Sam Aynsley

Practice Overview

Sam is listed as a leading junior in the Legal 500 Directories in chancery, personal injury, and clinical negligence. Alongside his busy court commitments he has a heavy paperwork practice, mainly on the multi-track.

Sam endeavours to be as accessible as possible to professional clients from the outset of proceedings to their conclusion and is viewed by many of his instructing solicitors as an extension to their own team. The directories note that “solicitors have been impressed by his advice and pleadings for years”, continuing to instruct him “in increasingly complex matters”, noting him to be “extremely thorough” with an ”exceptional manner with clients”.

Sam accepts CFA instructions where appropriate (limited to personal injury, clinical negligence, police, and Inheritance Act 1975 matters). Much of his practice is based in North Wales and he travels nationwide to attend Court hearings and mediations, as well as regularly providing training for professional clients in his specialist areas.

Sam accepts instructions on a direct access basis and is also an ADR Group accredited mediator.

Away from work Sam is a keen road cyclist and also follows the travails of Plymouth Argyle FC.

Notable and Reported cases

• Personal Injury
  • RTA
  • Police claims (including all other trespass remedies)
  • Prison claims
  • Occupiers’ Liability/Public liability
  • Employers’ liability
  • Industrial disease (NIHL, HAVS, COSHH, repetitive strain)
  • Product liability
  • Injuries and illness abroad, including Athens Convention and Montreal Convention

  Sam is predominantly instructed on the multi-track. He represents both Claimants and Defendants (mainly Claimants). He is often instructed in complex matters including brain injuries and complex regional pain syndrome. In legal directories he is described as “passionate and dedicated”, with “a great sense of judgment” and “advice always concise and straight to the point”. He was recently instructed on behalf of the Claimant in a matter that settled for £300,000, and regularly drafts schedules of loss valued in the same sort of region.

  A case of Sam’s was recently published in the Law Society Gazette, which is thought to be the first judicial finding of dishonesty against a defendant sounding in the disapplication of fixed costs: Claimant in PI case beats fixed costs by proving defendant's dishonesty | Law Gazette

• Clinical Negligence

  Sam’s current clinical negligence instructions include a hypoxic brain injury consequent to negligent midwifery (led junior to Lloyd Williams KC). He appreciates the importance of thorough conferencing with instructed experts, and is experienced at quickly getting to grips with medical terminology and principles and exploring difficult medical aspects of liability and causation.

• Chancery & Commercial

  Property Law

  Including:

  • Boundary disputes
  • Common land and greens
  • Easements
  • TOLATA
  • Proprietary estoppel
  • Conversion

  Sam is regularly instructed in boundary disputes, enjoying recent success in a four-day trial that resulted in a finding of indemnity costs against the Defendant. Sam appreciates the very real risk of costs escalating in often emotive neighbour disputes and encourages mediation where practicable.

  Trusts and Probate

  Including:

  • Administration of estates
  • Inventory and account
  • Inheritance Act 1975 claims
  • Undue influence and capacity

  Sam was recently instructed in an Inheritance Act 1975 claim with a £1 million net estate. He also regularly advises on issues of lack of testamentary capacity, recently instructed in a mediation where his client secured a £265k settlement where lack of testamentary capacity and undue influence were alleged.

  Landlord & Tenant – Commercial and Residential

  Including:

  • Renewal of business tenancies
  • Rent arrears
  • Relief from forfeiture
  • Dilapidations & disrepair
  • Deposit protection scheme
  • Possession claims
  • Unlawful eviction claims
  • Applications for Antisocial Behaviour Injunctions and subsequent committal proceedings

  Sam is increasingly instructed in commercial leasehold disputes, and recently advised alongside leading counsel a on repairing covenant and its applicability to RAAC. Sam is familiar with the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 and regularly advises on the issues that arise from the new legislation.

  Commercial and Consumer law

  Including:

  • Insolvency
  • Debt claims
  • Liability of unincorporated associations
  • Enforcement/Interpleaders
  • Consumer Rights Act 2015
  • Consumer credit
  • Package Travel Regulations 1992

  Sam regularly advises on contractual disputes, recently advising on the defence of a claim exceeding £100,000 in respect of leased computer equipment and software.

• Cohabitee and Matrimonial Finance

  Sam practices ancillary relief. He has also acquired extensive TOLATA experience from his chancery practice.

• Mediation

  

• Education

  • University of Manchester, LLB, 2013 - First Class Honours
  • Manchester Law School, BPTC, 2014 - Very Competent

• Awards

  • Harry Street Tort Prize: highest Tort mark amongst his University of Manchester cohort
  • Dauntesy Public International Law Prize: highest Public International Law mark amongst his University of Manchester cohort
  • Dean of Law School’s Award: highest Civil Advocacy mark amongst his BPTC cohort

• Memberships
  • Wales and Chester Circuit
  • Northern Circuit
  • Chancery Bar Association 
  • APIL
  • PIBA
  • Civil Mediation Council (Associate Member)
• Recommendations
  • ‘Sam takes a practical and down-to-earth approach with clients which puts them at ease, particularly in a mediation setting. He is responsive to queries and is flexible in his approach to receiving instructions. Sam is able to cut through complex matters and provide sensible suggestions on moving a case forward. Sam is not afraid to take a robust approach with opponents.' (Legal 500, 2025 - Chancery, probate, and tax)
  • ‘Sam has a great sense of judgement and will always seek further information if required. The advice he gives is always concise and straight to the point which is of great assistance to instructing solicitors. Sam also doesn’t shy away from identifying weakness/risks in the instructed cases and always considers the practicality and proportionality of every aspect of the instructed cases going forward.’ (Legal 500, 2025 - Clinical negligence)
  • ‘Sam is meticulous in his preparation for conferences and hearings. He will quickly grasp all the key issues, is extremely thoughtful and thorough in his approach, and has an excellent eye for detail. He is, and always will be, a first choice in personal injury cases.' (Legal 500, 2025 - Personal injury)
  • 'He is extremely knowledgeable and capable. He has an exceptional manner with clients and deals with them in a straightforward, approachable and efficient way and presents every aspect of the case to them very clearly. Instructing solicitors have every confidence in him and clients do too. He is eloquent in court and authoritative, and commands respect.’ (Legal 500, 2024 - Chancery, Probate & Tax)
  • 'He is able to get to the issue of a case quickly and provide good quality advice which is relevant and also commercially sound. He is very good in conferences with clients and is able to advise them appropriately on the risks in their case.' (Legal 500, 2024 - Personal Injury)
  • Solicitors have been impressed by his advice and pleadings for years, and continued to instruct him in increasingly complex matters. - (Legal 500, 2024 - Clinical Negligence)
  • He is always readily available to assist. A thorough junior.’ (Legal 500, 2023 - Chancery, Probate & Tax)
  • ‘Sam has a great sense of judgement and his advice is always concise and straight to the point. He is extremely thorough and his attention to detail with documents and paperwork is excellent.’ (Legal 500, 2023 - Personal Injury)
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