EWJ June 61 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 16
New APIL President Calls
for Pride in PI
Personal injury lawyers need to be ready to shout loudly about the difference they make to people’s lives, APIL’s incoming president has said.
Matthew Tuff addressed his fellow APIL members
following the association’s annual general meeting
today (Thursday 15 May).
“It is awful that a claimant who may have experienced
catastrophic injuries and psychological trauma is, on
top of everything else, wrongly accused of dishonesty,”
he said.
“Let’s remember why we chose this job - to fight for
those who find themselves at the lowest point in their
lives and to help them to rebuild those lives,” said Mr
Tuff, who specialises in catastrophic injury claims.
Mr Tuff also lauded the Serious Injury Guide, a
collaborative project with FOIL which marks its 10th
anniversary this year and is a tool he uses himself.
“In their need for redress to help them turn their lives
around, they risk standing alone against big, corporate insurance companies. And, it is you who make
sure that these vulnerable, injured people, and their
families, are not in that fight alone,” he said.
“As a mature, modern, pragmatic organisation, APIL
is open to collaborating with defendant organisations
if this can help to achieve positive outcomes for
victims of negligence,” he said.
New postholders on APIL’s executive committee were
also announced at the annual general meeting today.
Sabrina Lawlor, from Thompsons Solicitors, is the association’s representative for Northern Ireland and
James Byrne of Deka Chambers takes the dedicated
barrister seat. Jonathan Scarsbrook from Irwin
Mitchell and Erin Darling-Finan from Amicus Law
have been elected as additional officers
“More than ever, we need a strong, united voice...
APIL is proud to be that voice and proud to be the
champion of the claimant PI sector,” he went on.
Matthew is committed to APIL’s flagship Rebuilding
Shattered Lives campaign, which aims to rebuild trust
in personal injury lawyers and put injured people at
the heart of policymaking. Another key issue on his
agenda is the “increasing abuse of fundamental
dishonesty rules”.
Mr Nikhil Shah
Mr Jaykar Panchmatia
Consultant Trauma
and Orthopaedic Surgeon
MA (Cambridge) MPH (Harvard) MB BChir (Cambridge) FRCS (Trauma & Orthopaedics)
ORTHOPAEDIC SPINE SURGEON
High confidence, high quality, high speed reports
FRCS(Tr & Orth), FRCS(Glasg), MCh(Orth), MS(Orth), DNB(Orth).
Cambridge University | Harvard University | Fulbright Scholar |
I provide medico legal reports in personal injury
in various conditions - trips, slips, whiplash injury,
hip surgery, complex pelvic acetabular fractures,
long bone and articular fractures, ankle, lower
limb injuries, hip/knee joint replacements,
periprosthetic fractures, soft tissue injuries and LVI cases.
Johns Hopkins Fellow | Robert Jones Gold Medal Winner
Mr Panchmatia is a Consultant Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon at Guy’s and St. Thomas’
Hospitals NHS Trust. His Spine Fellowship was at Johns Hopkins Hospital, USA.
Mr Panchmatia graduated from Cambridge and Harvard Universities. He has presented
internationally, and is published widely in orthopaedic and neurosurgical journals.
Experienced Expert Witness
• Short waiting times; urgent instructions can be accommodated.
• High quality reports, delivered promptly.
I also provide clinical negligence related reports in my specialist
area of practice concerning hip and knee replacements, revision
surgery, and trauma including pelvic-acetabular fractures.
• Specialises in serious/ complex high value injuries.
• Cardiff University Bond Solon Expert Witness certification.
• Awarded Best Spinal Surgery Expert Witness.
Instructions Welcome
Instructions from claimant/defendant solicitors or single joint
expert approximately (ratio 45:45:10). I provide the regional
tertiary service in pelvic-acetabular fractures.
• Personal injury and clinical negligence claims.
• Accept instructions on behalf of: Claimant, Defendant and Joint.
• Civil and criminal instructions.
• Medical reports; desktop reports; screening reports; case conferences.
Contact:
Secretary Amy Brookes 0161 393 3059
Consultantcare Ltd, Riverside Buildings, Mill Lane, Cheadle, SK8 2PX
• Registered with APIL, AvMA, National Crime Agency (NCA), and the UK Register of
Expert Witnesses.
Clinical Expertise in all Spinal Conditions
Consultations at:
• Spinal fractures
76 Gartside Street, Manchester M3 3EL
47 Rodney Street, Liverpool, L1 9EW
John Charnley Wing, Wrightington Hospital, Hall Lane, Appley Bridge,
Near Wigan, WN6 9EP
Ad hoc clinics in London
• Failed back surgery
• Foot drop
• Whiplash
• Spinal tumour
• Spinal infections
• Neck pain
• Back pain
• Coccygeal trauma
• Complex spine cases
Area of Work
• Nationwide clinics.
Email:
nikhil.shah@consultantcare.com
Website: www.privatehealthcare.co.uk/privatespecialists/
find-a-doctor/knee-surgeons/nikhil-shah
EXPERT WITNESS JOURNAL
• Cauda equina syndrome
• Spinal cord injury including paralysis
• Home and prison visits.
☎ 020 3861 5495
️
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• International clinics.
• Remote and in-person appointments.
www.smartspine.co.uk
Medicolegal@smartspine.co.uk or jaykar@smartspine.co.uk
JUNE 2025
