Conference Chairperson & Opening Remarks

Roger Murray SC, Partner, Head of Medical Negligence, Callan Tansey Solicitors LLP

The Personal Injuries Guidelines in Practice – What’s Next for Damages and Awards

Speaker: Conor Duff, Barrister at Law, The Law Library

• Supreme Court confirmation of the binding nature of the Guidelines (Delaney v PIAB)
• Potential adjustments to award levels currently under review by the Judicial Council
• How the Government’s Insurance Reform Action Plan links with future reform of the Guidelines
• Approaches to assessing multiple injuries and overlapping categories
• Judicial trends shaping compensation levels and consistency in 2026

Mediation Masterclass – Inside the Injuries Resolution Board Process

• How the IRB’s mediation framework is operating in practice
• Government proposal to make mediation the default method of resolving claims
• Acceptance rates, award data, and key efficiency trends
• Preparing files that are mediation-ready and litigation-proof
• Negotiation tactics and practical steps for faster, lower-cost settlements

Duty of Care Redefined – Occupiers, Employers and Public Bodies Under Pressure

Speaker: Adam Elebert, Barrister at Law, The Law Library

• What the 2023 Occupiers’ Liability Act reforms have really changed
• “Reasonable steps” and evidencing compliance in high-risk environments
• Vicarious liability and employer responsibility in modern workplaces
• Managing and defending slip, trip, and fall claims post-reform

Psychological Injury and Stress Claims

Speaker: Alison Walker, Barrister at Law, The Law Library

• Psychiatric injury, PTSD and chronic stress – where courts draw the line
• Evidentiary hurdles and foreseeability tests in psychological harm
• Employer responsibilities for psychosocial risk and mental health
• Key Irish and UK case-law developments shaping this fast-growing area

Catastrophic Injury Claims – PPOs, Discount Rates and Lifetime Care Costs

• Lump sums versus Periodic Payment Orders – what’s working and what’s not
• Discount-rate uncertainty and the long-term financial implications
• Lifetime-care cost projections and evidentiary standards
• What’s next for reform of high-value injury awards

Evidence That Wins – Experts, Surveillance and Causation Challenges

• Selecting and briefing credible expert witnesses
• Judicial scrutiny of impartiality and methodology
• Using surveillance and social-media evidence effectively and lawfully
• Pre-action protocols: how proposed legislative changes will affect expert instruction and disclosure obligations
• Tackling causation disputes and consistency across medical reports

Fraudulent and Exaggerated Claims – Lessons from the Courts

• Recent judgments under section 26 of the Civil Liability and Courts Act
• Evolving use of digital, video, and social-media evidence
• Detecting, managing and defending against dishonest claims
• Balancing deterrence with fairness for genuine litigants

Inflation and Compensation – What It Means for Claim Values in 2026

• Why care, rehabilitation and financial losses keep increasing
• Inflationary and supply-chain pressures driving up settlements
• Evidencing and challenging inflated costs effectively
• Keeping awards fair, proportionate, and sustainable for claimants and insurers

Children and Vulnerable Persons in Personal Injury Claims, Special Duties and Pitfalls

Speaker: Treasa Norrby, Associate Solicitor, Callan Tansey Solicitors LLP

• Settlement approvals and the role of the courts
• Ensuring proper representation and capacity compliance in vulnerable claimant cases
• Navigating complex, high-stakes and long-running claims effectively
• Practical lessons for practitioners, insurers and public bodies