Contents Personal Injury... Counter Fraud... Costs & Litigation Funding... Credit Hire... 1 3 ii
Call: 007 Email: simonbuss@ropewalk.co.uk Simon has been a tenant at Ropewalk since completing his pupillage in 009. He graduated with a first class honours degree in history and politics from the University of Leicester and had a successful career as a public relations professional and as a researcher / adviser at the House of Commons before studying law and training for the Bar at Nottingham Law School. Simon now has a wide ranging practice which includes personal injury, highways (where he is regularly instructed to deal with complicated points relating to rights of way), counter fraud, credit hire and costs. He acts for Claimants and Defendants. He is approachable and always happy to discuss cases with instructing solicitors, whether on a formal or informal basis. He is a strong advocate and always meticulously prepared. In 015 Simon was appointed a Deputy District Judge on the South East Circuit and combines sitting with his existing practice. Away from the Bar, Simon is married to a doctor and lives in Leicestershire with his young family. He can sometimes be found running up hills in the Brecon Beacons and still tries to be a footballer when he gets the chance. Personal Injury The main focus of Simon s practice is on personal injury claims in which he acts for Claimants and Defendants. He is experienced in and regularly instructed across the whole range of personal injury cases, including road traffic accidents, workplace and industrial injuries, occupiers liability and highway claims. Simon is an experienced trial advocate appearing in County Courts nationwide both on final hearings and interlocutory matters. He is thorough and conscientious and will deal with instructions promptly and efficiently including attending to urgent matters by telephone or email if needs be. 1
Simon is regularly instructed to deal with relief from sanction applications and regularly deploys or opposes arguments arising from Mitchell v News Group Newspapers [013] EWCA Civ 1537, Denton v TH White Ltd [014] EWCA Civ 906 and subsequent cases. He has also undertaken numerous costs and case management hearings. He is also experienced in dealing with complicated highways cases including those involving public rights of way and the rule in McGeown v Northern Ireland Housing Executive [1994] All ER 53. Counter Fraud Simon is regularly instructed to advise on and defend fraud cases, generally road traffic accidents, employer s liability and public liability claims. He is always meticulously prepared and used to dealing with the large volumes of disclosure that these types of cases often generate as well as forensic cross-examination. He is also used to dealing with issues that arise from the late disclosure and admissibility of surveillance and social media credibility evidence. Simon has secured findings of fundamental dishonesty on numerous occasions at trial, leading to the removal of a claimant s qualified one way cost shifting protection, and is adept at arguing those types of cases, whether they involve formally pleaded allegations of dishonesty or credibility issues that develop at trial. This includes issues of exaggeration and the provisions of Section 57 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 015. In addition to advocacy, Simon has delivered seminars and lectures to numerous firms of solicitors on these issues and regularly advises on the proper and effective pleading of dishonesty allegations. Costs & Litigation Funding Simon is experienced in dealing with detailed assessments and in issues arising from the correct application of Part 36. He is also experienced in dealing with costs budgeting hearings up and down the country and is used to the varying attitudes that Courts are taking to them. Simon also regularly deals with costs issues in cases which have, for whatever reason, exited the MOJ claims portal. In addition, Simon is regularly instructed to deal with cases involving disputes arising from the correct application of the qualified one way costing regime.
Credit Hire Simon has a decade of experience arguing cases across the whole range of credit hire issues. He is regularly instructed by both Claimants and Defendants to advise and for trials on the Fast and Multi Tracks. Whether there be the usual issues such as enforceability of agreements, need to hire, rate, period of hire or impecuniosity through to slightly more niche points such as ex turpi causa arguments, Simon is a confident and experienced advocate. He is regularly instructed on high value cases which included a multiplicity of issues and on cases that are intertwined with liability and fraud issues. Memberships Personal Injuries Bar Association Education GDL (Commendation), Nottingham Law School BVC (very Competent), Nottingham Law School BA (Hons) History & Politics (First Class), University of Leicester 3