Personal Injury

Our personal injury barristers offer market-leading advice and representation. Members frequently appear in cases of the utmost severity, complexity and legal importance, including those attracting significant public and media interest. They are instructed by the leading firms in the field and act for Claimants and Defendants in comparatively equal proportions.

With more than 30 personal injury specialists (a third of whom have taken silk), members’ interests and experience cross the entire spectrum of personal injury claims. This includes catastrophic spinal, brain and birth injury claims, international accidents and illness, military claims, disease claims (including mesothelioma, asbestosis and silicosis), abuse claims, equine and other Animals Act actions, road traffic accidents, highways claims, sports injuries and injuries arising out of defective products.

Recent, non-confidential examples include: 

• the groundbreaking High Court litigation against Manchester City football club, concerning vicarious liability for sexual abuse perpetrated by notorious paedophile Barry Bennell (James Counsell KC and Ben Bradley KC);
• what are understood to be the highest ever settlements recorded in cases of cauda equina and sexual abuse (Ben Bradley KC);
• representing both sides in Shoultz v Ball, the Animals Act claim concerning a horse that escaped onto the A3 (Nathan Tavares KC, Jonathan Hand KC, James Counsell KC and Harriet Jerram);
• the case of Tyers v Aegis, where Mr Justice Spencer elucidated the law surrounding time limits in fatal accidents claims (Sarah Crowther KC);
• one of the largest ever PI settlements secured in the UK to date- £37 million (Eliot Woolf KC)
• the claim arising from the death of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the former owner of Leicester City FC, in a helicopter crash (Harry Steinburg KC);
• the Grenfell tower litigation (Gerard McDermott KC, Sarah Crowther KC, Harry Lambert and Rob Dickason);
• Samrai v Kalia, a high profile case involving personal injury, undue influence and sexual assault allegations, with important consideration of expert evidence (Sarah Crowther KC, Dan Clarke);
• the Papworth litigation (Eliot Woolf KC, Ian Denham, Carin Hunt);
• claims invoking the Human Rights Act, including those concerning human trafficking, torture and forced labour (Harry Lambert);
• Metal on Metal hips, Thalidomide and Seroxat litigation (Harry Lambert);
• Contaminated Blood Products Group Litigation, Covid-19 care home discharge litigation and AstraZeneca vaccine damage claims (Robert Dickason);
• Sports injury claims, including a claim by a former Liverpool FC academy player that a team mate and rival injured him to “get him out of the way” (Tom Gibson);
• A multi-million pound action arising out of an adverse reaction to a clinical trial (Aliyah Akram);
• large group actions in respect of product liability for the sale of Asbestolux (the Cape litigation) and military noise-induced hearing loss (Harry Steinburg KC and Aliyah Akram). The latter was named one of The Lawyer’s “Top 10 Cases” for 2025;
• group litigation on behalf of hundreds of Claimants who suffered gastric illness in the Cape Verde 2022 outbreak (Lorna Badham);
• dismissal of Contempt of Court proceedings following dismissal of the largest ever non-freezing cold injury claim against the MOD on the grounds of fundamental dishonesty (Robert Dickason and Joshua Hitchens).

Individually and collectively the team is consistently ranked across Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500. We were awarded Personal Injury Set of the Year at the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2023.

A number of members have dual expertise in personal injury and employment law matters and specialise in advising on stress at work claims, employers’ liability claims, and personal injury claims brought in the employment tribunals.

Our barristers also have extensive experience acting in multi-party actions, inquests and public inquiries.