Profile
Michael practises across the full range of chambers’ civil liability, regulatory and commercial work with a particular interest in cases where fraud is alleged or suspected.
He has been described in the legal directories as “an outstanding junior” who provides “excellent written advice” and is “brilliant in trials“.
Michael undertakes work in insurance fraud, personal injury, clinical negligence, regulatory and disciplinary matters and costs. He represents claimants and defendants in trials, joint settlement meetings (JSMs) and all interim hearings. He has a substantial paperwork practice.
He regularly acts as sole counsel in significant brain and spinal cord injury cases with a value pleaded in excess of £1m, often appearing against KCs. He is dedicated to achieving the best possible results for his clients.
He has substantial experience of working as part of a larger team on high-profile matters, and is regularly led by some of the country’s foremost silks. He has an impressive regulatory appellate practice, and frequently appears in the High Court.
Michael graduated with First Class Honours in Law, and the prize for the top student pursuing a career at the Bar.
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Jameela Sheikh
Assistant Practice Manager
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Jameela Sheikh
Assistant Practice Manager
Areas Of Expertise
Michael is instructed in all aspects of complex and catastrophic personal injury matters. He has been ranked in Legal 500 for a number of years, and described as having “an authority that belies his years“, giving “excellent written advice”, and being “brilliant in trials“.
He has extensive experience across the full range of high-value work, including serious brain and spinal cord injuries, as well as complex regional pain syndrome, and functional neurological disorder, often with life altering consequences. He is regularly asked to advise on tactics and expert evidence in conference and writing. He is particularly sought after for cases involving allegations of fraud and fundamental dishonesty, or where there are complex indemnity or contribution issues, areas where he has an impressive track record.
Cases of Note
- Rugby Union Concussion Test Case Litigation (Ongoing) –Â Instructed on behalf of World Rugby in the highly publicised Rugby Union Concussion Litigation (led by Nina Goolamali KC).
- B v SÂ (ongoing) –Â Acting for the Defendant in relation to a catastrophic injury sustained during a stock car race (led by Neil Block KC).
- O v OCL [2025] EWHC (Bristol) – Successful defence at five-day trial of claim brought by teacher against an academy, following alleged assaults by students. Claim pleaded in excess of £2.8 million, dismissed in full.
- S v SPÂ & JS [2025] EWHC (Manchester) – Acting for the Defendant in liability only trial, where C suffered a below knee amputation.
- D v BCC – Acting for the successful claimant who sustained a brain injury following a cycling collision.  Liability resolved fully in the Claimant’s favour at trial. Substantial six-figure settlement at JSM.
- Farah v Abdullahi & Ors [2020] EWHC 825 (QB) – Very high value eight-day liability and indemnity trial arising from a complex RTA. Acting for the successful fourth defendant (led by Derek O’Sullivan KC).
- S v K – Sole counsel for the Claimant who sustained significant brain injury. Complex assessment of quantum involving a range of neuro-experts, and loss of chance of securing lucrative employment in the USA. Substantial six-figure settlement.
Michael undertakes the full range of defendant insurance fraud work. He is regularly instructed at the outset of claims where fraud is suspected to advise on tactics and strategy. Early in his career, Michael gained significant experience prosecuting criminal matters in the Crown Court. Accordingly, he is well accustomed to allegations of the most serious dishonesty, and skilled at cross-examination to expose inconsistancy, exaggeration and untruthfulness. He is has been described in the Legal 500 as being brilliant in trials” and “never being afraid of a fight”.
He has achieved numerous findings of fundamental dishonesty in cases involving:
- Exaggerated injuries
- Malingering
- Staged accidents
- Phantom passengers
- Surveillance evidence
- Telematics evidence
- Fraud rings.
He is experienced in the full range of costs arguments including wasted costs applications and/or third-party costs orders.
He has achieved numerous findings of fundamental dishonesty, both at trial, and following discontinuance by claimants.
Cases of Note
- C v DKT Ltd – Acting for the defendant in an application for a finding of fundamental dishonesty, post-discontinuance of the claim. Claim found to be fundamentally dishonest following cross-examination. An enforceable cost order was made.
- R v AIOI – Finding of fundamental dishonesty at trial, regarding a road traffic collision. Finding made that the claimant had fabricated his version of events.
- B v R – Successful application for a finding of fundamental dishonesty where the claimant discontinued shortly before trial. Claimant did not attend the hearing or submit any further evidence. The judge was persuaded to a make a finding of fundamental dishonesty and an enforceable cost order.
Michael is very experienced in high-value and complex clinical negligence cases, acting for both claimants and defendants. He regularly acts in cases pleaded at over £1 million. He is ranked as Leading Junior in the Legal 500.
He has successfully dealt with numerous cases involving:
- Cauda equina
- Delayed cancer diagnosis
- Fatal claims
- Birth injury claims
- Operative failings
- Optometrist and ophthalmologist negligence
- Dental negligence
He is currently instructed in a number of ongoing High Court matters, both for claimants and defendants, involving life altering injuries.
Cases of Note
- F v A Trust (ongoing) – Acting for the defendant trust in a High Court claim regarding allegedly negligent surgery. Claimant claims for lifetime loss of earnings.
- C v A Trust (ongoing) – Acting for the defendant in a High Court for delayed diagnosis of cauda equina.
- P v A Trust Acting for the claimant in regarding a delayed deep vein thrombosis (DVT) diagnosis and unnecessary fasciotomy surgery (successful settlement).
- G v A Trust Acting for the Defendant in a claim for delayed cancer diagnosis. Settlement reached shortly after service of the counter-schedule, at a significant reduction.
