain and spinal injury claims, accidents at work, military claims and disease work.
Acting for the Claimant following RTA
Acting with Ben Bradley for a Claimant catastrophically brain damaged in a road traffic accident. Compromised for the equivalent of £16m on an 87.5% basis in his favour.
Acting for the Claimant following RTA
Acting for a Claimant brain damaged in a road traffic accident, resulting in the loss of a career as a yacht engineer. Compromised for the equivalent of £5.8m.
Acting for a Claimant against the Ministry of Defence
Following a negligent intubation during an evacuation by helicopter in Afghanistan. Claimant left in a minimally conscious state with reduced life expectancy. Settled for the equivalent of £5.1m.
Humphrey v Aegis Defence Services Ltd [2014] EWHC 989 (QB)
Acting on behalf of the Claimant at first instance and with Robert Weir QC in the Court of Appeal. Accident sustained by security contractor taking part in a training exercises in Iraq.
Acting for Claimant against the Ministry of Defence
Explosives negligently detonated during a training exercise, resulting in blindness and amputation of one arm. Settled for equivalent of £5.58m on a capitalised basis
Stoddart v Percucca [2011] EWCA Civ 290
Acting for a child Claimant knocked down on her horse. Succeeded at trial and in the Court of Appeal.
Eliot has a longstanding travel law practice, with particular emphasis on group actions involving widespread gastric illness outbreaks or multi-party road traffic accidents abroad.
He appeared for the successful Claimant in Kempson v First Choice Holidays, establishing the basis for strict liability in salmonella claims. Other examples are the first contested trial involving a cryptosporidium outbreak (Eldridge & Others v TUI UK Ltd) and a coach crash in Morcocco resulting in catastrophic injuries to multiple Claimants.
Acting for Claimant following an RTA in New Zealand
Below knee amputation. Settled £1.8m.
Acting for Claimant injured in an accident at work in Nicaragua
Settled at JSM.
Briggs & 598 Others v First Choice Holidays & Others
Acting for 599 Claimants following a large scale outbreak of illness at a hotel in Turkey.
Acting for a Claimant whose baby died as a result of food poisoning in Egypt
Settled for seven figure sum [2017].
Acting for 11 year old girl contracting e-coli 0157 infection on holiday in Turkey
Resulting in kidney failure and the need for a renal transplant. Life expectancy significantly reduced. Provisional damages.
Acting for 6 Claimants following a coach crash in Morocco
One paraplegic. Settled to full value of Defendant’s limited insurance cover plus additional payments.
Acting for a paraplegic Claimant following an RTA in Greece
Compromised for the full value of the Defendant’s limited insurance cover.
Eldridge & Others v TUI UK Ltd
Acting for Claimants with David Allan QC. First successful trial involving an outbreak of cryptosporidium in a swimming pool in Majorca. Application of Balearic Regulations. Judgment for Claimants.
Eliot Woolf KC is regulated by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) and holds a current practising certificate. If you are not satisfied with the service provided, please click here.
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