Year of Call: 1995
Practice Areas
Alex is a road transport law specialist whose practice includes the law of advanced, automated and electric vehicles, serious personal injury cases, motor insurance law (including counter-fraud work) and high-value vehicle damages claims.
Alex is the author of the first British book on the law of autonomous vehicles, The Law of Driverless Cars: An Introduction (Law Brief Publishing, 2017) and (with Emma Northey and Scarlett Milligan) of A Practical Guide to the Law of Driverless Cars (LBP, 2019).
Alex’s third book, Advanced, Automated and Electric Vehicle Law, will be published by Bloomsbury Professional in 2022.
In January 2022, Alex was appointed as the Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Road Transport Law at Imperial College London.
A forensically minded barrister who knows the fine detail of matters but can also see the bigger picture.” Chambers & Partners 2022.
“Meticulous in the approach to case preparation, understands the needs of the client and ensures they are the focus throughout. ’ Legal 500 (2022)
“A knowledgeable, reasonable and schooled opponent.” “A very good, very thorough barrister.” Chambers & Partners 2021
“Alex Glassbrook ‘has a formidably forensic mind and is able to marshal huge amounts of evidence into a powerful case.” Legal 500 2021
“He has a very serene courtroom manner. He can be calm but then quite deadly.” Chambers & Partners 2020
“His grasp of the smallest details in a case can often be the making of your strategy.” Legal 500 2020
“He is skilled in handling digital evidence and technology development issues. “He’s very well known and his pleadings are excellent.” Chambers & Partners 2019
Leading junior for insurance fraud work, “expert in the trial of allegedly fraudulent claims …”. Legal 500 2019
“Very proactive, efficient and highly knowledgeable.” “He has a very great knowledge of the area we deal with and is a true expert.” Chambers &Partners 2018
“Particularly noted for insurance fraud cases involving criminal networks and electronic evidence.” Legal 500 2017
“Prompt, detailed and comprehensive in his advices.” Chambers and Partners 2017
““A standout barrister.” Legal 500 2016
“The most forensic advocate.” Legal 500 2015
“A commercial, tactically aware barrister whose advocacy skills are first-class.” “He has a deep understanding of all the issues, and is good for a tricky case.” Chambers and Partners 2015
“Meticulous … Fearless in challenging his opponents.” Legal 500 2014
“Capable, firm and very calm, he provides fabulous analysis of the case.” Chambers and Partners 2014
“According to one peer Alex Glassbrook of Temple Garden Chambers “is really straightforward, utterly fair and a doughty opponent with incredibly good judgement.” He regularly advises insurance companies and has particular expertise in credit hire cases. One source said: “If you are against him you have to think twice about how you are going to run the case”.” Chambers & Partners 2013
“Alex Glassbrook of Temple Garden Chambers is considered by peers to be “a very fair-minded advocate. He’s a thorough and economic cross-examiner who knows when to concede and when to dig in”.” Chambers & Partners 2012
Bristol University (BA (Hons) English Literature, 1993)
The City University (CPE Diploma in Law, 1994)
The Inns of Court School of Law (Bar Finals, 1995)
King’s College, University of London (Diploma in European Community Law, 2001)
Oxbotica has announced its successful first test of a zero-occupancy autonomous vehicle on a publicly-accessible road. Oxbotica is developing a goods delivery variant of its vehicle with Ocado group to complete customer orders from 2023.
Read moreAlex Glassbrook appeared as counsel for a defendant driver who took emergency evasive action then faced a claim in negligence, after another driver lost control of a car on an icy road in darkness, and several collisions ensued.
Read moreAlex Glassbrook (instructed by Gurbir Thethy of DWF) represented the Defendant insurer in a claim for alleged brain injuries.
Read moreAlex Glassbrook (instructed by Kevin O’Sullivan of Cycle Legal) was counsel for the Claimant cyclist, who was seriously injured by a bus driven across his path on a marked cycle lane, on the approach to a bus stop.
