Tamar Burton's practice has a strong focus on clinical negligence, personal injury, inquests, employment and discrimination work.

CLINICAL NEGLIGENCE & PERSONAL INJURY

Tamar exclusively acts for claimants in her clinical negligence and personal injury work.

She appears led and unled in a range of clinical negligence cases involving claims against GPs, dentists as well as NHS and private hospitals. She has a particular interest in informed consent and co-authored the chapter on consent in Lewis & Buchan A Practical Guide. She is regularly instructed in challenging claims involving birth injuries as well as claims involving traumatic and non-traumatic brain injuries, spinal injuries and amputations. She frequently acts in claims concerning delays in diagnosis.

In her personal injury work, Tamar acts for claimants following train crashes, accidents at theme parks, in school playgrounds as well as those injured on the roads and in workplaces. She is dedicated to achieving the best possible outcome for those who have suffered life-changing injuries. She is an author for Bullen and Leake for the chapter on personal injury. Crossing over with her inquest work, she has an interest in representing those with psychiatric injuries arising from challenging working conditions or as a result of sustaining physical injuries.

Tamar has a particular interest in the assessment of damages and is currently the Assistant Secretary to the Ogden Working Party.

Tamar is frequently led by William Latimer-Sayer KC, Simon Taylor KC, Simon Dyer KC and Sarah Fraser Butlin KC in high-value clinical negligence and personal injury work. She has expertise in drafting complex, multi-million-pound schedules of loss in these cases.

She is regularly instructed to draft pleadings, to lead conferences with experts and for procedural applications in front of the KBD Masters, in addition to RTMs, mediations and trials. She has experience of contested multi-day High Court quantum trials as well as frequently appearing in High Court approval hearings, CCMCs and interim payment applications.

In a crossover between her injuries and employment work, Tamar also has specific expertise in representing those who are victims of sexual assault and exploitation, where limitation is frequently in issue. She has acted for a number of individuals who have experienced traumatic non-recent sexual abuse.

INQUESTS

Tamar acts exclusively for families in her inquest work. She is instructed in jury and non-jury inquests involving deaths at work, in care homes, in prisons and in hospitals. In particular, she has experience of deaths arising from procedures in private hospitals and deaths, especially of adolescents, in mental health settings.

She is committed to ensuring that bereaved families are placed at the heart of the inquest.

She acted for the family of Martha Mills, which was reported nationally: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/mar/04/girl-13-likely-to-have-survived-if-moved-to-intensive-care-coroner-rules

Tamar recently acted for the family of a man, who had absconded while detained under s. 2 MHA, securing 5 Prevention of Future Death Reports against an NHS Trust.

She is regularly instructed in article 2 and non-article 2 inquests and is happy to be instructed on legal aid rates as well as to advise on the prospects of civil claims arising from an inquest conclusion.

INQUIRIES AND INVESTIGATIONS

From 2018 to 2024 Tamar was appointed as junior counsel to the Infected Blood Inquiry, chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff. Within the Inquiry, she had a particular focus on the impact of blood-borne viruses on infected people and their families. She provided oral advocacy to the Inquiry as well as a number of written presentations.

Tamar presently acts for the Labour Party as an independent investigator into allegations of sexual harassment.

Tamar also undertakes workplace investigations concerning disciplinary and grievance matters.

EMPLOYMENT & DISCRIMINATION

In her employment and discrimination work, Tamar acts for employers and employees in the tribunal and the civil courts.

Tamar has a particular interest in litigation concerning the gig economy and worker status. She successfully represented a cycle courier, instructed on behalf of the Independent Workers of Great Britain trade union, against Addison Lee. She appeared unled. The result was widely reported, for example: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/aug/02/addison-lee-suffers-latest-defeat-in-legal-row-over-gig-economy-rights. She successfully resisted the Respondent's appeal in the EAT ([2018] ICR 1826), led by Peter Oldham KC. The Respondent's permission to appeal was rejected by the Court of Appeal.

She appears in the EAT on a led and unled basis. She was led by Chris Milsom in the EAT in Chandhok v Tirkey [2015] IRLR 195, which was the first case to consider whether caste-based discrimination falls within s. 9 of the Equality Act 2010.

Tamar has been involved with a series of claims brought by judicial and non-judicial office holders for pensions under the Part-Time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000 arising from the Supreme Court's decision in O'Brien v Ministry of Justice [2013] I.C.R. 499.

Tamar was instructed in the Court of Justice of the EU in O'Brien v Ministry of Justice (Case C-432/17) and in the Supreme Court as a junior to Robin Allen KC and Rachel Crasnow KC in Miller and O'Brien v MOJ [2017] UKSC 46.

She was instructed in the EAT in an appeal concerning non-judicial office holders in Moultrie v MOJ, in the assessment of remedy in O'Brien v MOJ as well as by a group of Circuit Judges in Clayson v MOJ, led by Rachel Crasnow KC on each occasion. She is currently instructed by a number of fee-paid judges in pursuing claims arising from the O'Brien litigation.

