Henry Pitchers KC is a leading silk in the field of catastrophic and complex injury work. He is the Head of the Personal Injury Group at No5, but is equally regularly instructed in cases arising out of clinical negligence.
Henry appeared in the Supreme Court for one of the Claimant teams in the secondary victims appeals (Paul and others).
At the seven-week Fishmongers Hall Terrorist Inquest, Henry represented the family of Saskia Jones, one of the two young people killed in the attack.
His caseload is dominated by traumatic and acquired brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations and serious polytrauma. Henry tends to be instructed in the early stages of a claim and is an enthusiastic supporter of rehabilitation. He prides himself on the care he takes with clients, ensuring that trust and confidence is established and maintained throughout the case.
Most claims in which Henry is instructed have a value in seven or eight figures and he currently has several cases underway which are likely to have a capitalised value in excess of £30M. Although Henry has very extensive trial experience, he understands the importance of effective representation in alternative dispute resolution, be that in mediation or at joint settlement meetings.
Henry is Head of the Personal Injury Group and has been undertaking personal injury work since he commenced practice in the 1990s. As a result, he has huge court experience across all areas of work, such as road traffic collisions; workplace accidents; industrial disease; public liability (such as highways and occupiers’ liability claims); accidents abroad or with a foreign element; and group litigation (such as the sofa dermatitis claims).
In silk, it is routine for Henry for work closely with experts on liability issues, including accident reconstruction; helmet and seatbelt causation; mechanical and electrical engineering; construction sites; ergonomics; PPE; and CCTV.
The profile of injuries of the claimants in the cases in which Henry is instructed is wide-ranging, but there is a preponderance of traumatic brain injury; spinal cord injury; amputation; complex polytrauma; and psychiatric disorders (such as PTSD and functional or somatic disorders). The claims are generally of high value and/or significant complexity. These cases commonly require a very large number of expert disciplines to be instructed. Henry has substantial experience of working with foreign lawyers and other experts when injuries are sustained outside the jurisdiction.
Henry is often instructed in cases involving fatalities and all the claims which may arise from them. He has attended many inquests across the country, the highest profile of which being the Fishmongers Hall Terrorist Inquest, in which he appeared for the family of one of the two victims.
Henry has real depth of experience in clinical negligence work, having taken many cases to trial and an appeal all the way to the Supreme Court (Paul/Polmear/Purchase).
In silk, cases tend to be of significant complexity and/or very high value. Henry has a sub-specialism of cerebral palsy and birth injuries. At any given time, he is instructed in numerous paediatric brain injury cases of the utmost severity. Henry is aware of the demands and sensitivities of this work and endeavours to work as a team with his junior, his instructing solicitors and his clients.
It is common for Henry to be instructed on behalf of adults with acquired brain injuries, which may have arisen from hypoxia, stroke, haemorrhage, brain tumours or infection.
Spinal injury work, adult and paediatric, forms an important part of Henry’s practice. This may have resulted from surgical negligence or delayed diagnosis of conditions such as cauda equina syndrome or spinal abscess.
With profound and life-changing injuries in particular, Henry supports the claimant’s access to rehabilitation during the claim. Many of these claims will conclude with an order for periodical payments.
Other areas of interest include delayed diagnosis of cancer; surgical negligence, including orthopaedics; other claims arising out of pregnancy and birth; and psychiatric injuries.
Henry has a great deal of inquest experience for deaths arising in medical settings, including suicide and end-of-life care.
Henry Pitchers KC and Richard Grimshaw, instructed by Jodi Newton and Elline Demetriou of Osbornes Law, have recently settled and had approved a very substantial case arising…
Thank you to everyone who attended the On Two-Wheels seminar at No5 Barristers’ Chambers! Your participation made the event a success.A special thanks to our…
Henry Pitchers KC and Richard Grimshaw, instructed by Jodi Newton and Elline Demetriou of Osbornes Law, have recently settled and had approved a very substantial case arising…
Thank you to everyone who attended the On Two-Wheels seminar at No5 Barristers’ Chambers! Your participation made the event a success.A special thanks to our…