The Southampton-based group at Blake Morgan LLP is formed of ‘very experienced travel lawyers’. Daniel Scognamiglio oversees the PI side of the practice, and is considered by clients as ‘a superstar of the travel PI world’ with experience in acting for both claimants and defendants in complex claims, as well as in advising on the impacts of Covid-19 and Brexit. The team is well-placed to bring claims for victims involved in complex, severe, or fatal matters, ranging from winter sport incidents to RTAs, against tour operators and insurers; such work is the specialism of both Katherine Ettridge and Iqval Dale. It is also equipped to represent defendants in policy coverage disputes. Scognamiglio also heads up the commercial and regulatory side of the practice, wherein Stojan Essex is equipped to advise on sale and acquisition matters relevant to the travel industry, and Reading’s Katie James has experience handling hotel and travel-related insolvencies.

The PI offering at Clyde & Co is described as a ‘really superb and well-oiled defendant-oriented team’. Matthew Ford specialises in acting in large, high-value casualty claims on behalf of defendants; Manchester-based Craig Evans is experienced in acting for travel operators and international insurers; and in Edinburgh, marine and aviation matters form a significant portion of Greg MacDougall's workload; the three co-head the group. The team handles complex matters of considerable value wherein catastrophic and fatal injuries have occurred. It is also equipped to act in matters where foreign nationals have had accidents in the UK involving foreign and UK insurers. Chris Murray is a noteworthy member of the team in Manchester. Emily List is experienced in leading on high-value matters, acting for major tour operators, while Sandeep Aujla is noted for her ‘excellent judgement’. 

The ‘forward-thinking team’ at DMH Stallard LLP in Brighton has strong capabilities handling the gamut of commercial and regulatory matters. It frequently advises on cases regarding booking terms and conditions, package travel terms, and villa rental arrangements. It also provides GDPR and data protection assistance. Debbie Venn is the head of the group, noted as being a ‘particular expert in travel-related GDPR issues’. The team has advised on the longer term impacts of Covid-19 regulations on travel, and it has the capacity to handle disputes. Rebecca Thornley-Gibson has expertise in employment-related matters overseas, including senior executive exit strategies, employee relations issues, and advising on contractual documentation for seconded employees, while Helen Mead harnesses a corporate and M&A specialism which she applies in travel contexts.

The PI team at DWF has a strong reputation for acting in complex and high-value cross-border matters for claimants who have suffered severe injuries abroad, in addition to its defendant work. On the defendant side, both Sara-Jane Eaton and Michael Gwilliam are experienced in acting for well-known defendant tour operators, airlines, and travel agents; Gwilliam is noted by clients as ‘the best travel lawyer acting for defendants in the business’ and he has notable experience representing UK airlines in aerotoxicity-related group litigation matters. Eaton heads up the practice alongside Claire Bowler, who is experienced in acting for high-profile insurers in catastrophic cases. The ‘enormously dedicated’ Sarah Mahoney is well-equipped to act for insurer clients on an array of matters also. The multilingual capabilities within the team warrant mention, with one client praising its 'unparalleled language skills'.

Enable Law‘s PI practice is equipped to handle matters for claimants, ranging from those involving catastrophic injury to those where much smaller injuries have been suffered. The team is led by Eleanor Armstrong, a ‘very experienced solicitor in travel litigation’ who has expertise in supporting clients through international injury claims on the claimant side; Armstrong has support from Rob Antrobus and Alison McClure. The team members are based in Southampton and Taunton.

The team at Fox Williams LLP has a strong reputation for its ‘super expertise’ in commercial and regulatory travel law, particularly in handling high-profile, complex disputes for well-known travel companies, a standout example being its recent High Court win for On the Beach in its dispute against RyanAir. In addition to the team’s litigious work, it advises on a plethora of regulatory issues relating to travel, including assisting international clients with complex compliance matters. ‘Outstanding lawyer’ Rhys Griffiths is at the team’s helm and has significant experience acting in disputes, advising on regulatory issues, and assisting clients with product launches and in entering foreign markets. Lucy England has particular expertise in travel and technology-related work, as well as aviation, including in the niche area of unmanned aviation and space, while Farina Azam's experience includes advising on commercial and technology contracts in the travel sector; both England and Azam are noted for their ‘extensive knowledge in this space’. Phyllis Acheampong is equipped to assist clients from domestically-based businesses to multinational online travel agents.