Prior to commencing pupillage, Tamar was a litigation executive at Slater & Gordon. She was heavily involved in representing those sexually assaulted by Jimmy Savile and attended the Dame Janet Smith Inquiry with clients. She also had responsibility for multiple product liability claims arising from the DePuy ASR hip implant and assisted on clinical negligence claims against the breast surgeon Ian Paterson.

Tamar previously worked as an intern at Hackney Community Law Centre specialising in housing, social security and employment law.

She is a volunteer for FRU and the Bar Pro Bono Unit.

Diplock Scholarship, Middle Temple for the GDL

Diplock Scholarship, Middle Temple for the BPTC

Slate Award for outstanding work on the Jimmy Savile case

Legal 500 2025: (Clinical Negligence) “Excellent junior counsel with exceptional attention to detail and impressive advocacy.”

(Personal Injury)“Tamar is a smart negotiator, and is very impressive. During a round table meeting she deals with particularly emotional clients in unusual situations with tact and sympathy whilst remaining rock solid in her negotiations. She develops a clear tactical strategy and deploys it to brilliant effect.”

Chambers & Partners 2025: (Clinical Negligence) "Tamar is an incredibly impressive counsel, incredibly sharp and meticulous in her approach." "She is kind, empathetic and reassuring." "Tamar is an excellent barrister who is responsive and excellent with clients."

(Personal Injury) "She is very user-friendly and disciplined at planning her work." "She is very skilled at helping emotional clients." "Tamar is a fierce litigator with a gentle and unassuming manner." "She has impressive skills in quantifying complex, high-value claims." "Tamar is always extremely well prepared and understands the issues in a claim thoroughly."

Legal 500 2024: (Clinical Negligence) “An impressive junior counsel with great analytical skills and a sharp legal brain.”

(Personal Injury) “Thorough, well-prepared and approachable for clients.”

Chambers & Partners 2024: (Clinical Negligence) “Tamar Burton acts exclusively for claimants in a range of clinical negligence claims and has particular experience in cases involving informed consent. She also has experience in personal injury and inquest work.” "She's very detailed, has a good grasp of the papers, is good with the clients and is very methodical and detail." "Tamar is very thorough and great with clients." "She is absolutely brilliant with client management and a strong advocate."

Legal 500 2023: (Clinical Negligence) “Tamar is the consummate junior who has everything: she is efficient, hardworking and nothing is too much trouble. Exceptional people and client-management skills.

(Personal Injury) “Tamar is fantastic; switched-on, effective, personable and incredibly hardworking. Super junior counsel in big cases – contributes beyond her years.”

Legal 500 2022: "A wonderful advocate who is dominant in court and exceptionally well prepared."

Assistant Secretary to the Ogden Working Party

Junior Counsel to Infected Blood Inquiry

Employment Lawyers Association

Industrial Law Society

Personal Injury Bar Association

AvMA

FRU

Co-author of the chapter on consent in Lewis & Buchan A Practical Guide

Co-author of chapter on personal injury in Bullen & Leake

Tamar regularly gives talks to solicitors on a range of clinical negligence, personal injury and employment law topics.

BA in History, University of York

MA in the History of International Relations, London School of Economics (Distinction)

GDL and BPTC, City Law School

COURT OF JUSTICE EU

• O'Brien v Ministry of Justice (No.2) C-432/17: CJEU considered the future effects principle and its application to the question of when time starts to run in pension claims. Led by Robin Allen KC and Rachel Crasnow kC

SUPREME COURT

• The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia (Cultural Bureau) v Costantine: appeal to be heard concerning the application of state immunity in the employment context. Led by Sarah Fraser Butlin.

• Miller and O'Brien v MOJ [2017] UKSC 46.: The Supreme Court considered the EU-derived Future Effects Principle and made a preliminary reference to the CJEU. Junior to Robin Allen KC and Rachel Crasnow KC.

COURT OF APPEAL

• The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia (Cultural Bureau) v Costantine. Tamar appeared unled in a case concerning the application of state immunity in the employment context.

EMPLOYMENT APPEAL TRIBUNAL

• Clayson v Ministry of Justice [2024] EAT 99: the appeal concerned the pension rights of a group of Circuit Judges who had previously held fee-paid positions. Led by Rachel Crasnow KC.

• TYU v ILA Spa Ltd [2021] EA-2019-000983: the appeal concerned the application of rule 50 anonymity orders to third parties. Tamar appeared unled.

• Addison Lee v Gascoigne [2018] ICR 1826: EAT dismissed the Respondent's appeal in gig economy case. Led by Peter Oldham KC.

• Chandhok v Tirkey [2015] IRLR 195: the first case in the EAT to consider whether caste-based discrimination falls within the confines of s. 9 Equality Act 2010. Junior to Chris Milsom.

• Moultrie v Ministry of Justice [2015] IRLR 264: An EAT appeal concerning the pension entitlement of medical members in the First-Tier Tribunal and the meaning of the "same or broadly similar" test under the PTWR. Junior to Rachel Crasnow KC.

• Charles v Tesco (UKEAT/0074/15/MC): An EAT appeal concerning the finding of contributory conduct. Tamar appeared unled.