Adam Heppinstall KC

Practice Areas

Adam represents defendants and claimants in a wide range of group actions. He has acted for a number of London-listed PLCs facing mass tort actions (including based on their parent company liability for the acts of their subsidiaries abroad) including Shell, Unilever, G4S and Cape. He is acting in a number of ESG related claims/group actions relating to supply chains and climate change. He has extensive service out, setting service out aside, forum and conflicts experience. He has also acted in a number of domestic product liability group actions, including for GSK in the Seroxat pharmaceutical litigation. He is a vaccine liability and infectious disease specialist having been involved in the swine flu vaccine damages claims, as well as in relation to Q Fever claims brought by military personnel. He has advised upon and published on matters relating to COVID-19. He is used to dealing with complex medical/epidemiological evidence and is a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and an Associate of the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine.

He acts for a Core Participant before the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry and for a Government Department in the Covid Inquiry. He has extensive automotive and white goods product liability experience, including in product recalls.

He acts for claimants in a number of actions, including relating to vehicle emissions and mortgage prisoners. He is experienced in costs and funding issues, particularly in group actions.

He has represented a number of clients before Coroner’s Inquests, regulatory tribunals (he has appeared in all of the non-tax Chambers of the FTT and UT, as well as the Investigatory Powers Tribunal and has conduct of cases before the Plant Varieties and Seeds Tribunal) and in health and safety/regulatory matters before the criminal courts.

He is also expert in claims and regulatory actions relating to fire, oil, ionising radiation and flooding. He has prosecuted and advised the MHRA, the Foods Standards Agency and the Environment Agency. He has extensive mesothelioma and asbestos-related conditions experience. He is regularly instructed in commercial arbitrations, public procurement disputes and related insolvency proceedings. He has public and employment law practices.

He was Junior Counsel to the Crown (A Panel) and has acted, and continues to act for government departments in a large range of matters, in particular DHSC, the NHS, HM Prisons, and the MOD (not least in a series of serious personal injury claims and group actions (TBI, NIHL, NFCI, WBV and Q Fever). He has addressed the Supreme Court in a regulatory judicial review which was referred to the CJEU.

He appeared for the GMC in the Professor Sir Roy Meadow proceedings and before the Shipman Inquiry.

He acts for private clients in judicial reviews, including against regulatory decisions and as interested parties (for example in relation to climate change related claims).

He acts for solicitors, health professionals, surveyors and accountants before their disciplinary bodies.

Career

Silk 2021, Called 1999, Middle Temple; Judicial assistant to Otton and Buxton LJJs in 2000; Junior Counsel to the Crown since 2004, A Panel since 2014.

Professional Memberships

MCIArb, FRSS, COMBAR, LCLCBA, ALBA, ARDL, Medico-Legal Society, Associate of the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine RCP London, Senior Associate of Royal Society of Medicine, Assoc. CIPD

Publications

Contributor Vol 37 Halsbury's Laws; He is the co-author of 'The Manual of Employment Appeals', Jordans, 2008.

Personal

Married.