Profile

Joy is a partner based in Chelmsford. She qualified in England and Wales in 2005 and was promoted to Kennedys’ partnership in 2016.

Her client base includes global insurers, retailers, construction companies, local authorities, transport and leisure companies. She has experience in dealing with general liability, employers’ and public liability. She undertakes every aspect of multi-track work ranging from  brain injuries, chronic pain disorders and fatalities. Joy is joint EL/PL sector lead for Kennedys in the areas of Retail, Adult Social Care and Agricultural/Farming.

Joy’s day to day role is split between heading up the local casualty team with a specialist focus on large loss, catastrophic injuries relating to injuries sustained in the England and Wales. At the same time, Joy acts as an international channel for London market claims spread across the globe. Where she coordinates and acts as a central point of contact with Kennedys’ international offices, directing claims to local lawyers  across the US, LatAm, APAC and Europe. 

Joy is an avid contributor to in-house articles and has delivered a wide range of training sessions and seminars to insurers, self-insured and corporate bodies.

Joy is a member of the Forum of Insurance Lawyer (FOIL) and is an author of Kennedys’ Claims Handling Law and Practice Guide, the fourth edition of which was published in February 2021.

Joy contributed to the writing of Kennedys' 'Global forecast 2024: Evolving insurance risks' report, published in January 2024.

Qualifications

  • Qualified in England and Wales in 1995
"Joy Middleton is another important port of call within the group for multi-track claims."

COVID-19: what will it mean for the future of risk? - Mass Transport

Market recognition

  • Recommended lawyer for 'Personal injury and clinical negligence: defendant (South East)' "Joy Middleton is another important port of call within the group for multi-track claims." The Legal 500 UK 2024
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Personal injury and clinical negligence: defendant (South East)' "Joy Middleton handles multi-track work ranging from tetraplegia, amputation, brain injuries and fatalities". The Legal 500 UK 2023
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Personal injury and clinical negligence: defendant (South East)'
    "Joy Middleton is praised for her combination of technical ability and personability, which 'make her a force to be reckoned with'."
    The Legal 500 UK 2022
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Personal injury: defendant (South East)'
    “Joy Middleton is a star. She take a calm, no-nonsense approach to cases and seems never to be flustered even in the most unexpected and difficult situations.”
    The Legal 500 UK 2021
  • Recommended Lawyer for 'Personal injury: defendant (South East)'
    "Joy Middleton is 'a joy to work with' and handles cases in a 'calm and expertly' manner."
    The Legal 500 UK 2019/20
  • Recommended Lawyer for 'Personal injury: defendant (South East)'
    "Joy Middleton 'is in touch with the realities of litigation'."
    The Legal 500 UK 2018/19
  • “She is friendly and explains cases very well. She knows her stuff; she takes a pragmatic approach to cases.”
    Gracechurch London Market Insurance Law Report, 2016

Work highlights

  • Successfully defended a construction company that was wrongly sued by the claimant, who had fallen into an excavation pit. The claim was redirected to the claimant's employer and full recovery of costs were secured.
  • Advised a bus company upon the settlement of a high value claim brought by a pedestrian who was struck by a bus after it mounted the pavement, resulting in a life changing brain and orthopaedic injuries.
  • Advised a motor insurer on the settlement of a low velocity collision which resulted in a significant shoulder injury to a professional golfer in which a claim for £2.1 million was made.
  • Advised an insurer on both liability and quantum of a road traffic accident which left the claimant with severe brain injuries that require lifelong 24-hour double-up care. The claim was valued at £10 million.