"Charles is a good opponent with a fiery focus who sees the way through a case quickly. He's a very direct, forthright and an attractive advocate." "He has exceptional client care skills. Clients warm to him immediately and he puts the room at ease."
Chambers & Partners 2024
"Charles has very strong analytical skills and the ability to see through to the crux of a case without difficulty. "
The Legal 500 2024
"Charles's advocacy is simply sublime. He has the gravitas to hold the attention of the courtroom, and his cross-examination is a joy to watch." "Charles is a safe pair of hands and not afraid of a challenge." "He is one of the strongest advocates and trial lawyer I have come across." "Charles is comfortable in a challenging negotiation."
Charlie Woodhouse KC specialises in personal injury, clinical negligence and inquests.
He was ranked as a ‘Star Individual’ junior for personal injury by Chambers & Partners and has been described in the legal directories as “a superb advocate with a fantastic success rate” who “… has the full range – he’s very good with clients, and a fantastic advocate who wins difficult cases. His attention to detail is excellent”; “He’s very confident and accessible. He builds up a good rapport with witnesses; he’s engaging and clear but not dogmatic”. Charlie is particularly “recognised for his insurance defence practice”. Charlie was named ‘Personal Injury Junior of the Year‘ at the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2021.
Charlie has enormous experience acting for Claimants and Defendants, predominantly in high-value and serious or fatal injury cases arising from road traffic, industrial and other accidents. His caseload includes accidents resulting in brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation and cases involving contested mental capacity. Charlie has a particularly strong reputation acting in claims by members of the armed forces and for acting for insurers in cases involving complex regional pain syndrome, chronic pain and associated disorders, including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and functional neurological disorder.
He has considerable experience of claims that arise out of accidents, often fatal, involving industrial machinery including cranes, trains and other engineering equipment in which Charlie is regularly instructed to act at inquest and in civil proceedings.
Charlie has been ranked as a leading junior in clinical negligence by the The Legal 500 since 2009 where they observe that he “grasps medical issues quickly”.
He has considerable experience in clinical negligence acting at inquest and in civil proceedings in a wide range of clinical accident claims including fatal accident claims, obstetric negligence claims and claims arising from delayed diagnoses.
Charlie took silk in March 2022.
Professional Recommendations
“Charles has a good eye for detail and is great in trial.”
Chambers & Partners 2024
“Charles is a good opponent with a fiery focus who sees the way through a case quickly. He’s a very direct, forthright and an attractive advocate.”
Chambers & Partners 2024
“Charlie has strong attention to detail and the ability to grasp and analyse information quickly and accurately and deliver strong advice.”
Chambers & Partners 2024
“His advocacy is superb and he has the ability to hold the attention of the court. His cross-examination of experts is robust, fair and effective.”
Chambers & Partners 2024
“He has exceptional client care skills. Clients warm to him immediately and he puts the room at ease.”
Chambers & Partners 2024
“Charles is a great silk who commands authority in a conference and displays great empathy with clients.”
Chambers & Partners 2024
“He has a very strong analytical eye and is great on his feet and with clients.”
Chambers & Partners 2024
“He has an ability to strip matters back to the core issues and develop a strategic plan going forward.”
Chambers & Partners 2024
“He has the command of the court room and his advocacy is a joy to observe.”
The Legal 500 2024
“Charles has very strong analytical skills and the ability to see through to the crux of a case without difficulty. “
The Legal 500 2024
“He is a go-to on anything with complex medical issues.”
Chambers & Partners 2023
“Charles really gets to the commercial realities of the case.”
Chambers & Partners 2023
“He is incredibly knowledgeable on quantum.”
Chambers & Partners 2023
“Charles is a safe pair of hands and not afraid of a challenge.”
Chambers & Partners 2023
“Charles is comfortable in a challenging negotiation.”
Chambers & Partners 2023
“He is one of the strongest advocates and trial lawyer I have come across.”
Chambers & Partners 2023
“Charles’s advocacy is simply sublime. He has the gravitas to hold the attention of the courtroom, and his cross-examination is a joy to watch.”