HFW‘s regulatory and commercial practice ensures that clients ‘always feel one step ahead’. William MacLachlan has extensive expertise handling non-contentious mandates, as well as matters relating to transactional aspects of shipping, namely passenger vessels; further, he is experienced in handling an array of ship management and operation work. Claire Womersley harnesses a notable specialism in work pertaining to the cruise ship and ferry sector, handling litigation and crisis management matters therein. Womersley and MacLachlan co-head the team alongside Zohar Zik. Caroline Murphy is well-equipped to handle shipping-related disputes, including those regarding charterparties, bills of lading and shipbuilding, while Kirsten Wright specialises in advising yacht and cruise ship owners on collisions, injuries, and fatalities that have occurred at sea. Alex Sayegh is also noteworthy for his transactional shipping work, as is Gudmund Bernitz, who has a shipping finance specialism. Zik's former co-head Elinor Dautlich departed to Hannaford Turner LLP in January 2024.

Specialist in criminal investigations following accidents John Caddies helms the PI group at Hill Dickinson LLP; Caddies harnesses a niche specialism in acting for defendants in marine asbestos claims. The team’s workload features defending companies in serious injury and fatality claims wherein significant values are at stake, particularly marine-related matters. Sarah Barnes has experience in defending a range of clients, from major port operators and shipping companies, to tour operators, hotels, and their insurers. Travel, regulatory, and commercial-focused Javed Ali is a name to note and his ‘industry knowledge is second-to-none’.

Hudgell Solicitors' national practice is well-placed to act for both claimants and defendants in travel PI matters of significant complexity and value, which provides them with ‘insight into litigation strategy from both perspectives’. The team has strong capabilities acting in international cases wherein severe injury has been suffered; it has the capacity to collaborate with foreign legal teams where investigation is required. Travel litigator Paul McClorry heads up the group, is ‘universally respected within the sector’, and is experienced in representing claimants in both individual and group action cases. Tracy Stansfield has expertise acting in work ranging from cases where minor injuries have been suffered, to those of life-changing consequence. Anne Thomson has notable capabilities defending holiday operators.

The practice at Hugh James is headed up by Katherine Allen, who has a strong reputation for her capabilities in acting for claimants across the entire gamut of travel PI matters, particularly those wherein serious brain and spinal injuries have occurred as a result of RTAs and aviation and cruise ship accidents. Allen is ‘very highly regarded’ by clients and is supported at the team’s helm by Mark Harvey, who has expertise in foreign product liability and foreign employers’ liability claims in particular. Rebecca Gilmore shows clients ‘deep empathy and compassion’ in the sensitive and complex matters she frequently handles.

The travel personal injury team at Irwin Mitchell is noted as being the ‘the leading firm for international PI work’. The team’s international scope is noteworthy, and its matters consistently involve representing claimant clients and their families in cases where severe or fatal injuries have been suffered outside of the UK; such matters involve high-profile incidents and high-value damages and form Demetrius Danas‘ practice. The team, which is led by Tracey Storey, is equipped to represent individual claimants in addition to acting in group claims wherein claimants have been involved in a range of incidents, including RTAs, marine and aviation accidents, and terror attacks while working or travelling abroad. Birmingham-based Philip Banks is considered a ‘consumer champion’ and has appeared before the CJEU and the Supreme Court. Cheryl Palmer-Hughes is a name to note for her expertise in overseas medical negligence matters, as well as international convention claims; Jatinder Paul in Birmingham is described as ‘the man of the moment in the travel sphere’ with experience in handling group illness claims; and Kylie Hutchison has notable capabilities in overseas sports injury cases. Leane Shanks has wide-ranging experience and is a strong example of the team’s foreign language abilities. Jennifer Lund departed to DAC Beachcroft LLP in May 2024.

The PI group at JMW Solicitors LLP is based in Manchester and well-placed to act for its clients both domestically and in cross-border contexts in a range of claims, from those resulting in catastrophic brain and spinal injuries through to minor injuries. Package travel, workplace accidents, and RTA matters all feature in the team’s workload. Joanne Brine is at the team’s helm, a key member of which is the ‘extremely helpful and efficient’ Natasha Ross, who also specialises in holiday accident claims.

Kennedys' PI practice is highly regarded for its ‘extensive understanding of travel law and how it is evolving’, and is well-known for its capabilities acting in defence of renowned tour operators, travel agencies, insurers, and underwriters. It advises such clients on travel-related quality claims, as well as injury claims. Many of the team’s matters are of high-profile, an example being its acting on the largest UK terror incident overseas. The team has won tender to act for renowned names in the airline industry across the breadth of pre-litigation and litigation matters. The ‘invaluable’ Claire Mulligan helms the group and is experienced in handling deaths overseas, catastrophic injuries, and large loss cases of high-value. Justin Collins is a key practitioner who acts for some of the team’s most renowned clients on cases ranging from high-profile inquests to civil claims relating to catastrophic incidents abroad, while Gareth Thomas is equipped to handle matters brought under the Package Travel Regulations. Zoe Hurley is also worthy of mention, as is Kiran Birdi, who harnesses particular expertise in claims resulting from activity holidays and excursions, from sexual assault and fatal accident claims, to those arising as a result of contractual issues.

