Contact clerking team

Download Edmund's CV

Choose the Expertise to be included in the CV download:

Select all

Add to shortlist

Choose the Expertise to be included in the shortlist profile:

Select All

Privacy notice

Edmund Townsend

Edmund’s practice focusses on catastrophic injury and insurance related litigation. Edmund’s principal practice areas are clinical negligence and personal injury; product liability; property damage claims and insurance coverage disputes. 

Edmund accepts work on behalf of both claimants and defendants. 

Areas of expertise

Personal Injury

Edmund’s cases typically involve catastrophic or fatal injury. He is regularly instructed as sole counsel in claims with a value between £500k and £5 million. Edmund has considerable experience in the field of personal injury across the range of road traffic, employers’ liability, public liability, occupiers’ liability, product liability, animal claims and fraud. Edmund also specialises in the related field of motor indemnity. 

Edmund is happy to accept instructions on behalf of claimants and defendants. 

Cases of note:

  • BVP (protected party) v EUI Ltd, Tradewise and Others (ongoing) - Instructed as junior to James Todd KC. Motor indemnity issues arising out of racing use restrictions and quantum of C’s claim for TBI suffered in road traffic collision. 
  • IW v LV (ongoing) - Instructed as sole counsel for the claimant, who has suffered a severe TBI in a road traffic collision. Claimant unable to return to any paid employment. 
  • DB v LV (ongoing) - Instructed as sole counsel on behalf of the claimant. Polytrauma including TBI suffered by cyclist in road traffic collision.
  • MS v LCC - Instructed as sole counsel on behalf of the defendant. Claim against highways agency in respect of a TBI caused by head on collision with HGV. Claim of 3.3 million settled at JSM.
  • CJ & SK v RA - Instructed as sole counsel. Fatal Accident Act claim pleaded at £2 million settled at JSM.
  • SC (protected party) v BT - Instructed as junior to William Norris KC. Claimant had minimal awareness following severe TBI. 
  • JF (protected party) v CH  - Instructed as sole counsel on behalf of the defendant. Claimant suffered polytrauma and TBI when escaped from defendant’s psychiatric unit and jumped from a bridge.

Clinical Negligence

Edmund undertakes work in the field of clinical negligence. He has experience across the range of medical specialisms.

Edmund is happy to accept instructions on behalf of claimants and defendants.

Cases of note:

  • HAPB (Administratrix) v UCHL NHS Foundation Trust - Instructed for the defendant. Fatal accident act claim following negligent treatment of stroke. Dispute regarding deceased’s likely outcome from stroke and ‘but for’ capacity for work. 
  • SS v M NHS Foundation Trust - Instructed for the claimant. Negligent failure to perform sentinel lymph node biopsy led to delay in diagnosis of skin cancer. Claimant left with limited life expectancy. Consideration of whether claim was best advanced during life or as a fatal accident claim. Claim compromised within lifetime.
  • CAK v DB NHS Foundation Trust - Instructed for the defendant. Alleged negligent performance of total knee replacement surgery. Claimant required above knee amputation. 
  • GM v Dr GM and Dr TO - Instructed by the claimant. Claim against GPs for failure to diagnose acute myeloid leukaemia. Claimant developed complications including septicaemia and cardiac compromise, hearing loss and chronic pain. Claim successfully compromised.
  • EHS (A Child) v EK NHS Foundation Trust - Instructed by the claimant. Delay in diagnosis of slipped upper femoral epiphysis. Successfully disapplied usual costs consequence for acceptance of Part 36 offer outside of time.

Product Liability

Edmund undertakes product liability work. He has particular experience in relation to motorised products, medical/pharmaceutical products and consumer retail products. Edmund is sensitive to clients’ need to carefully manage their brand and reputation alongside litigation. 

Cases of note:

  • Lott & Others v PSA Automobiles SA & Others - Instructed as junior to Willliam Norris QC. Acting for Peugeot and Citroen in respect of group litigation arising out of ‘dieselgate’ scandal. Allegations that vehicles fitted with devices which reduced effectiveness of emissions control systems. 
  • Macdonald v A well known retailer - Instructed as sole counsel. Claim brought pursuant to the Consumer Protection Act. Allegation of defective footwear. Successfully defended claim to trial, where claimant discontinued and agreed to pay costs in the face of allegations of fundamental dishonesty in respect of lies surrounding photographic evidence deployed as part of the claim.  
  • DTMS v A well known manufacturer - Instructed as sole counsel. Allegation of negligent design of mechanised equipment causing failure in the braking system which led to an industrial accident.  
  • IJP v A well known manufacturer - Instructed as sole counsel. Allegation of negligent design of vehicle braking system. Claimant alleges catastrophic injuries caused by vehicle roll away after handbrake engaged. 

Insurance and Reinsurance

Edmund is regularly instructed in relation to coverage issues. Edmund has experience in relation to all types of liability insurance, Critical Illness and life assurance, Motor indemnity, Cargo insurance and Construction All Risks insurance.
Edmund taught insurance law at University College London for a decade. Before coming to the Bar Edmund spent two years working as a research assistant in the Commercial and Common Law team of the Law Commission, where he was assigned to the review of insurance contract law. After leaving Edmund undertook work for the Law Commission on a consultancy basis assisting with their insurance law project. Edmund is therefore familiar with the provisions of the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 and the Insurance Act 2015.

Cases of note:

  • Warner Midland Plc v New India Assurance Company Ltd - Instructed as junior to Jonathan Watt Pringle KC. Successfully resisted £2.5 million claim brought pursuant to the Thid Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act.
  • SB v liberty Mutual Insurance Europe Ltd - Instructed as sole counsel. Successfully resisted claim brought pursuant to the Thid Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act at trial. Issues regarding estoppel by conduct of defence as well as coverage under the public liability policy.
  • SS v St James Place UK Plc - Instructed as counsel for the claimant. Successflly recovered claim under critical illness policy in respect of total permanent disablement. 
  • BC v CAN Insurance Co Ltd - Instructed as sole counsel. Whether temperature abuse of frozen foods amounted to damage for the purposes of a marine cargo policy.
  • WWM v F Ltd - Instructed to advise in relation to coverage under liability policy in respect of claims for industrial asthma. Operation of pollution exclusion.
  • Kudox v NIG - Instructed as sole counsel. Successfully defended claim at trial in respect of goods alleged to have been stolen during a robbery. Whether goods taken by ‘violent and forcible means’.