Chambers & Partners 2023
“He is a robust advocate with an excellent knowledge of quantum issues.” “He has the command of the court room and his advocacy is a joy to observe.” “Charlie is by far the most outstanding senior junior that I have worked with. His eye for detail is second to none. He holds the attention of the court, and his advocacy is parallel to silks. Judges like him, opponents like him and clients like him. The perfect package.”
The Legal 500 2022
“He is a powerhouse and simply one of the best juniors at the Personal Injury Bar. No case is too complex for him and his ability to distil complex information into coherent strategy is excellent.” “He is forensic and gets to the root of issues.” “Great with his advice, really good with clients and in court he is robust and very thorough.” “He’s well thought of, experienced and a solid opponent.” “He is a real tactical and technical expert.”
Chambers & Partners 2022
“He is very thorough and professional.” “He is meticulous in his preparation.” “He inspires confidence and is someone you definitely want on your side.” “He pulls out the key issues in a case very quickly and thinks laterally when trying to work through challenges.”
Chambers & Partners 2021
“He is just about the best barrister. An extremely effective advocate who has the ability to hold the attention of the court. He is charming, eloquent and razor sharp. He is as good as any silk.” “He is the complete package and one of the few PI juniors who would sail into Silk and do well. He is highly regarded by all of his peers as a courageous and charming barrister. He is one of the few senior juniors who is equally adept representing claimants and defendants.” “Tenacious in arguments, empathic with the clients and principled with expert witnesses.”
The Legal 500 2021
“He exudes confidence in court.” “He is prompt, punctual, bright, articulate and pragmatic.” “He’s very good on his feet and his command of the room is brilliant.” “He has excellent client care skills and is able to deliver advice in a clear and concise manner. He also fights hard for his clients and is very thorough and detailed in his work.”
Chambers & Partners 2020
“A sublime advocate who commands respect in the court room.” “Brilliant on his feet and commands respect from the court room.”
The Legal 500 2020
“Very well prepared and organised. He is good with the finer detail and impresses clients. He is a tough, successful negotiator, and confident in risky cases.” “Friendly to clients and very effective at trial. He provides accurate and sensible advice.” “Confident, able and always meticulously prepared. He has a remarkably effective ability to get on well with clients. A very impressive barrister.”
Chambers & Partners 2018
Expertise
Clinical Negligence
Charlie has 20 years’ experience of acting at inquest and in civil proceedings in a wide range of clinical accident claims and he is ranked as a leading silk in clinical negligence. Most of his caseload involves high-value or medically complex claims including fatality during the course of medical treatment, perinatal injury to mother and child, delayed diagnosis of cancer and iatrogenic injury in the course of treatment (particularly injury to the bowel). Charlie has a particular interest and considerable experience in representing members of the armed forces in respect of treatment received in both a military and civilian setting and he has represented a number of elite and professional sportsmen and women in respect of the treatment of career-ending injuries.
Charlie is described in the legal directories as “a superb advocate with a fantastic success rate” who “…has the full range – he’s very good with clients, and a fantastic advocate who wins difficult cases. His attention to detail is excellent”, “He’s very confident and accessible. He builds up a good rapport with witnesses; he’s engaging and clear but not dogmatic”.
Recent Cases
Matuszczak v Mid-Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust. A claim for psychiatric illness resulting from the still birth of the Claimant’s baby.
Shoniwa v Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust. A claim for obstetric negligence leading to asphyxia and brain injury to the Claimant’s son and severe psychiatric injury to the Claimant.
Byrne v MoD. A claim for the negligent treatment of a knee injury suffered by a serving soldier and her subsequent deployment to Afghanistan, leading to subsequent re-injury and ultimately a below knee amputation. Complicated causation issues with similar arguments to those in Wright v Cambridge Medical Group [2011] EWCA Civ 669.
Ramesh v St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust. A fatal accident claim arising from the Claimant’s husband’s death following vascular injury sustained during the course of an angiogram.
Arrands v Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust. A claim arising from iatrogenic bowel injury during the course of arthroscopic surgery leading to severe debilitating injury and a permanent ileostomy.
Meade v Timeyin. A claim arising from the delayed diagnosis of cancer.
Inquests
Charlie has considerable experience of representing interested parties in the Coroner’s Court. He is often instructed on behalf of interested parties in inquests arising out of industrial accidents and death arising as a result of medical treatment. He regularly appears in inquests before a jury.
