Call 1989
Telephone 020 7831 0222
Email ronald.coster@42br.com
Ron Coster has a common law practice. While his specialist areas include personal injury; employment, contract/commercial; and professional negligence, he is also instructed in landlord & tenant/housing; and property/chancery matters.
Ron undertakes public access work and so in appropriate cases he accepts instructions directly from businesses and individuals in relation to both contentious and non-contentious matters.
Ron represents clients at various alternative dispute resolution forums such as arbitration; mediation and round table meetings in all areas of his practice.
Ron has an extensive practice in this area and acts for both Claimants and Defendants. His practice includes travel law claims including claims under the Package Travel Regulations, the Athens, Warsaw and Montreal Conventions, and at common law.
A recent case in this area where Ron represented the Claimant McGeough v Thomson Holidays Ltd [2007] EWCA Civ 1509 was unsuccessfully appealed by the Defendant to the Court of Appeal on the issue of liability. This case involved technical forensic accident reconstruction evidence. Ron was described by his instructing lawyer as “the barrister to choose when technical expert evidence arises. Ron’s scientific knowledge and analytical mind was invaluable and a winning ingredient, which shone through during cross-examination and throughout his presentation of the case”. Ron has acted for claimants injured in Road Traffic Accidents which involved the MIB and the interpretation of the MIB agreements.
Due to Ron’s expertise in Employment Law he is able to advise Claimants with injuries on the employment law aspects of any residual disability and rehabilitation periods and also whether or not an employee is being treated appropriately at work following an injury.
Ron represents families at Inquests and handles claim for damages on behalf of the estate and dependents were a fatality has occurred. This has included claims involving two dependent families.
Ron regularly acts in this area on behalf of both Claimants and Respondents. His practice encompasses all aspects of employment law including unfair, constructive, and wrongful dismissal; all forms of discrimination and other claims brought under the Equality Act; whistle blowing and TUPE claims.
Ron undertakes the whole spectrum of litigation in the employment tribunal and the Employment Appeals Tribunal, from PHRs and CMDs to multi-week trials.
In cases involving injury by a third party Ron is also able to advise on the implications of the losses of both the employee and the employer and advise on whether these losses can be recovered from the party causing the injury.
Due to Ron’s personal injury expertise he is able to advise Claimant’s in employment proceedings of the merits of any personal injury claim against an employer or third party.
Construction professionals
Ron handles claims against construction professionals including architects; designers; project managers; surveyors and builders. He has also defended claims against builders. Ron has an interest in self build projects.
Lawyers Claims against solicitors also features in Ron’s practice including where clients have been unfortunate enough to have been represented by more than one negligent solicitor before Ron has been instructed.
Medical professionals Ron’s practice also includes claims against medical professionals in areas including late diagnosis and negligent treatment leading to near fatality.
Employment relationships, property disputes, construction professional and lawyer negligence and boundary disputes all involve the interpretation of a contract with varying degrees of statutory intervention. Ron brings his experience in drafting and interpreting contracts to bear in all of these areas of his practice.
Ron has extensive experience of all aspects of landlord and tenant and housing law. This includes acting for individual and corporate Claimants and Defendants in disputes involving domestic and commercial property, disrepair and dilapidations claims, possession claims, and environmental implications of contamination.
Ron has acted for Claimants in cases involving dissolution of partnerships and the distribution of assets including real property and personal property between the partners. He has acted for Claimants and partners in disputes involving land charges including cases where solicitor’s negligence has led to real property assets being subject to HMRC charges which led to difficulties in liquidating the assets.
Ron has acted for Claimants and Defendants in boundary disputes, disputes involving party wall agreements and disputes where a party wall agreement ought to have been in place before works were carried out but was not leading to complications between the adjoining landowners.
BSc Hons (Chemistry)
Bar Diploma