Source: https://www.parklaneplowden.co.uk/barristers/steven-turner
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 22:15:00+00:00

Document:
Steven is a nationally recognised practitioner with a deserved reputation for all-round excellence. He is regularly instructed in high profile test case litigation (e.g. Irving v Morgan Sindall PLC  EWHC 1147 (QB); McBride v UK Insurance Ltd.  EWCA 144; Stevens v Equity Syndicate Management Ltd.  EWCA Civ 93; Phillips v Willis  EWCA Civ 401; Zurich Insurance v Umerji  EWCA Civ 357) and is frequently asked to advise upon high value cases involving complex points of law. His common sense approach to litigation and ability to understand wider strategic issues have made him a firm favourite with both Claimants and Defendants alike.
Although based in Leeds, Steven travels nationwide for the purposes of conferences and court hearings.
"Very personable. He has a very good manner with clients and fills them with confidence." "Intelligent, articulate and also able to put across complex arguments and submissions in a persuasive and simple manner so that clients can understand."
• Steven represented a household name former England cricket captain in a contractual dispute with a national tabloid newspaper.
• Steven defended a former Premier League and England international football player (now a TV personality) who was sued by someone allegedly injured after a prank went wrong.
• Steven represented a current Premier League and international football player in relation to a road accident involving suspected phantom passenger claims.
• Steven represented the Trinidadian international goalkeeper in a dispute with his agent over unpaid agency fees and ‘bungs’.
• Steven represented a household name former world darts champion in a contractual dispute arising out of his ownership of a public house.
• Steven represented a Great Britain rugby league international in a dispute with his insurers after his career was ended by injury.
• Steven represented a Super League rugby club in a contractual dispute with a former player.
• Steven represented a football league club in a dispute over the cost of match day policing.
• Steven represented a director of a football league club who was pursued personally for the debts of his club after it entered administration.
Steven has over 20 years experience of dealing with fraud ring, staged accident, fictitious accident, LVI, phantom passenger claims and the like.
He deals with a wide range of claims from straightforward one Claimant exaggeration cases to fraud ring cases involving multiple claims advanced by organised criminal gangs.
Steven is often instructed by Defendant insurers in cases where wider strategic issues beyond the facts of the individual case require special attention.
Steven is very familiar with cases deploying new technology such as telematics and ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) data. He has advised at high level personnel within major insurance companies as to the best way to present such evidence and has conducted numerous cases in which telematics evidence in particular has played a crucial role.
It is a simple fact that a fully pleaded fraud Defence or Counter Schedule bearing Steven’s name will often deter fraudsters (or their representatives) from pursuing their claims to a final hearing.
Steven travels nationally for trials and conferences and regularly secures findings of fundamental dishonesty at trial.
February 2019 (Central London CC): 3 x Claimants abandoned their claims at lunch on Day 2 of a 3 day trial following rigorous cross-examination which the Judge described as a ‘model’ of firmness ‘in the best traditions of the Bar’. The First Claimant was seeking over £220,000 worth of credit hire.
February 2019: Advising a major insurer on strategies to deal with a suspected large scale conspiracy involving Claimants, accident management companies, hire companies and a linked firm of solicitors. Sums at stake run into the hundreds of thousands.
January 2019 (Birmingham CC): Attending a fraud trial and persuading Claimant’s counsel to abandon his claim at the door of the court by pointing out certain damaging entries buried in the documentation which had apparently been missed by those representing the Claimant.
January 2019: Pleading a comprehensive Defence in respect of a £200,000 credit hire claim arising from a suspected staged or fictitious accident.
December 2018: Pleading a comprehensive Counter Schedule alleging fundamental dishonesty in a grossly exaggerated personal injury claim. The Claimant accepted the Defendant’s long-standing very low Part 36 offer within hours of receiving the Counter Schedule.
December 2018: Pleading a Defence to a £227,000 suspected fraudulent credit hire claim.
November 2018 (Birmingham CC): Securing dismissal of a £102,000 credit hire claim after a 3 day trial with a finding of fundamental dishonesty against the Claimant.
October 2018 (Doncaster CC): Securing strike out of a claim, a finding of fundamental dishonesty and disapplication of QOCS at trial.
September 2018: Advising senior personnel at a major insurance company at a round table head office conference on the possible applications / usefulness of ‘ANPR’ (automatic number plate recognition) technology in fraud and credit hire cases.
Steven’s practice is nationwide. He will happily travel to accommodate a particular client’s needs, whether for conferences or court hearings.
As well as conducting trials, appeals and other hearings, Steven is also in high demand for his advisory work and pleadings. He is instructed on individual cases of varying values and complexity and also provides insurers with high level strategic advice in relation to credit hire, fraud and other road traffic related matters.
In terms of fraud, Steven has over 20 years experience of dealing with fraud ring, staged accident, LVI and phantom passenger claims. He deals with a wide range of claims from straightforward one Claimant exaggeration cases to fraud ring cases involving multiple claims advanced by organised criminal gangs.
