Sam Nicholson
Partner - Employers’ Liability
More about Sam Nicholson
Sam Nicholson is a Partner at Express Solicitors, having joined the firm in 2022. Sam has joined the firm’s employers‘ liability team dealing with employees‘ claims arising out of accidents at work.
Sam has a significant amount of experience in this field, having qualified as a solicitor in 2003.
Sam comes to Express from Thompsons Solicitors, where he was a senior solicitor in the higher value cases department dealing predominantly with trade union members’ claims against their employers for injuries at work. The types of injuries suffered ranged from spinal injuries, significant psychological problems, head and brain injuries, ankle and wrist injuries resulting in fusion / joint replacement, loss of fingers, injuries leading to the development of chronic pain conditions, and injuries to vision. His cases were typically valued at in excess of £50,000.00.
Sam has had a number of recent successes in this area of work,
- A case for an HGV driver who fell from height when securing a load on his trailer, suffering brain and spinal injuries
- Acting for a MEWP (mobile platform) operator who suffered significant ankle injuries requiring expert evidence in the fields of orthopaedics, psychiatry, pain, and occupational therapy, and resulted in an award of nearly half a million pounds in damages,
- A client who lost a finger operating machinery at work and required both robotic and cosmetic prostheses (artificial fingers) at significant cost.
Sam enjoys dealing with more complex cases and cases involving more serious injuries, but no matter the severity or complexity he always places the needs of his clients first and endeavours to keep clients informed and updated in as clear and straightforward a manner as possible, throughout the litigation process. Sam will seek payments on account of damages, and ensure defendants cover rehabilitation costs throughout the process, where this is appropriate.
Sam has concluded a number of cases both in negotiations, at joint settlement meetings, and at trial. He has successfully brought two cases to the Court of Appeal – the child abuse test case of AB and Others v Nugent Care Society (2010) which related to the time limits in which cases of this type could be brought, and the case of O’Connor v Stuttard (2011), a road traffic accident involving a child pedestrian who was badly injured when playing in the street by the defendant driver.
Prior to Sam’s work at Thompsons he has had significant experience in a number of (mainly claimant) personal injury fields. He was a senior solicitor in a medical negligence serious injuries unit, and prior to that was a salaried partner dealing with a range of personal injury cases of varying values, which included running the Industrial Disease department. Before that Sam acted for several years for adult survivors of child abuse both in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and he began his legal career with a training contract at city firm Clyde & Co.
Outside of work Sam enjoys distance running, hiking, scuba-diving, and spending time with his young family.