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Matthew Clayton

Senior Associate

Background

I've worked as a lawyer for over 35 years, specialising in catastrophic injuries with particular expertise in traumatic brain injury. Over the last 10 years alone, I've recovered over £150 million in compensation for seriously injured clients.
Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than assisting people whose lives have been devastated by a serious injury, and helping them and their loved ones repair their lives, rebuild independence, and find hope for the future. I have a particular expertise in complex and challenging cases, including those involving loss of capacity, complex psychiatric presentations, and cases where previous lawyers haven't been able to make progress. I'm known for taking on cases others might consider too difficult and for fighting tenaciously for my clients.
I'm a member of APIL and was nominated for Catastrophic Injury Lawyer of the Year.

Case Experience

Matthew acted as lead solicitor in the reported case of Tinsley v Sarker [2005] EWHC 192 (QB), demonstrating experience in complex high court litigation from early in his career.
Matthew represented a brain-injured young woman from Leeds who was knocked over on a zebra crossing by a taxi, securing a £15 million award following a 12-day trial at the High Court in Manchester in the case of PHJ v HML (7 December 2023).
Matthew secured a 75/25 liability finding in the claimant’s favour following a 5-day liability trial in Kennedy v Smith at the High Court in London, where a motorist had struck a pedestrian while driving under the speed limit in hostile weather conditions. The case subsequently settled for £30 million, including a periodical payment order of £350,000 per annum, approved by the court.
Matthew secured a £2 million interim payment in W v P to purchase and fully adapt a property, enabling his client — a 17-year-old who had sustained catastrophic brain injuries leaving him tetraplegic and in a prolonged disorder of consciousness with severely diminished cognition — to transition from a residential unit into a family home with a full 24-hour case management and multidisciplinary team package in place. The case was approved by the High Court, with a settlement of £6.75 million and a periodical payment order of £650,000 per annum.

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“I have been instructed as a Neuropsychiatry expert witness by Matthew in many personal injury cases for about twenty years. I have watched the personal injury legal landscape evolve to what it is today - achieving reasonable settlements for people whose lives have been devastated and enabling them to have a new start. The settlement has not fixed them or restored their lives to their former position, but with their settlements they have been enabled to re-establish a future with purpose and quality despite the devastation they suffered and their ongoing complex impairments. In many cases lawyers like Matthew have had to challenge legal perceptions to alter legal misconceptions and traditional prejudice especially in relation to complex behavioural and emotional changes caused by brain injury. Matthew has remarkable insight and understanding of these complex issues demonstrating tenacity and commitment to take up and to persevere with the challenge on behalf of clients that sometimes others might regard as a ‘lost cause.’”

Dr S

“When i met Matthew in 2012/13, I cannot remember the exact date, i was suffering from severe clinical depression as a result of my circumstances following the accident. I had spent six months in various hospitals due to the seriousness of my injuries, and the future did not look promising. I had limited mobility and was still coming to terms with the severity of my brain injuries. I had no income and was supported emotionally and financially entirely by my parents which had put huge strain on them although they never allowed me to see it. My previous legal representative had held out little hope of the successful outcome of any proceedings to the point where they were refusing to underwrite the insurance needed to proceed any further, it looked like i was set for a very bleak and isolated future, the general consensus was that it was unlikely i would ever walk unaided and certainly never return to work in any capacity. After meeting with Matthew and having him asses my case things rapidly started to change. After a long and difficult legal journey which at times seemed less than promising of a successful outcome, but despite the setbacks Matthew was always positive and encouraging, we have finally received settlement. This means i now focus on adding purpose and meaning to my life, and whilst there is still a long way to go, I now have a reason to get out of bed in the mornings and a structure of measured support around me to help when things get difficult I would not hesitate to recommend Matthew to anyone experiencing similar circumstances. his was so much more than just a legal intervention. Thanks to his hard work and competence i can now look forward to enjoying a quality of life myself and my family would previously not have believed achievable.”

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Accreditations

The Law Society Member