Michael undertakes a wide range of property work on behalf of insurers, primarily in the Technology and Construction Court.  He regularly advises and acts in high-value cases concerning damage caused by flooding, fires and defective workmanship. Such cases often involve significant expert evidence in respect of complex losses.
Cases of Note
- NHL v (1) GF and (2) AXA (ongoing) – Acting for the Defendant in a claim for damage caused to a public highway following a diesel leak. Pleaded in excess of £800,000.
- L v CMS Ltd (ongoing) –Â Acting for the Defendant in this claim in the TCC arising from a fire, due to allegedly defective electrical works.
- G v T – Representing the defendant insurers, in high-value contribution proceedings, regarding 50 individual third-party claims, relating to a large glue spillage on the M6 motorway. Settled at a joint settlement meeting prior to eight-day trial.
- L v (1) WCC (2) CWH – Representing the first defendant in a complex damage claim said to be caused by defective pipework. Pleaded at over £250,000. Settled for just £50,000 prior to trial.
Michael appears in the County Court, High Court and Court of Appeal, dealing with all aspects of sport injury matters.
He has extensive experience across the full range complex and catastrophic injury work, including serious brain and spinal cord injuries, as well as complex regional pain syndrome, often with life altering consequences. He is regularly asked to advise on tactics and expert evidence in conference and writing. He is particularly sought after for cases involving allegations of fraud and fundamental dishonesty as well as cases involving complex medical evidence.
Much of his work is pleaded in excess of £1m.
Cases of Note
- B v S (ongoing) – Acting for the Defendant, in relation to a catastrophic injury during a stock car race (led by Neil Block KC)
- P v RFU (ongoing) – Representing the RFU in relation to a claim to a steward who sustained a brain injury during an international match.
- J v S & H (ongoing) – Representing a rugby club in relation to an injury sustained by a touchline spectator, during a match.
- W v GBH Â – Successfully representing the defendant, an international sports body, in a claim brought against them by a former professional athlete in relation to alleged mismanagement of a brain injury.
Michael is a highly experienced regulatory advocate, instructed by both regulators and professionals. He is described in the Legal 500 as being “an outstanding junior in this area” and that “his submissions are always carefully argued and well received by the bench.”Â
Michael is regularly sought to act on behalf of healthcare and legal regulators. He has recently acted for or advised the General Medical Council (GMC), The Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA), the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), the General Dental Council (GDC), Social Work England (SWE), the Professional Standards Authority (PSA), and the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC).
He appears frequently before the High Court.
Cases of Note
- PSA v (1) NMC (2) (R) [2026] EWHC 610 (Admin) – Successful appeal against decision of NMC. Striking off order imposed.
- SRA v D [2026]Â – Acting for the SRA in a 3 day hearing before the SDT.
- Bandla v SRA [2025] EWHC 1167 (Admin) – Acting for the SRA. Appellant’s appeal struck out for using ‘hallucinated’ AI cases
- PSA v (1) NMC (2) (S) [2025] EWHC 1215 (Admin) – Successful appeal against Decision of NCM. Matter remitted.
- SWE v S [2025] – Acting for SWE in a 17 day misconduct hearing. Social Worker struck off.
- AB v Social Work England [2024] EWHC 2874 (Admin) – Successfully resisted appeal by Registrant. Costs order made in favour of SWE.
- PSA v (1) GMC & (2) H [2021] EWHC 588 (Admin) – Successful appeal against decision of GMC. Order for erasure made.
- PSA v (1) NMC (2) L (3) M [2019] EWHC 3326 (Admin) – Acting for the respondent nurse, in appeal regarding allegedly forged training certificates.
- CLC v (1) W (2) M – Acting for the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) in a contested three-day hearing.  Sanctions of suspension and conditions of practice were imposed.
Michael undertakes a wide range of commercial work. He regularly advises and advocates in high-value cases concerning breach of contract, interpretation of contracts, insurance indemnity disputes, loan agreements, misrepresentation and commercial debt.
He was previously seconded to the Bank of England’s Regulatory Action Division, and the Litigation and Enforcement Team acting in four complex and large-scale financial investigations into global banks. Of particular note, he worked on the investigation into Citigroup’s UK operations, which resulted in a fine of £44m being imposed for failures in regulatory reporting governance and controls.
Between 2020 and 2025, Michael was instructed as a legal advisor to the Foskett Panel, chaired by Sir David Foskett, dealing with the direct and consequential losses stemming from the High Profile HBOS Reading Fraud.
Michael has a specialist costs practice, and is increasingly instructed in discrete costs disputes. He has extensive knowledge of all elements of qualified one-way cost shifting (QOCS) and fundamental dishonesty.
He regularly acts and advises in the full range of cost disputes, both between opposing parties and solicitor client cost disputes.
He regularly provides training and seminars on costs disputes.
Michael is regularly instructed in high-profile inquests and inquires.
He was instructed as part of the Inquiry counsel team on the Grenfell Inquiry.
He is currently being led by Jason Beer KC in the Nottingham Inquiry, acting for the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation
Trust.
Between 2020 and 2025, Michael was instructed as part of the core counsel team advising the Foskett Panel, chaired by Sir David Foskett, assessing the direct and consequential losses stemming from the High Profile HBOS Reading Fraud.
He has previously completed secondments to the Bank of England’s Regulatory Action Division, and the Litigation and Enforcement Team acting in four complex and large-scale financial investigations into global banks. This included the investigation into Citigroup’s UK operations, which resulted in a fine of £44m being imposed for failures in regulatory reporting governance and control.
