Jo is a Senior Associate in the Dispute Resolution team.
Jo has been working in the legal sector for over 20 years, having started her career as a paralegal after leaving college.
Defending business owners and individuals facing claims for compensation after personal injury or negligence involving horses, on equestrian premises or at equestrian events. Claims, often brought under the Animals Act, typically relate to injuries to employees at work, members of the public who are injured during lessons, while trekking or at an event, and in road traffic accidents where a horse is spooked. Jo also handles disputes under the Sale of Goods Act, where the purchaser of a new horse claims that it is unsuitable or unfit for purpose.
Working with one of the leading equine insurance brokers, Jo has defended racing and livery yard owners, riding schools, saddlers, event owners and landowners throughout Great Britain.
Recent examples of how Jo has supported clients include:
- securing the dismissal of a £1 million claim against a race-horse trainer at the High Court, brought by an employee who suffered a head injury when the string of nine horses in which they rode was spooked;
- successfully defending the organisers of the international horse show from a claim under the Occupiers Liability Act, when a visitor suffered a serious spinal injury from the hydraulic ramp on their horsebox;
- supporting an event organiser and negotiating a settlement with the family of a young person who was killed in an accident involving a pony and trap; and
- defending the owner of an equestrian centre against a claim for compensation from an apprentice rider who was blinded in one eye by the branch of a tree when riding in the countryside.