Byrom Street Chambers, 12 Byrom Street, Manchester and Crown Office Chambers, Temple, London
Educated at Stonyhurst and Emmanuel College, Cambridge (MA in Classics), James was called in 1987. He was a Recorder of the Crown and County Courts (2003-2015) and Chairman of the Personal Injuries Bar Association (2010-2012). He took Silk in 2006 and has recently been the agreed arbitrator in the first PIcARBS arbitration.
Specialising early in his career, James developed a sizeable personal injury and clinical negligence practice as a junior. He was appointed in 2000, at the age of just 35, as Counsel to the Royal Liverpool Children’s Inquiry into organ retention at Alder Hey Hospital.
James has a mixed, claimant and defendant, clinical negligence and PI practice; he has been a Band 1 Silk in both areas in Chambers & Partners Directory for many years. He has a special interest in CTG interpretation1 and birth injury claims, as well as neo-natal and infant meningitis cases, and is comfortable handling all manner of liability issues in serious PI claims on both sides. Even after many years in Silk, he wants to do his own pleadings in anything complicated.
James has long advocated a planned and rigorous approach to the expert evidence in support of damages and the presentation of the case in schedule and counter schedule. He published the definitive guide to pension loss calculation2 as a young barrister and, early on in Silk, advice on the use of PPOs3. He continues to update his popular review of quantum in serious cases for major new decisions4. In 2012, he took over responsibility for and re-wrote the main content of the Care chapter in Facts & Figures.
Married with 3 grown up sons, enjoying gardening, cooking and keeping a small wine cellar, James still just about opens the batting at High Legh C.C.
Contact details:
12 Byrom Street
Manchester
M3 4PP
Telephone: 0161 829 2100
E-mail: [email protected]