Recent Cases
Inquest touching the death of Erjon Hyseni. Represented a fairground operator at a widely reported jury inquest into the death of a young child at a fairground.
Inquest touching the death of Adrian Roberts. Represented the deceased’s employer at a jury inquest into the death of an abattoir worker at work.
Inquest touching the death of Kathleen Haines. Acted for British Oxygen at an inquest into the death of a patient at Royal United Hospital, Bath who suffered injuries as a result of serious fire on the intensive care unit.
Inquest touching the death of Parameswaran Ramesh. Represented the widow of the deceased who died following injury caused in the course of an angiogram.
Inquest touching the death of Lee Friend. Represented an interested party responsible for erecting temporary traffic lights at the scene of a fatal road traffic accident at a jury inquest.
Inquest touching the death of Anne Weller. Represented the family of the deceased who died shortly after being discharged home from hospital with poorly controlled vomiting.
Inquest touching the death of René Tkacik. Represented the widow of the deceased who died in an accident on a Crossrail construction site at a jury inquest.
Personal Injury
Charlie is recognised as one of the leading personal injury silks at the Bar. He is ranked by Chambers & Partners and is ranked in both London Bar and on the Western Circuit. Whilst legal directories record that Charlie is “…very much beloved by the insurance clients”, he also has vast experience acting for Claimants in a wide range of cases.
Most of Charlie’s caseload involves high-value, complex or catastrophic injury and fatal accident claims including brain injury, spinal cord injury and amputation. Charlie’s vast experience of dealing with medical and non-medical experts makes him particularly popular in contested quantum cases or cases in which there are significant disputes as to medical causation.
Charlie has developed particular expertise acting for insurers, in claims for Complex Regional Pain Disorder, Chronic Pain and associated disorders including Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Functional Neurological Disorder. In 2015 alone, Charlie was involved in the settlement of Chronic Pain claims with a pleaded value of in excess of £5,000,000. Charlie regularly lectures on this area of specialism, often in conjunction with leading medical experts.
Charlie has considerable experience of acting for members of the armed forces in claims against the Ministry of Defence and other Defendants. His understanding of the military way of life, rank and salary structures and military career paths enable him to create an immediate rapport with serving and former members of the armed forces.
He is regularly instructed by insurers in respect of fraudulent claims or claims in which policy cover is avoided by virtue of the insured’s conduct. Recent examples of such cases include claims involving racing by multiple drivers resulting in multi vehicle fatal accidents and a claim involving the reckless use of a car to injure several of a group of pedestrians by an unidentified driver.
Recent Cases
Shepherd v Yates. Acted for the Defendant in this case in which the Claimant suffered spinal cord injury resulting in paraplegia in a road traffic accident. Settled at a JSM for £2.275M.
Harrowven v Poole Borough Council. Acted for the Defendant in this case in which the Claimant suffered a below knee amputation following an accident at work when he was knocked off a bicycle by a dustbin lorry. The case was complicated by the risk of further surgery leading to above knee amputation and settled at a JSM for substantial damages covered by a confidentiality agreement.
Wait v Atkins. Acted for the Claimant in this complex claim in which a pedestrian was struck by a taxi on a country lane at night sustaining very serious brachial plexus and orthopaedic injuries. Primary liability, contributory negligence and quantum were all in issue. Settled at a JSM for £250,000 (equivalent to £750,000 on a full liability basis).
Tkacikova v BAM Nuttal Ltd. Acted for the Claimant in this fatal accident claim arising out of the death of a concrete sprayer working on a Crossrail construction site. Acted at inquest and in successful civil proceedings.
Thomas v Zurich Insurance. Acted for the Defendant in this claim in which the Claimant developed Fibromyalgia following a road traffic accident. Pleaded at in excess of £1.5M the claim settled at a JSM for £550,000.
Miller v TfL & Ringway Jacob. Acted for the Defendant in a chronic pain claim pleaded at about £800,000 and settled at a JSM for £175,000.
Gupta v Baverstock School. Successfully represented the Defendant at the trial of liability of a claim arising out of a tripping accident at work leading to wrist fracture and complex regional pain syndrome.
