Oliver Brewis

Oliver joined Hailsham as a tenant in September 2025 upon successful completion of his pupillage under the supervision of Catherine Ewins, Alicia Tew and Nicholas Pilsbury. He accepts instructions across all of Chambers’ practice areas.

During pupillage, Oliver gained experience of drafting and advising in a wide variety of matters on behalf of both claimants and defendants in clinical, valuers’ and solicitors’ negligence claims. Examples of work undertaken for supervisors and other members of chambers during pupillage include:

• Advising a non-profit organisation in a dispute as to the terms on which a settlement arising from a multi-million pound insurance claim had been concluded.
• Advising and drafting a defence in respect of a solicitors’ negligence claim arising from the loss of a chance to pursue a clinical negligence claim.
• Drafting pre-action correspondence and an advice in a solicitors’ negligence claim involving complex allegations of breach of warranty of authority, breach of undertaking and issues of contribution.
• Advising and drafting particulars of claim in a solicitors’ negligence claim arising from a failure to advise adequately upon the protection offered to a property investor by an equitable charge.
• Drafting a defence in an architects’ negligence claim involving issues under the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 2010.
• Drafting a trial skeleton in a valuers’ negligence claim arising from the purchase of a residential property.
• Advising a client on the prospects of successfully relying on s. 423 of the Insolvency Act 1986 in enforcement proceedings arising from a commercial dispute.
• Drafting particulars of claims and defences in clinical and dental negligence claims, many of which involved significant medical complexity.
• Drafting a skeleton argument in an application for specific disclosure of medical records.
• Advising on quantum and drafting a counter-schedule in respect of a high-value clinical negligence claim.

Oliver is familiar with issues arising under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, having developed significant experience of its provisions and impact within a solicitors’ negligence context during pupillage. He undertook additional research for Simon Howarth KC and Lucile Taylor on aspects of s. 39 of the Act in advance of their appearance before the Supreme Court in Kession Capital Ltd v KVB Consultants Ltd.

Oliver is currently developing a growing paperwork and advisory practice, alongside regular appearances in the County Court. Examples of work recently undertaken on his own account include:

• Drafting a defence and advising on quantum in a solicitors’ negligence claim in respect of a conveyancing transaction.
• Drafting a defence in a contractual dispute arising out of an insurance claim.
• Drafting a strike-out application arising from a dispute over a sale of land.
• Representing a solicitors’ firm in an application for a final charging order in the High Court.

Before pupillage, Oliver gained extensive experience of drafting pleadings, preparing for expert conferences and advising on quantum as full-time assistant to a barrister with a busy personal injury and clinical negligence practice.