The case raised the duty of care owed by bus drivers to cyclists where a cycle lane meets a bus stop. CCTV evidence supported the cyclist’s case that the bus attempted to overtake the cyclist and pull into the bus stop too rapidly, without keeping sufficient lookout for cyclists proceeding properly on the cycle lane to its left. The same evidence contradicted the bus driver’s contention that the cyclist had attempted to undertake the bus.
The Defendant bus company accepted the Claimant’s longstanding 99% liability offer in the Claimant’s favour, days before the liability trial was due to start in the High Court.
Counsel: Alex Glassbrook, previous counsel Marcus Grant.
Alex Glassbrook (instructed by Andrew Baker of Horwich Farrelly) represented the successful motor insurer. A claim for credit hire charges exceeding £80,000 had been claimed in relation to a vehicle allegedly damaged beyond use in a road traffic accident, and judgment had been obtained on that claim against the allegedly insured driver, without notice to his insurer.
Read moreAlex Glassbrook (instructed by Gurbir Thethy of DWF, London) represented the Defendant to a serious brain injury claim at a joint settlement meeting. Among the issues were the levels of care and case management charges, claimed for life, the Claimant’s care needs on the facts of the case and the quality of the case management services actually provided. The claim (which had been pleaded at £4.6 million) settled at a much-reduced sum, in part by applying Loughlin v Singh [2013] EWHC 1641 (QB) to the case management charges.
Claim by a middle aged man who sustained a severe traumatic brain injury in a running down accident.
Read moreFor D2 insurer. Dismissal of a contrived road accident claim with a £50,000 costs order against the Claimant. A 3 year investigation had uncovered no direct connection between the Claimant and fraudulent behaviour but a great deal of other, circumstantial evidence of dishonesty. The Judge, directing himself that all rested upon the Claimant’s performance under cross examination, found the claimant to be complicit in the fraud and a dishonest witness, dismissed the claim and ordered indemnity costs against him, £50,000 of which he was to pay within 14 days.
For Defendant. Claimant denied costs of proceedings where, whilst recovering damages in excess of Defendant’s Part 36 offer, she had dishonestly exaggerated her claim and failed to make any offers to settle her case.
For D3 insurer of Defendant security contractor. Case deals with vicarious liability of nightclub with control of contractor doorman and defines “accidental bodily injury” in public liability insurance. See also [2006] EWCA Civ 30, relating to expiry of old-style Part 36 offer.
For Claimant: trial judge’s findings on medical evidence in favour of Defendant overturned on ground of insufficient reasoning.
11th January 2022
Alex Glassbrook and Grace Corby consider the law of micro-mobility vehicles (e-scooters, e-bikes and others), on chambers’ Automated and Electric Vehicle law blog, AEVlaw.com
9th September 2021
Alex Glassbrook’s article, exploring the legal routes taken so far by automated and electric vehicles, is published in the current issue of the Journal of Personal Injury Law (JPIL 2021 3, 140-150).
8th July 2021
Chambers is delighted to announce the launch of its Automated and Electric Vehicle Law blog, aevlaw.com
Edited by Alex Glassbrook and Emma Northey, the blog features articles by members of the TGC AEV law team including Scarlett Milligan, Anthony Johnson and Paul Erdunast, as well as guest expert comment (this month on accident reconstruction evidence in AEV cases, from Iwan Parry of TRL).
You can subscribe to the blog at aevlaw.com
26th March 2021
The Bar Council of England and Wales has published its response to the Law Commission’s third consultation paper on the law of automated vehicles. Alex Glassbrook led the Bar Council’s team, writing the response with Adam King (of QEB Hollis Whiteman) and Lucy McCormick (of Henderson Chambers). This is a detailed response, by the Law Reform Committee of the Bar Council, to the last stage of the Law Commission’s three-year consultation on AV law. The Law Commission proposes significant changes to British road transport law, to accommodate automated vehicle technologies – from automated cars to delivery robots – including new methods of regulating vehicles, assuring safety and attributing civil and criminal responsibility. The Law Commission’s review of AV law is due to conclude at the end of 2021, with regulation likely to follow.