Keystone Law's commercial and regulatory team has the international aviation ‘superstar’ James Healy-Pratt at its head, who has noteworthy experience handling related accident and dispute cases. Regulatory compliance matters form a significant portion of the team’s workload; such work includes advising on airline and travel agent relationships under relevant regulations, as well as assisting travel agents and businesses on the remit of issues they may face therein. Owen Hanna has a contentious specialism, which he applies to aviation accidents, prosecutions against pilots, and breach of contract cases, amongst others.

The team at Leigh Day has a strong reputation for its capabilities acting for claimants in an array of sensitive, complex, and severe injury cases; it is noted for its ‘particular strengths in dealing with high-pressure multi-party claims’ which often involve high values of compensation. The group’s workload features matters wherein the claimant has suffered catastrophic brain injury, amputation, and severe spinal injuries. A matter of particular note is the £1m Stade de France group claim regarding incidents which occurred at the 2022 UEFA Champions League final. Clare Campbell oversees the practice from Manchester, and at the same office is ‘razor sharp legal mind’ Colin Murphy, who was promoted to the partnership in April 2024.

Pellys Transport and Regulatory Law‘s commercial and regulatory group has a particular specialism advising on the full scope of road transport matters, including advising on road transport regulatory compliance. In addition, it is in experienced acting for commercial vehicle operators at hearings, inquiries, and in criminal court cases. The ‘simply brilliant’ Richard Pelly and Roland Pelly co-lead the team from Stansted; they have expertise in handling traffic-related crime and licensing matters respectively atop their shared experience in compliance work. Richard Wadkin is key to the practice, which is noted by clients as being ‘dedicated to excellence’.

‘Fantastic head of team’ Mark Lee heads up Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP's PI offering, which is well-placed to advise clients on the entire scope of complex matters, including representing claimants who have suffered severe and life-changing injuries, as well as those wherein the claimant has suffered a minor injury which has worsened as a result of medical negligence. Such matters result from circumstances varying from organised excursions abroad to RTAs. Warren Collins has experience in handling fatal accident litigation and catastrophic injury claims. In addition to its work in the claimant space, the team is also adept at acting for defendants in complex claims made against them; Joanna Wylie is well-equipped in both areas.

The travel PI practice at Stewarts Law LLP has a strong reputation for its capabilities handling complex, high-value, and high-profile cases, with an exclusive focus on advising claimants and their families who have suffered severely disabling injuries, including spinal cord and brain injuries, amputations, burns, and fatalities in accidents which occur while the claimant is working or travelling abroad. Such incidents range from RTAS and holiday and leisure activity accidents, to medical negligence incidents. Julian Chamberlayne helms the team and is regarded as ‘the mastermind of cross-border catastrophic PI work’. ‘Leading lawyer’ Christopher Deacon is another key practitioner with significant experience handling fatal injury abroad claims, expertise shared by Rebecca Huxford, who specialises in brain and spinal injuries. ‘Superstar’ Peter Neenan stands out for his notable specialism in aviation in particular, as does Sarah Stewart, who is well-equipped to handle disputes in this context which consistently involve the application of international convention. Scott Rigby is regarded an ‘exceptional member of the team’ also.

The PI practice at Thompsons Solicitors LLP is Manchester-based. A prominent focus of the team is acting on work-related travel claims, examples being acting for employee claimants who have experienced illness on work excursions, and acting for flight attendants injured in-flight. Further, the team has experience handling surgical claims regarding clinical negligence overseas, as well as RTAs, product liability, and modern slavery matters. It handles such matters in UK courts, and provides its claimant clients with aftercare where required. Team head Martyn Gwyther is well-regarded for his ‘encyclopaedic knowledge of travel law’.

The PI team at Trowers & Hamlins LLP is based in Exeter and is well-equipped to act for claimants injured overseas in claims brought against tour operators, airlines, and cruise lines. It also has experience in acting for claimants who have been injured in road traffic and ski-related accidents abroad. In addition to its claimant work, the team ably handles litigious defendant matters involving complex liability disputes. Ian Brown has capabilities in both contexts; Tom Sampford has a specialism in overseas clinical negligence cases and Bronwen Courtenay-Stamp leads the team and is noted by clients as being ‘the grand dame of travel litigation’. 

The Weightmans LLP PI group is considered ‘superb in serving the litigation needs of insurers, both domestic and foreign’, and such work forms a significant portion of the team’s workload. Defending claims wherein accidents have occurred across Europe, including RTAs and medical negligence incidents, are an active part of the practice. Cross-border insurance and PI practitioner with expertise in French accident matters in particular Simon Ball joined the team as its new lead in the firms’ merger with Pierre Thomas Law in September 2023. Belinda Normandale and Virginie Medard are key names who also moved across in this merger, noted by clients as being ‘standout individuals’. Former team lead Nicholas Richards retired from the team and Maud Lepez departed to RWK Goodman in February 2024.