"Oliver is an extremely safe pair of hands. His knowledge and experience means that there is never a stone left unturned; he has an answer to every question thrown at him and he always strives to get the best possible result for every client he represents. He is popular with clients and experts."
LEGAL 500 2022
Oliver is a very experienced specialist Personal Injury and Costs Litigation barrister. He was a solicitor (with Higher Rights) before transferring to the Bar.
He is recommended as a Leading Junior in both Legal 500 and Chambers UK for Personal Injury and Costs Litigation. He is the only barrister on the Western Circuit recommended in both directories for both Personal Injury and Costs Litigation.
He is the co-head of Chambers’ PI/Clinical Negligence Team and head of the Costs and Litigation Funding team.
Oliver has a substantial Personal Injury practice mainly consisting of serious and catastrophic injuries. He is co-head of Chambers’ PI/Clinical Negligence team.
Oliver has worked in the field of personal injury for over 23 years. He was formerly a defendant PI solicitor, and his background is of assistance in both his claimant and defendant work.
In his time working in this field, he has dealt with an enormous variety of cases. Particular areas of interest and expertise include:
Oliver is head of Chambers’ Costs and Litigation Funding team and his knowledge and experience in costs is frequently sought after in respect of PI claims in which he is instructed.
Oliver’s aptitude in respect of procedural issues means he is often sought after for contentious applications and procedural appeals.
Recent personal injury cases include:
Oliver has a specialist costs practice and heads Chambers’ Costs and Litigation Funding team. He receives instructions nationwide to advise/represent parties in all aspects of civil costs.
His instructions have covered a wide range of practice areas (including property litigation, wills and trust disputes, Court of Protection) but most often arise from PI/Clinical Negligence claims.
Oliver has advised and represented parties in relation to costs disputes for many years (he did his first “taxation” (as it was pre-CPR) almost 25 years ago) and has a great depth of experience and knowledge.
Oliver is frequently instructed:
Oliver is the author of the chapters on Costs Appeals and Part 36 for Butterworths Personal Injury Litigation Service.
Recent cases include:
Oliver is co-head of Chambers’ PI/Clinical Negligence Team and head of the Costs Team.
Oliver’s expertise in costs is sought after in many clinical negligence claims. He is renowned for his handling of CCMCs in high value clinical negligence claims, particularly in Bristol District Registry.
He increasingly accepts instructions in clinical negligence claims more generally and over his years in practice he has acquired a wide experience of substantial claims.
Recent cases include:
Personal Injury
‘Oliver is an extremely safe pair of hands. His knowledge and experience means that there is never a stone left unturned; he has an answer to every question thrown at him and he always strives to get the best possible result for every client he represents. He is popular with clients and experts.’
Ranked: Tier 1
Costs
‘very approachable and able to make complex and confusing areas of cost law very easily understandable with succinct and to-the-point advice. Very tactically astute and able to see the bigger picture when delivering costs advice.’
Ranked: Tier 1
Costs Litigation
Specialising in personal injury claims and costs litigation, he has a caseload that sees him tackling detailed assessments in the SCCO and before regional courts. He represents clients in costs settlements and handles costs appeals. Clients include both paying and receiving parties. Moore also has extensive knowledge of Part 36 offers.
Strengths: "Impresses both with his attention to detail and with his knowledge of the intricacies of costs rules. He is very, very good on his feet."
Recent work: Acted for the defendant in Messenger v Zenith Insurance Plc. This case concerned an issue of principle arising as a result of the impact of the claimant's conduct on costs assessed.
Personal Injury
Handles a broad range of personal injury claims on behalf of both defendant and claimant clients, including those involving brain injuries and fatal accidents. He has significant experience acting in multi-track claims and complex employers' and public liability disputes.
Strengths: "Technically very good."
Recent work: Acted for the defendant in Rothwell v Energybuild, an employers' liability claim arising from a coal mining accident.
Personal Injury
‘His strengths include his ability to get a very thorough grasp on a case before providing any advice, which means that any documents/statements of case he drafts are equally as thorough; leaves no stone(s) unturned and missing nothing.’
Ranked: Tier 1
Costs
‘He is a walking knowledge bank of costs rules and laws. He also has good insight into the judicial approach to costs and their response to arguments and will focus on what will work.’
Ranked: Tier 1
Costs Litigation
Specialising in personal injury claims and costs litigation, he has a caseload that sees him tackling detailed assessments in the SCCO and before regional courts. He represents clients in costs settlements and handles costs appeals. Clients include both paying and receiving parties. Moore also has extensive knowledge of Part 36 offers.