15th October 2020
Alex Glassbrook predicts that a decision regarding ALKS’s automation level with be confirmed in Spring 2021. Read his comments in today’s issue of Insurance Times.
14th August 2020
Alex Glassbrook discusses the Secretary of State for Transport’s recent call to local authorities to make significant changes to road layouts in order to provide more space for cyclists and pedestrians.
17th October 2019
20th June 2019
Alex Glassbrook, 2 February 2019, published 19 June 2019 by the Law Commissions of England and Wales and of Scotland
Response to the Law Commissions’ joint preliminary consultation paper (CP 240) on the law of automated vehicles. Deals particularly with the civil liability issues of causation, contribution and contributory negligence under the AEVA 2018. Quoted by the Law Commission in its Analysis of the responses to the consultation, 19 June 2019, at pages 87 to 91.
See link below to Alex’s full paper.
21st June 2018
Autonomous vehicles will have profound effects on the environments in which they operate. Alex Glassbrook explores the development of the laws of roads during the century since the emergence of motor vehicles in the UK, and asks how roads and laws might evolve to cope with new species of vehicles.
19th April 2018
Alex takes stock of recent news of data harvesting and the Arizona accident, considers a past transport revolution and its policy lessons and makes the case for positive future laws of driverless.
7th February 2018
20th November 2017
21st September 2017
21st September 2017
Please see link below for Issue 6 of TGC Fraud Update, a publication we have set up with the stated aim of facilitating the sharing of information about decided claims involving issues of road traffic fraud and related matters.
28th February 2017
Law Brief Publishing, 28th February 2017
The first book to consider the likely impact of driverless cars upon the law in Britain – not only upon the laws formed by road traffic accidents but also the changing landscape of data and privacy, roads, crime, employment, insurance and Brexit. It explores present law, the possible laws of a fully “driverless” future and the “untidy transition” period that we are likely to experience soon.
“The Law of Driverless Cars: An Introduction” is an exploration of future law in clear, accessible language – aimed not only at specialist audiences (developers, lawyers, insurers, policymakers) but at anyone interested in this exciting field.
Available in paperback and Kindle editions from the link below.
25th July 2016
Alex Glassbrook reviews the government’s recent paper on the law and insurance of self-driving vehicles, notes some changes of approach and tries to predict the future.
9th October 2015
Welcome to the inaugural edition of TGC Fraud Update, a new publication from the fraud team at Temple Garden Chambers containing a number of articles on legal matters relevant to insurance fraud practitioners and a digest of recent noteworthy cases in which Members of Chambers have been involved.
1st May 2014
Alex Glassbrook reports on the Advocacy Training Council’s work in Zimbabwe and finds encouraging signs of judicial independence, an active Law Society and a reinvigorated Bar.
23rd May 2022
Oxbotica has announced its successful first test of a zero-occupancy autonomous vehicle on a publicly-accessible road. Oxbotica is developing a goods delivery variant of its vehicle with Ocado group to complete customer orders from 2023. Alex Glassbrook advised Oxbotica on applicable laws throughout development of the test, working closely with Oxbotica’s engineering and legal teams, and was in Oxford to see this milestone achieved.
14th December 2021
In recognition of his work with Imperial College on the regulation of automated vehicles, Alex Glassbrook has been appointed Honorary Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Imperial College London.
9th September 2021
Alex Glassbrook’s article, exploring the legal routes taken so far by automated and electric vehicles, is published in the current issue of the Journal of Personal Injury Law (JPIL 2021 3, 140-150).
8th July 2021
Chambers is delighted to announce the launch of its Automated and Electric Vehicle Law blog, aevlaw.com
Read more1st June 2021
Alex Glassbrook was interviewed about the law of “driverless” vehicles on the first programme of the new series of BBC Radio 4’s “Law in Action”. Joshua Rozenberg asked Alex about claims under the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018, brought into force in April, and the proposed revision to the Highway Code for automated vehicles.
The programme will be repeated on Thursday at 8pm and is available at the link below.
26th May 2021
Alex Glassbrook was interviewed by Toks Hussain on “Law Talks with Toks”.
