Huw Thomas LLB (Hons)

Partner

Professional qualifications:

Honours Degree in Law - Leicester University.
Qualified as a Solicitor in 1984.
Regulated Principal - Solicitors Regulation Authority 

     
Experience:
 
Huw qualified as a Solicitor in 1984, having trained inCardiff, where he gained substantial experience in personal injury work on behalf of several very large Trades Unions.  

From 1984 to 1992, Huw conducted general civil litigation at a firm of Solicitors in Hertfordshire before joining a large Cambridge Practice in 1992 to specialise in the field of personal injury practice.  

Huw has a particular interest in dealing with claims arising from fatal accidents and from accidents at work, together with cycle and motorcycle accidents.

Huw is responsible for the firm's in house training.

Some of Huw's cases:

Councils and Public liability

Mrs C -v- Caerphilly County Borough Council.
This was a case involving a fall by the client, who sustained a serious wrist injury due to a missing stopcock chamber cover on a pavement forming part of a housing estate.

Liability was denied throughout, and the case went to trial, at which the client won and was awarded £8,000.00 by way of damages.

Mrs F  
This claim involved the client being injured due to her losing control of her vehicle, which skidded because of ice on the road.  It was said that the ice was present due to water running onto the road from a defective drain, this having frozen. 

This was a difficult case, with liability being denied throughout, and which was to be contested by us to a trial.  However, the claim settled shortly before the date fixed for the commencement of the trial, with the Defendant Council paying a significant sum as compensation.
Leisure and Holiday – Public liability

Miss J -v- Cardiff International Ice Rink. 
This claim involved a young girl being knocked over whilst skating at Cardiff International Ice Rink due to the ice rink not enforcing its rule in connection with skaters all skating in the same direction.

The client was knocked to the ice by a skater who was skating in the wrong direction.  She sustained a seriously fractured leg.  Liability was denied, and the case proceeded to a trial, where the case was won and the young girl was awarded the sum of £10,350.00.

Miss P -v- Aberystwyth Holiday Village.
This was a case involving the client slipping at the Defendant's indoor swimming pool where she was on holiday. 

Allegations were made in connection with the inadequate procedures for dealing with water affecting the tiles surrounding the pool.
Liability was denied and the case taken to a trial, where liability was established on the part of the Defendant.  The client was awarded the sum of £5,043.00.

Mr G  
This was an unusual case, which involved a serious arm injury sustained by the client whilst playing a rodeo steer wrestling machine. 

There was an extremely violent "kick" by the machine, which ripped the client's right bicep muscle.  Liability was denied, and the case was to be contested to a trial.  The Defendant finally started to negotiate in the week leading up to the trial enabling the case to be settled out of court and our client receiving a sum by way of compensation

Accidents at work.

Mr W -v- T W Ltd. 
This was an Employer's Liability claim involving a serious hand injury occasioned to the client, who was using a woodworking machine in the course of his employment.  The main argument on behalf of the client related to his lack of training.

Liability was denied throughout, with an altogether different account of what had occurred being relied on by the Defendant.  Proceedings were issued, and it was made clear to the Defendant that we were prepared to take the matter to a trial if necessary.  The case settled, with a substantial payment to the client , with in addition a sum  having to be repaid by the Defendant to the Department for Work and Pensions.

Mr R -v- S D Ltd. 
In this case, the client was exposed to harmful chemical substances in the course of his employment, the liquids with which he was obliged to work containing a number of chemicals.

In handling the liquid, it seeped through his uniform onto his arms and legs, causing Dermatitis.  Liability was denied throughout, the case was contested to a trial, and in fact settled on the very eve of the trial with the client receiving a sum  by way of damages.

Builders Public Liability

Mrs D -v- ST Building.
In this case, the Claimant sustained an injury due to falling at her home address.  The fall was caused by builders working on the property removing a board which they had placed to allow access down a step.

The client was not aware that the board had been removed and fell, sustaining a serious ankle injury.  After correspondence was entered into on behalf of the client, liability was admitted and the claim settled.

Insurers Road Traffic Liability

Mr N -v- Direct Line Insurance plc and Churchill Insurance Ltd. 
This was a case where the client tripped over a tow rope extending between two vehicles, the tow rope not being marked or highlighted in any way, and having been allowed to remain taut even though the vehicles were stationary. 

The client tripped over the tow rope as he walked between the vehicles (which were straddling the pavement).  The client fell and sustained a serious wrist injury.

Liability was denied by the two insurance companies (who were sued in place of the two drivers), and therefore proceedings had to be issued.  Virtually as soon as proceedings were issued, the claim was settled by the Defendants who paid our client compensation for injuries suffered.