Jonathan Elfer

Called 2012

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Areas of Expertise:

Personal Injury, Clinical Negligence and Insurance Law

Criminal Defence

Inquests and Public Inquiries

Housing/Landlord & Tenant

Family Law (Children)

Commercial

Regulatory and Licensing

Experience

Jonathan enjoys a busy common law practice, with a particular emphasis on personal injury and clinical negligence, criminal defence and housing matters. 

Jonathan appears in court on a daily basis in trials, applications and all manner of interim hearings. With wide-ranging experience in both civil and criminal procedure and evidence, he is able to advise clients on all aspects of their case, especially matters concerning breaches of health and safety legislation or serious road traffic accidents.

In his personal injury/clinical negligence practice, Jonathan acts for both claimants and defendants and is regularly instructed in Fast Track trials, MOJ Stage 3 hearings and Small Claims hearings arising from road traffic accidents, often involving claims for credit hire. Jonathan has a busy paperwork practice, is able provide full advice on liability and quantum and has extensive experience of drafting letters of claim, pleadings and applications in a variety of proceedings before the County Court and the High Court. 

Jonathan’s criminal practice spans all aspects of criminal defence and he regularly appears before the Crown Court, Magistrates’ Court and Youth Court. He has represented clients accused of fraud, drugs offences, sexual offences and assaults of varying severity. Having a complimentary civil practice allows Jonathan to give clients full advice on all aspects of their case, including any potential civil actions they may have against the police. 

In housing matters, Jonathan is able to advise on all aspects of possession and disrepair claims. He has represented claimants and defendants in a wide range of cases and has particular expertise in claims alleging trespass where a valid tenancy or other interest in land is claimed.

Prior to commencing pupillage, Jonathan worked for a number of years as a self-employed Advocate, appearing on a daily basis in the County Courts and High Court. Jonathan also spent a number of years as a fee earner in a leading firm of solicitors, personally handling a caseload of multi-track personal injury and clinical negligence actions under the supervision of a Senior Partner. These matters included claims involving psychiatric injury caused by occupational stress and bullying, occupier’s liability, and product liability. He also acquired extensive experience working on class actions and multi-claimant litigation in personal injury and environmental cases.

Jonathan’s time in-house has provided him with hands-on experience of running cases from their inception and valuable insight into the needs of his professional clients.

Recent instructions include:

• Work assisting the legal team representing over 1000 core participants in the Contaminated Blood Inquiry
• Inquest into the death of a victim of the Contaminated Blood scandal who received contaminated blood products in the 1970s/1980s
• Appeal against a decision of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority’s to withhold an award of compensation in a case of historic sexual abuse of a 7-year-old child.
• Multi-track personal injury claim arising from a road traffic accident with damages claimed in excess of £250,000.00.
• Claim for Judicial Review arising from a challenge to a Legal Aid Capital Contribution Order for over £140,000.00.
• Defence of individual charged with conspiracy to commit fraud by misrepresentation causing a loss of over £220,000.
• Co-Defending in a murder trial at the Old Bailey as Junior Alone, client charged with attempting to pervert the course of public justice.
• Defendant’s response to an application under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 to freeze the account of a convicted terrorist serving a life-sentence.
• Defence of an individual accused of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm, namely a ruptured eye socket, upon a female complainant in breach of a restraining order.
• Defence of an individual charged with fraud who is accused of dishonestly making a representation that an oil painting offered for sale in the sum of £5,000.00 was a genuine work of Lucian Freud (stolen in the 1980s).

Publications:

– ‘Part 36 – Widening the Net’ LPC Law Advocator, Spring Issue, 2016. 

– ‘The Sorry State of English Transmission Law: Does the Criminal Law Sufficiently Address the Problems Presented by Reckless Transmission of Serious Diseases and is Criminalisation the Correct Approach?’ SJOL, Issue 3, 2012.

Education and professional membership:

BPTC, The College of Law, Bloomsbury, 2012

LLB (Hons.), Law, The University of Leeds, 2011

Professional Memberships:

Inner Temple (called 2012)

Personal Injury Bar Association

Criminal Bar Association

Further Interests:

Jonathan has a longstanding interest in music and theatre, occasionally finding the time to perform himself. He also enjoys foreign travel, skiing and history.

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