Read more17th May 2021
Alex Glassbrook was interviewed by Annabel Pemberton for the Wired Wig, the law and technology podcast for current and future lawyers who are interested in the intersection between law and technology. Annabel and Alex discussed the imminent regulation of automated vehicles, the lessons of past regulation of motor vehicles and how court trials and legal practice might adapt to AV law.
Read more25th March 2021
The Bar Council of England and Wales has published its response to the Law Commission’s third consultation paper on the law of automated vehicles. Alex Glassbrook led the Bar Council’s team, writing the response with Adam King (of QEB Hollis Whiteman) and Lucy McCormick (of Henderson Chambers).
Read more2nd December 2020
Alex Glassbrook spoke on the legal implications of automated vehicles, at the Connected Places Catapult’s “what next for autonomous technology” virtual conference on 2 December.
Read more15th October 2020
Alex Glassbrook predicts that a decision regarding ALKS’s automation level with be confirmed in Spring 2021. Read his comments in today’s issue of Insurance Times.
1st October 2020
Alex Glassbrook is interviewed in this week’s New Law Journal about life at the bar, wellbeing and his new book – Advanced, Automated and Electric Vehicle Law – which will be published by Bloomsbury Professional in 2022.
24th August 2020
Alex Glassbrook was speaking with Insurance Post regarding the Government’s recently announced consultation into the safe use of automated lane keeping systems.
24th August 2020
Alex Glassbrook speaks to Emerg-in after the Department of Transport announced it was progressing steps to introduce automated technology with the launch of a call for evidence to help shape how innovative new systems could be used in future on GB roads.
14th August 2020
Alex Glassbrook discusses the Secretary of State for Transport’s recent call to local authorities to make significant changes to road layouts in order to provide more space for cyclists and pedestrians.
Read more29th November 2019
Alex Glassbrook, Emma Northey and Scarlett Milligan are the authors of “A Practical Guide to the Law of Driverless Cars”, which analyses the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 and other legal problems arising from the introduction and use of all forms of automated driving systems.
Read more15th October 2019
The second edition of “An Introduction to the Law of Driverless Cars”, will be published in early November.
Read more16th September 2019
Alex Glassbrook will be speaking at Plexus Law’s Transportation Seminar in Manchester on 24 October.
Read more26th July 2019
Alex will be speaking at the Future of Transportation World Conference in Vienna, on 10 December 2019.
Read more23rd July 2019
On Monday evening Alex and Emma will be giving a seminar to the Transport Group of APIL: introducing the law of driverless vehicles, explaining the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 and examining some future challenges.
19th June 2019
The Law Commission has published its analysis of responses to the first consultation on the law affecting the safety of automated vehicles (“AVs”, also known as driverless vehicles). Alex Glassbrook took part in the consultation, and his paper on Civil Liability for AV’s is quoted by the Law Commission on contributory negligence (p.87), causation (p.90) and the possibility of review of the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 (p.91).
Read more29th January 2019
Alex Glassbrook describes the relationship between the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 and the current Law Commission review of the law of automated vehicles, in an article by Rachel Rothwell in the Law Society Gazette (28 January, pages 21 to 23).
8th November 2018
The Law Commission and the Scottish Law Commission today publish their joint preliminary consultation paper on the options for the regulation of automated vehicles (also known as autonomous vehicles). The paper examines options for the regulation of the safety of vehicles which can travel without a driver for at least part of their journey. This paper is part of a 3-year consultation by the Law Commission.
Read more23rd October 2018
Alex Glassbrook will be speaking about the law of driverless cars at the Model Law Commission 2018 conference, organised by Big Voice London, at the University of East London on Saturday 27 October.
Read more24th July 2018
Speakers have been announced for Westminster Insight’s conference, “Connected and Autonomous Vehicles: Next Steps for Investment, Innovation and Deployment” on Wednesday 7 November.
Read more2nd July 2018
TGC Fraud Update July 2018, a publication we have set up with the stated aim of facilitating the sharing of information about decided claims involving issues of road traffic fraud and related matters.