Strengths: "Oliver's practical experience and extensive costs experience make him an ideal advocate for any PI and clinical negligence costs litigation." "He is able to quickly grasp the issues, apply the law and present arguments in a logical and persuasive fashion." Recent work: Instructed to advise the claimant in XXX v Thatcher, a dispute connected to a head injury PI case that settled for millions of pounds and included various costs issues, such as multiple retainers, success fees and ATE insurance premiums.
Personal Injury
Handles a broad range of personal injury claims on behalf of both defendant and claimant clients, including those involving catastrophic injuries and fatal accidents. He has significant experience acting in multi-track claims.
Strengths: "He is a very skilful and persuasive advocate. He's also very approachable and easy to deal with; he used to be a solicitor before going to the Bar so he has greater experience than his years of call and he knows exactly what solicitors are looking for." Recent work: Instructed on behalf of one of the defendants in a case involving a claimant who suffered a head injury following an accident on a construction site.
Costs
"He has great attention to detail and is well liked by clients."
Personal Injury
"Very experienced in all aspects of personal injury law."
Costs
Specialising in personal injury claims and costs litigation, he has a caseload that sees him tackling detailed assessments in the SCCO, representing clients in costs settlements and handling costs appeals. Clients include both paying and receiving parties. He also has extensive knowledge of Part 36 offers.
"Has a passion for costs and it shows in his tenacious approach to costs disputes. He can be relied upon to give good pragmatic advice on the prospects of a case and displays excellent attention to detail in his written and verbal submissions." "Oliver is able to quickly grasp the issues, apply the law and present arguments in a logical and persuasive fashion."
Recent work: Instructed on behalf of the claimant in Anderson v Ladler, a case concerning the costs consequences of the defendant's acceptance of the claimant's Part 36 offer after the expiry of the relevant period in claims under Section III A of Part 45.
Costs
‘Very knowledgeable and affable.’
Personal Injury & Clin Neg
‘Very experienced in fatal accident and psychiatric injury claims.’
Costs Litigation
Leading Junior - Band 4
Specialising in personal injury claims and costs litigation, he has a caseload that sees him tackling detailed assessments in the SCCO, representing clients in costs settlements and handling costs appeals. Clients include both paying and receiving parties.
Strengths: "Oliver has an in-depth knowledge of both PI and costs. He also benefits from having previously been a solicitor, which is very valuable when it comes to justifying or disputing work that has been done on a matter."
Recent work: Instructed on behalf of the claimant in Brindley v Cooper, an appeal concerning the application of the fixed costs rules relating to personal injury claims.
Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence
Leading juniors
‘An extremely safe pair of hands.’
Costs
‘An extremely safe pair of hands.’
Costs Litigation
Leading Junior - Band 4
Specialising in personal injury claims and costs litigation, he has a caseload that sees him tackling detailed assessments in the SCCO, representing clients in costs settlements and handling costs appeals. Clients include both paying and receiving parties.
Strengths: "Has a real interest in costs and always gets his facts and figures straight."
Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence
Leading juniors
'An excellent legal brain, and an effective and tenacious advocate.'
Costs Litigation
Leading Junior - Band 4
A specialist costs barrister and head of the set's costs and litigation funding team. He handles the full gamut of civil costs diputes and brings with him former experience as a solicitor with higher rights.
Strengths: "Certainly a go-to costs specialist in the south west, he is extremely knowledgeable." "He can look across a range of cases and identify common themes before hammering out deals in hard-nosed negotiations."
Recent work: Advised the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change in regards to several substantive costs disputes.
Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence
Leading juniors
'He has a particularly strong occupational disease practice'.
Costs Litigation
Leading Junior - Band 4
Heads the costs and litigation funding team at Guildhall Chambers. He represents paying and receiving parties in all civil costs matters, and is frequently instructed on costs appeals, appearing before costs judges and the Supreme Court Costs Office (SCCO). Recent work: He acted for a defendant in respect to the claimant's appeal from the SCCO relating to the applicable success fee to a personal injury claim.
Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence
Leading juniors
'As part of his broad practice, he handles catastrophic claims arising out of motorcycle accidents'.
Costs Litigation
Called to the bar after eight years as a solicitor, and represents claimants and defendants in the SCCO and County courts through the country, but in particular before the Western Circuit's Regional Costs Judges.
Expertise: "He is clever, thorough, very pragmatic and a good advocate."
Recent work: Acted in the Court of Appeal on Bird v Meggitt Aerospace, a case which concerned the interpretation and application of fixed success fee rules under CPR P45 as it pertains to disease cases.
"Highly regarded"
For further information and enquiries please contact:
Personal Injury: Caroline Evans or Olive Kavanagh or Emily Webb
Costs Litigation & Funding: Rob McDonald or Emily Webb