Olinga Tahzib is a civil practitioner specialising in personal injury, clinical negligence and employment disputes.
Before joining Chambers, Olinga completed the Bar Professional Training Course as a Lord Denning Scholar of Lincoln’s Inn. He was graded ‘Outstanding’, graduating top amongst all students at the Inn. Prior to this, Olinga completed his Graduate Diploma in Law with distinction at BPP Law School.
Before law, Olinga took a Double First in Physics and Philosophy as an undergraduate at Oxford University and there he also completed his Masters in the Philosophy of Physics with distinction. Whilst at Oxford, Olinga graduated top of his year in all four years of study, winning several university and college prizes and scholarships.
Olinga is a sought after personal injury practitioner. He is ranked as one of only 6 ‘rising stars’ in the field of personal injury by Legal 500 2022.
Olinga’s caseload encompasses RTAs, claims under the Highways Act and Occupiers Liability Act, as well as asbestos and noise induced hearing loss claims. He also has experience of claims arising from sexual abuse. Olinga is highly numerate and is adept at drafting complex schedules of loss.
In the matter of Hill End Adolescent Unit (ongoing)
Acting for c.80 clients who bring claims for unlawful sedation and sexual abuse whilst they were patients at Hill End Adolescent Unit. The Unit, an adolescent mental health facility in St Albans, was the subject of a 3-year inquiry by Hertfordshire Police’s Major Crime Unit. Led by James Counsell KC.
FXF v a national sporting association (ongoing)
Claim arising from sexual and emotional abuse of well-known professional athlete. Includes allegations of mishandling of complaints by the responsible national sporting institutions. Led by James Counsell KC.
MS v GC (ongoing)
Acting unled for a claimant who suffered a brain injury in a road traffic accident, resulting in persisting neurological symptoms and severe psychiatric injury. Liability admitted. Losses likely in excess of £200,000.
A, B, C (by the OS) v a County Council (ongoing)
Acting for three children in a ‘failure to remove’ case. Claim under negligence and the Human Rights Act. Advising on the implications of the Supreme Court case of Poole.
AB v a London Borough (ongoing)
Acting unled for the claimant in a tripping case in which significant and permanent injuries were sustained. Losses in the order of £200,000. Liability in dispute.
RR v (1) TP (2) MIB (2021)
Acting for a tetraplegic claimant who was the passenger in an uninsured vehicle involved in a serious RTA. Pleaded claim in the order of £22 million. MIB raised issues of knowledge under clause 8 and contributory negligence. Led by Gerard McDermott KC. Claim settled in 2021.
SB v RL and others (2021)
Acting for the claimant in a very high value catastrophic injury case. The claimant was involved in a road traffic accident whilst cycling in an organised time trial and suffered a traumatic brain injury. Led by Matthew Phillips KC. Claim settled in 2021.
F v M and ors (2020)
Acting for the claimant in a Fatal Accident Act claim in which the deceased developed lung cancer following asbestos exposure in the course of his work with several employers. Claim settled in 2020.
A v B (2020)
Catastrophic injury case arising from a motorbike accident involving a young claimant. Capitalised full liability value in the order of £15 million. Issues of ex-turpi causa and contributory negligence. Led by Christopher Gibson KC. Claim settled in 2020.
DH v SB Ltd (2019)
Acting unled for the claimant in brain injury case involving a young man who fell three metres onto a concrete floor whilst insulating a loft. Claim settled in 2019.
DC v TL and ors (2019)
Acting for the claimant in a complex NIHL claim against five defendants involving issues of de minimis loss and losses at 4 kHz.
Olinga has a wide ranging clinical negligence practice. He is ranked as one of only 6 ‘rising stars’ in the field of clinical negligence by Legal 500 2022, where he is described as an ‘impressive junior’.
He has experience of cases spanning a range of areas of clinical specialism. He advises, drafts pleadings and attends court hearings, including costs and case management and interim hearings. Olinga is highly numerate and is adept at drafting complex schedules of loss.
VY v an NHS Trust (ongoing)
Acting for the claimant in a claim arising from an undetected bowel perforation in the course of subtotal hysterectomy, which resulted in sepsis and the need for a Hartmann’s procedure. Liability admitted. Losses in excess of £3 million. Led by Eliot Woolf KC.
JJ v (1) NH (2) JT (3) PL (ongoing)
Acting for a claimant who developed a wound infection following spinal surgery and has been left with incomplete paraplegia. Case ongoing.
MW v an NHS Trust (ongoing)
Acting unled for a young semi-professional footballer who suffered a career ending injury following negligent treatment of her ACL knee injury. Significant claim for loss of earnings. Complex issues of causation.
HB v an NHS Trust (ongoing)
Acting for the claimant in a case involving delayed diagnosis of testicular torsion resulting in infertility. Full liability value in excess of £100,000. Case ongoing.
RG v an NHS Trust (ongoing)
Acting unled for the family in a Fatal Accident Act case involving a young boy, with diagnoses of Down’s syndrome and autism, who was admitted to hospital for oral surgery in response to a diagnosis of acute necrotising ulcerative gingivitis. Failure to properly monitor and escalate care. Case ongoing.
MW v an NHS Trust (2022)
Acted for a claimant in a consent case involving excision of the skin around a pilonidal sinus. The claimant contended he should have been offered the opportunity to have the surgery in a hospital setting. In the event, he developed neuropathic pain and skin splitting. Complex causation arguments based on Chester and Crossman. Case settled in 2022.
