Garden Court Chambers is delighted to welcome Abigail Holt as a new tenant.
Abigail Holt was called to the bar in 1993. She specialises in medical, tort and negligence cases, with a particular emphasis on: industrial accidents and pulmonary disease, especially asbestos litigation; complex medical cases; challenging causation issues; clinical negligence; complex personal injury, including head injuries; regulation of healthcare professionals (especially GMC & NMC); Inquests arising from industrial disease, workplace accidents or from medical settings; Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority award appeals; and Court of Protection.
Abigail has extensive experience and expertise particularly in relation to lung disease arising out of historic asbestos exposure. Typical clients suffer from mesothelioma, lung cancer or asbestosis, as a result of historic occupational exposure in heavy industrial settings, such as ship yards and manufacturing industries as long ago as the 1950’s, through to the 1980’s. Abigail also has a great deal of expertise in successfully bringing claims for low exposure to asbestos, typically tradesmen such as plumbers and electricians. Many of Abigail’s instructions arise out of deaths due to lung disease and usually against a background of complex comorbidities.
Abigail has experience in relation to other types of lung disease, and, for example was involved in the British Coal litigation (Griffiths & others), where ex coal-miners achieved compensation for Chronic Bronchitis and COPD. She also has an interest in asthma, air pollution and the physiological effects of vaping. Abigail notes that many issues in asbestos disease litigation are strikingly similar to issues raised by the response to the COVID pandemic.
Abigail is the Treasurer of the European Circuit of the Bar and has an interest in European law having spent time working with the team of référendaires in the Cabinet of UK Advocate General, Eleanor Sharpston at the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg. She also has experience of litigation arising from accidents suffered abroad. Abigail is also knowledgeable in relation to Human Rights law and International Treaties and conventions, especially insofar as they impact on immigration and asylum law. Abigail has her own website and blogs at https://eubarrister.co.uk.
Abigail studied medicine for two years before swapping to study law. She relies heavily on her scientific and medical background in many of her cases. She also has a long-standing personal interest in studying Spanish and French which she used whilst working at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.
She has sat part-time for 12 years in the First-Tier Tribunal IAC dealing, amongst other things, with European citizens’ rights and human rights cases.
Abigail has a special interest in Brexit-related changes and retained EU-law and is trained and registered with the Bar Counsel to act on a Public Access basis.