Steven also provides advice to both insurers and insured on issues relating to policy coverage and interpretation.
He frequently lectures nationally on the subject.
Steven has over 20 years' experience in this field. He regularly advises on issues of contractual and statutory interpretation, following such cases through to mediation, joint settlement meeting or trial.
His involvement at all stages of the Dimond v Lovell litigation gave him a profound knowledge of consumer credit law which Steven has used to the advantage of clients in cases involving financial mis-selling and other disputes with (or between) financial advisers.
He routinely acts for companies or individuals who find themselves embroiled in complex commercial disputes. Typical examples of such work are: representing a wealthy business client who contended that she had been mis-sold various mortgages over a 10 year period; representing a bottled water company whose product was contaminated by a third party bottle supplier; representing a materials supplier accused by a large caravan manufacturer of supplying sub-standard product; representing several companies who claimed they have been mis-sold swap / derivative financial products by their banks; representing a Super League rugby club sued for breach of contract by a former player.
Steven has been a member of the Personal Injuries Bar Association for over 20 years.
He regularly represents both Claimants and Defendants where injuries have been sustained as a result of a road accident, accident at work, slip, trip or fall, defective product or otherwise.
Steven accepts cases at all levels of value and complexity, although his personal injury work predominantly consists of mid to high range multi-track cases. Steven is happy to accept fast track work, but his fees for such work are likely to exceed inter partes recoverable fast track fee rates.
He has intimate knowledge of the ‘6 pack’ regulations and the case law applying to employers’ liability claims.
He similarly has long-standing experience of industrial disease work, with the balance of instructions spread evenly between Claimants and Defendants.
Steven began advising on litigation funding issues in 2001 (shortly after the law was changed to permit inter partes recovery of success fees and ATE premiums).
Since that time, he has advised a range of solicitors’ firms on the enforceability / compliance aspects of their client care and other funding-related documentation.
He has drafted and/or amended the CFA agreements used by several large firms of solicitors.
He has advised Claimant firms, after-the-event insurers and large scale claims organisations upon the enforceability of their scheme documentation, redrafting such documents where required to achieve compliance.
Steven has represented clients at costs joint settlement meetings where the costs in dispute have been as much as £1.5m.
He has appeared at numerous detailed assessment hearings (at the SCCO and elsewhere), dealing either with test case points or high value bills.
He is currently involved in various cases which concern the interpretation of the CPR as it applies to low value RTA / EL / PL claims which exit the low value claims Portal and/or settle after being listed for a disposal hearing.
Steven also represented the Defendant in the case of Conlon v RSA  EWCA Civ 92, which dealt with issues of retrospective reallocation and the recovery of small claims track appeal costs in the Court of Appeal.
"Very experienced in costs matters."
"He is excellent on substantial credit hire disputes." "He's a good communicator, and is extremely knowledgeable in terms of liability issues."
"Very well known for his expertise in cost matters." Steven "has a solid track record in acting for clients in multimillion-pound joint settlement meetings and has appeared unled in Court of Appeal cases regarding fixed costs."
Predominantly acts for defendants, though he also represents claimants in workplace accident claims. His cases involve complex medical and legal evidence.
Strengths: "Very personable. He has a very good manner with clients and fills them with confidence." "Intelligent, articulate and also able to put across complex arguments and submissions in a persuasive and simple manner so that clients can understand."
Recent work: Acted in a case involving a vulnerable alcoholic living in sheltered accommodation who stepped out in front of an oncoming car and suffered a significant closed head injury with multiple other fractures.
Represents sporting clubs and individuals in complex insurance and contractual disputes, as well as personal injury cases. Clients have included parties involved in rugby, football, cricket and darts.
Strengths: "He's innovative in his approach, very thorough and very knowledgeable."
Acts principally for defendants in high-value personal injury claims. Noted for his strength in fraud and costs matters and offers additional expertise in sports law matters.
Strengths: "He is technically strong and able to think outside the box. He possesses very good client skills and is a strong advocate." "His drafting is very good and he is forensic in looking at all the evidence in fraud cases."
Routinely represents high-profile sports professionals and organisations in contractual and commercial disputes. His specialist personal injury background gives him a particular insight into insurance disputes.
Continues to provide high-calibre advice on an array of matters, incorporating fatal accidents, industrial diseases and fraud. He is lauded for his speciality in legal compliance in this sector.
Has a general commercial practice and brings this expertise to bear on sports contract disputes within football and cricket.
Expertise: "An advocate you can turn to for really thorny problems."
Acts for both claimants and defendants in a variety of highly complex areas. He is particularly noted for his expertise in costs and employers' liability cases.
Expertise: "He is technically excellent and has good insight and a very good knowledge of the issues." "His attention to detail is second to none. He's very approachable."