Read more19th June 2018
Alex Glassbrook will be speaking about data protection and other aspects of the emerging laws of driverless cars, in his talk “Roads to Driverless”, at the Future of Transportation World Conference in Cologne, Germany, on 19 June.
Read more4th June 2018
Alex Glassbrook (instructed by Andrew Baker of Horwich Farrelly) represented the successful motor insurer. A claim for credit hire charges exceeding £80,000 had been claimed in relation to a vehicle allegedly damaged beyond use in a road traffic accident, and judgment had been obtained on that claim against the allegedly insured driver, without notice to his insurer.
Read more18th May 2018
Alex Glassbrook will be speaking about data protection and other aspects of the emerging laws of driverless cars, in his talk “Roads to Driverless”, at the Future of Transportation World Conference in Cologne, Germany, on 19 June. Alex will also be part of an expert panel at the conference, discussing the future laws of highways.
19th April 2018
Alex Glassbrook’s most recent article on the law of driverless cars, “Robots on Wheels”, commenting upon recent news of accidents and data harvesting, is published by chambers today. Please see link below.
7th February 2018
Alex Glassbrook’s article on Cyber Car Crime is published in the Future of Transportation Executive Briefing 2018 (at pages 5 and 78).
25th January 2018
Alex Glassbrook will be speaking at the Future of Transportation World Conference in Cologne, Germany, in June.
See Alex’s topic, “Roads to Driverless”, and the list of speakers at this link.
20th November 2017
As the Chancellor says he will prepare the ground for driverless cars, Alex Glassbrook sees US and EU lawmakers moving faster.
Read more9th November 2017
Financial journalist Victor Smart quotes Alex (the author of “The Law of Driverless Cars: An Introduction”) in his article on Driverless Cars.
Read more21st September 2017
TGC Fraud Update September 2017, a publication we have set up with the stated aim of facilitating the sharing of information about decided claims involving issues of road traffic fraud and related matters.
Read more6th July 2017
Alex Glassbrook will be speaking at the Future of Transportation World Conference in Cologne, Germany, on Wednesday 5 and Thursday 6 July.
Read more20th March 2017
Please see link for further information : www.thefutureoftransport.com
28th February 2017
Alex Glassbrook’s book, “The Law of Driverless Cars: An Introduction” is published today, in paperback and on Kindle.
This is the first book to consider the likely impact of driverless cars upon the law in Britain – not only upon the laws formed by road traffic accidents but also the changing landscape of data and privacy, roads, crime, employment, insurance and Brexit. It explores present law, the possible laws of a fully “driverless” future and the “untidy transition” period that we are likely to experience soon.
“The Law of Driverless Cars: An Introduction” is an exploration of future law in clear, accessible language – aimed not only at specialist audiences (developers, lawyers, insurers, policymakers) but at anyone interested in this exciting field.
13th January 2017
Alex Glassbrook, instructed at trial by Keoghs for two insurance companies, secured the dismissal of two claims made in relation to two alleged road traffic accidents, as well as costs orders against the unsuccessful claimants including orders for payments on account of the insurers’ costs of £10,000 per claimant.
Read more25th July 2016
Alex Glassbrook reviews the government’s recent paper on the law and insurance of self-driving vehicles, notes some changes of approach and tries to predict the future. Driverless Vehicles: Law & Insurance Update.
21st June 2016
Marcus Grant (instructed by Tom Ranson of Ashtons Legal) appeared for the Claimant. Alex Glassbrook (instructed by Gurbir Thethy of DWF LLP) appeared for the Defendant.
The claim involved a middle aged man who sustained a severe traumatic brain injury in a running down accident. The Parties agreed to settle the claim on a combined lump sum and Periodical Payment Order basis with periodical payments being agreed in respect of future claims for loss of earnings, case management and care / support worker provision.
Read more13th May 2016
Richard Boyle pleaded the defence and Alex Glassbrook appeared at trial, defeating the claims of a man who the judge found to be in the business of inducing accidents.
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