AKB v an NHS Trust (2022)
Acted for a child who swallowed a coin when she was 22 months old, which went undiagnosed for c.6 years. C developed difficulty swallowing, anxiety around eating and a head tilt. Case settled in 2022 with Court approval.
Combination Metal-on-Metal Hip Prosthesis Litigation (2021)
Acted for c.25 claimants who brought claims against a number of NHS Trusts and individual surgeons arising out of the practice of ‘mixing and matching’ total hip replacement component parts. Led by Christopher Gibson KC. Claims largely settled in 2020/2021.
AB v an NHS Trust (2020)
Birth injury case in which the claimant sustained hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Liability compromised. Full liability value in excess of £8 million. Led by Christopher Gibson KC. Claim settled in 2020.
HF v an NHS Trust (2020)
Acted for an NHS Trust, unled, in a case pleaded at £500,000+ involving allegedly negligent hand surgery.
RM v an NHS Trust (2018)
Acted for the claimant in a wrongful birth case in which the claimant, who was HIV positive, fell pregnant whilst protected by a contraceptive implant following a failure by the defendant to advise of the risk of drug interactions. Claim settled in 2018.
OL v an NHS Trust (2018)
Acted for the claimant in a Fatal Accident Act case involving delayed diagnosis of cancer. Achieved significant settlement pre-issue in 2018.
In addition to domestic claims, Olinga has experience of cases with an international element or where injuries are sustained abroad. He has experience of Odenbreit claims and claims under the Package Travel Regulations.
KK & BK v TUI UK Ltd (ongoing)
Acting for a mother and daughter who became ill with severe symptoms of gastroenteritis during a holiday in Mexico. Claim under the 2018 Package Travel Regulations. Daughter developed post-infective IBS and suffered from persisting ongoing symptoms. Case ongoing.
JW & LW v JJ & GA (ongoing)
Acting for a husband and wife who were involved in a road traffic accident whilst visiting France. Liability admitted. Significant medical treatment costs and loss of earnings. Case ongoing.
AP v M (2021)
Acted for the claimant motorcyclist who was involved in a serious RTA which took place in Italy. Claimant required surgery and left with permanent nerve damage. Claim settled in 2021.
JB v HCA (2021)
Acted for the claimant who was injured whilst touring with friends in Germany on his motorcycle. Claimant suffered shoulder injury and undisplaced fracture of the coracoid process, together with a head injury. Claim settled in 2021.
JD v B (2019)
Acted for the claimant in a personal injury claim under the Package Travel Regulations involving an accident at a hotel in Barbados. Claim settled in 2019.
HW v GLBR (2018)
Acted for a child claimant who suffered a significant wrist injury whilst cycling in France as a result of a collision with a car. Claim settled in 2018 with Court approval.
Between 2017 and 2021, Olinga was instructed as one of a team of counsel working on the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, the largest ever public inquiry in the UK. Olinga was involved in three strands of the Inquiry.
Inquests
Olinga has wide ranging experience in inquests and regularly represents families and NHS Trusts. He has particular experience of acting in cases in which there is a background claim for medical negligence. He regularly appears against much more senior counsel. Recent inquests include:
Olinga has a busy employment practice, which involves advising and representing claimants and respondents in Employment Tribunal hearings. He frequently undertakes multi day Tribunal hearings against more senior counsel. Olinga’s clients have included FTSE 100 companies, major banks as well as public sector organisations. Olinga also regularly acts for individuals and unions. He is one of a team of standing counsel to the British Association of Journalists.
Olinga’s experience with personal injury disputes assists him in cases where the actions or inactions of employers have resulted in injury to claimants – psychiatric or otherwise.
LL v (1) P LLP (2) C LLP (ongoing)
Acting for a claimant in a high value dispute arising out of her employment at two US law firms. US firms represented by leading KCs. Claims of post-termination victimisation and harassment. Issues of judicial proceedings immunity and the validity of a settlement agreement. Led by Sarah Crowther KC. Claim ongoing.
A McD v Sellafield Ltd (2021)
Acting for the claimant in a high-profile whistleblowing claim brought by a human resources and equality consultant who exposed failures at Sellafield nuclear site to deal with a culture of bullying. Significant national publicity. Assisted James Arnold with preparations for the final hearing in July 2021.
GG v Jordan Andrews Ltd (2021)
Successfully represented a claimant who suffers from MS in a claim for disability discrimination including harassment. 4 day final hearing in August 2021.
AK v ISS Mediclean Ltd (2021)
Successfully represented the Respondent in a claim for constructive unfair dismissal. Claimant was dismissed after posting abusive and racist images in a work related WhatsApp group.
VM v Ocado Central Services Ltd (2020)
Acted in for the respondent in a 5-day trial involving claims of discrimination arising from disability, failure to make reasonable adjustments and unfair dismissal. All claims were dismissed.
MO v ISS Facility Services Ltd (2019)
Successfully represented the respondent in a 3-day final hearing involving a misconduct dismissal after the claimant used his mobile phone whilst on duty as a security guard. The claimant’s claim for constructive unfair dismissal was dismissed.
A v Corporate Officer of House of Lords (2019)
Advised on and pleaded a reasonable adjustments claim for a disabled employee of the House of Lords. Claim settled on favourable terms following judicial mediation.
Successfully represented Santander UK Plc in defending a claim for unfair dismissal on jurisdictional grounds.
DM v East Sussex NHS Trust (2018)
Represented the claimant in an unfair dismissal claim involving the dismissal of a porter by an NHS Trust following allegations that he had sexually assaulted a patient. Tribunal ordered reinstatement of the claimant and awarded a sum representing the payment that the claimant would have received but for his dismissal.
Olinga Tahzib 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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