Recent work: Turner acted for Chartis Insurance in defence of a complex fraud and credit hire case, successfully bringing the claimant to abandon her hire claim during trial.
Sport: Regularly acts for individuals, agents and clubs on contract disputes, primarily on football-related matters but also in connection with cricket and darts.
Within Personal Injury: Steven Turner is "one of the best credit hire barristers in the UK,".
Within Sport Law: Steven Turner of Parklane Plowden has a broad sports practice that takes in boxing and football cases, amongst others.
Steven draws praise for his "sound advice" and for the quality of his technical arguments. He is also praised for his growing sports law practice.
Irving v Morgan Sindall PLC  EWHC 1147 (QB): A test case appeal on the legal effect of oral assurances given to a Claimant at the point of entry into a credit hire agreement. The case clarified the law applying to cases where a Claimant is told that they will only have to pay credit hire charges if they win.
McBride v UK Insurance Ltd.  EWCA Civ 144: Listed as a test case before the Court of Appeal, Steven led his junior in a case involving 3 x other teams represented by Queen’s Counsel. Steven’s arguments were preferred by the Court of Appeal, who described them as providing an ‘elegant solution’ to the question of whether or not comparable rates in a credit hire case need carry a zero excess.
Bird v Acorn Group  EWCA Civ 1096: A test case before the Court of Appeal dealing with the question of whether or not a disposal hearing is a ‘trial’ for the purposes of the fixed costs regime. The Court of Appeal described Steven’s submissions as ‘excellent’.
Phillips v Willis  EWCA Civ 401: A test case before the Court of Appeal. The first Court of Appeal case on the scope of the RTA Low Value Personal Injury Protocol. Steven represented the Defendant against leading counsel.
Sobrany v UAB Transitra  EWCA Civ 28,  All ER (D) 03 (Feb): A case on the interpretation of provisions within an insurance contract. Steven represented the Defendant against leading and junior counsel.
Stevens v Equity Syndicate Management Ltd.  EWCA Civ 93;  4 All ER 458;  RTR 257;  Lloyds Rep IR 503: The leading case on the assessment of credit hire rates. Steven was instructed at the appeal stage. He successfully represented the Defendant as sole advocate in the Court of Appeal against leading and junior counsel instructed on behalf of the Claimant.
Conlon v RSA Insurance Plc  EWCA Civ 92;  2 Costs LO 319,  All ER (D) 306 (Feb): A case dealing with the question of whether a Respondent to a test case appeal originating on the small claims track should be ordered to pay appeal costs. Steven was instructed at the appeal stage. He successfully represented the Defendant as sole advocate in the Court of Appeal against leading and junior counsel instructed on behalf of the Claimant.
Zurich v Umerji  EWCA Civ 357: The leading case on impecuniosity in a credit hire context. The case also addressed the moot point of whether a Claimant who suffers a loss of use ought reasonably to claim upon his own fully comprehensive insurance policy. Steven was instructed at the appeal stage. He successfully represented the Defendant as sole advocate in the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal commented that Steven’s written and oral submissions were of a very high quality.
Dimond v Lovell  1 AC 384: The leading case on the meaning of ‘credit’ and statutory unenforceability. Dimond was also the seminal case on credit hire rates, introducing for the first time the ‘stripping out’ exercise now commonly performed to identify the basic hire rate. Steven himself devised the novel argument in relation to section 127(3) of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 which went on to find favour in the higher courts. He represented the Defendant at the trial, in the Court of Appeal and in the House of Lords.
Burdis v Livsey  QB 36: The Helphire test case litigation which went on to address a wide range of disparate credit hire / credit repair issues. This litigation also gave rise to Lagden v O'Connor  1 AC 1067, which went on to the House of Lords. Steven represented the Defendant (in Dennard v Plant) at the trial and Court of appeal stages.
Imageview Management Ltd. v Jack  2 All E.R. 666;  1 All E.R. (Comm) 921;  Bus. L.R. 1034;  1 Lloyd's Rep. 436;  1 B.C.L.C. 724: The leading modern case on the extent of fiduciary duties owed by football and other agents. Steven represented Kelvin Jack, the Trinidadian international goalkeeper who was being sued by his agent for unpaid agency fees. Steven was instructed at the appeal stage. He successfully defended Mr Jack’s interest (as sole advocate) in the High Court and Court of Appeal.
Palmer v Marks & Spencer Plc  EWCA Civ 1528: The first case to consider the term ‘suitability’ as defined in the Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations 1992. Steven represented Marks & Spencer at the trial and in the Court of Appeal.
Sitapuria v Khan: CC (Liverpool) (Judge Stewart QC) 10/12/2007: A regularly cited costs case in which the Court decided that settlement at the doors of the Court was not settlement at trial for the purposes of CPR Part 45. Steven successfully represented the Defendant at the hearing before Judge Stewart QC.

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