Matthew Snarr

Personal Injury

Matthew specialises in high-value, complex personal injury litigation involving catastrophic injuries and fatal accidents. He is regularly instructed in cases involving significant factual, medical, and legal complexity, and is known for his forensic preparation and powerful cross-examination.

Liability

Matthew is an experienced trial lawyer, frequently instructed in contested liability disputes requiring precise cross-examination and technically sophisticated legal submissions.

He has particular expertise in cases involving:

• Construction site accidents involving complex causative sequences or lifting operations, 
• Work at height accidents, including falls from ladders and scaffolding;

• Occupiers’ liability disputes including cases involving historic buildings, stairways and water related hazards; 
• Road traffic accident reconstruction evidence, particularly involving children and complex collision dynamics;
• Complex motor insurance disputes, including issues of indemnity, Article 75, criminal activity, and interpretation of the Road Traffic Act 1988;
• Alcohol and drug toxicity issues in both RTA and EL/PL litigation;
• Defective work equipment cases, including those involving metallurgical and engineering evidence;
• Psychiatric injury and stress-related claims, including those culminating in suicide;
• Workplace training failures involving dangerous machinery leading to fatal or life-changing injuries.

Quantum

Matthew is a skilled negotiator and is regularly instructed to attend joint settlement meetings, way forward meetings or mediations in high-value disputes. He has particular expertise in quantum and causation issues with a substantial proportion of his work involving paediatric injuries. 

1. Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)
   Including complete and incomplete spinal cord injuries, paraplegia and tetraplegia, involving complex care regimes across institutional and community settings, statutory funding (including ICB and local authority provision), double recovery issues, accommodation, reduced life expectancy, periodical payments, and syrinx complications.
2. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
   Acting in both adult and paediatric cases, including subtle and severe brain injuries involving capacity, frontal lobe syndromes, complex care regimes and all aspects of deputyship issues.
3. Amputation Claims
   Including (traumatic, elective and revisionary) involving both below and above knee amputations, upper limb amputations (including brachial plexus injuries) and total hand/foot amputations. He has a special interest and experience in contentious elective amputations. 
4. Fatal Accidents
   High-value dependency claims, financial loss analysis, parental services claims, and associated inquest proceedings.
5. Chronic Pain
   All forms of chronic pain, including CRPS, fibromyalgia, somatoform disorders, FND, perceived injustice and factitious disorders. Matthew has expertise in chronic pain litigation involving wheelchair-dependent claimants.
6. Fundamental Dishonesty
   Liability claims where dishonesty is central to a core issue as to the accident circumstances and quantum claims where there is significant fabrication or malingering. Cases have included an informant inside the Claimant’s family (alleged 24/7 care claim) and a semi-professional Muay Tai kickboxer. 

Matthew has advised claimants with severe and life changing injuries arising from the 2017 Manchester Arena incident.

Notable Trials

• Shaw v Wilde [2024] EWHC 1660 (KB)
  Led by Chris Kennedy KC in a 10-day fundamental dishonesty trial involving a £6.47 million claim. Matthew conducted substantial cross-examination of key lay witnesses and medical experts in addition to delivering written and closing submissions on causation and quantum in a case widely regarded as one of the largest of its kind.
• Jones v Persimmon Homes & Macob Scaffolding [2023] EWHC 2597 (KB)
  Liability trial concerning a fall from scaffolding involving complex engineering and safety evidence.
• Lewin v Gray [2023] EWHC 112 (KB)
  Spinal cord injury claim raising issues concerning the scope of duty under the CDM Regulations 2015.
• AB v MH [2023]
  Successful defence of a fundamentally dishonest tripping claim following a six-day trial resulting in successful contempt of court proceedings. 
• NS v AH [2022]
  Defence of a large RTA claim involving surveillance, international evidence and alleged exaggeration of chronic symptoms.

Notable Appeals

• Campbell v Advantage Insurance [2021] EWCA Civ 1698
  Appeal concerning contributory negligence and the application of Owens v Brimmell [1977] QB 859.

Andrew Bond v Tom Croft (Bolton) Ltd [2018] EWHC 1290 (QB)
Successfully defended appeal involving expert engineering evidence and defect causation in a ladder fall accident.

Inquests and Public Inquiries

Matthew has extensive experience in coronial law, regularly appearing in complex and high-profile inquests involving:

• Fatal construction and workplace accidents;
• Deaths in custody and institutional settings;
• Medical and care-related deaths;
• Road traffic fatalities;
• Deaths involving restraint and positional asphyxia in both private security and police settings. 

He is experienced in jury inquests, Article 2 cases, and sensitive, multi-party proceedings involving complex expert evidence.

Insurance Fraud

Matthew is widely recognised for his expertise in fraud litigation, particularly in high-value and multi-track claims.

His work includes:

• Fundamental Dishonesty (s.57 CJCA 2015 / CPR 44.16)
• Contempt of Court proceedings under CPR 32.14 and CPR 81. Matthew led PIBA’s response to the Law Commission consultation on reform of the law of contempt. 
• Organised fraud rings, including nationwide investigations;
• High-value exaggerated injury claims, including TBI and psychiatric cases;
• Insurance law disputes, including indemnity and non-liability issues.

He is frequently instructed by major insurers and is known for his strategic approach to complex fraud litigation.

Publications and Lectures

Matthew regularly writes and lectures on personal injury and insurance law. His publications include articles in the Journal of Personal Injury Law, New Law Journal, and PI Focus on topics such as chronic pain, PPOs and intoxication.

Education

LLB (Hons), University of Manchester

BVC, Inns of Court School of Law

Professional Reputation

Matthew is consistently recognised in Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 as a leading practitioner. He is described as:

• “An exceptional trial advocate with forensic attention to detail”;
• “Strategic, pragmatic and highly effective in complex litigation”;
• “Meticulous in preparation and outstanding in cross-examination”.

Interests

Trail running, ultramarathons, fell running, mountain marathons, skiing (on and off-piste), and orienteering. Matthew is a member of the Safety Advisory Group to the British Orienteering Federation. 

Prescribed Information

Matthew Snarr is a practising barrister, who is regulated by the Bar Standards Board. Details of information held by the BSB about Matthew can be found here.

Matthew’s clerks will happily provide no obligation quotations for all legal services that he provides. Their contact details can be found here. It is most common for Matthew to undertake court work and negotiation engagements on a fixed fee and advisory, paperwork and conferences at an hourly rate. Conditional Fee Agreements and Damages Based Agreements will be considered in cases with favourable prospects of success. Matthew has a busy paper practice but will typically return paperwork within 21 days, however, professional commitments, complexity and volume of documentation can affect these approximate timescales.

Related events

• Chronic Pain Induced Amputation

  18/09/2025