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James Pickering
Barristers profile
UK Bar 2026
Barristers profile | UK Bar 2026: Motor Insurance Fraud, Personal Injury: Industrial Disease, Travel: International Personal Injury, Group Litigation, Personal Injury
James Pickering
Ranked in 5 Practice Areas
2

Band 2

Motor Insurance Fraud

All Circuits

1 Years Ranked

2

Band 2

Personal Injury: Industrial Disease

All Circuits

4 Years Ranked

3

Band 3

Travel: International Personal Injury

London (Bar)

4 Years Ranked

4

Band 4

Group Litigation

All Circuits

1 Years Ranked

4

Band 4

Personal Injury

London (Bar)

2 Years Ranked

About

Provided by James Pickering

UK Bar

Practice Areas

James is a leading junior in cases involving serious injuries and fatal accidents, with expertise in international and group litigation. He acts in complex and cutting-edge litigation, often with a cross-border element.

Chambers UK and The Legal 500 describe him as “really excellent” and “a super junior with a massive future. He is incredibly bright, meticulous and approachable.” He “possesses a towering intellect and is able to master the law in a wide range of areas from international law to English procedural law before deploying it with lethal effect.”

James specialises in group litigation. He is instructed in the Military Deafness Litigation, one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2025. He was Junior Counsel for the Claimants in Adams v Ministry of Defence [2024] EWHC 1966 (KB), the leading authority on the use of “omnibus” Claim Forms in large-scale personal injury actions.

James leads 12KBW’s Band 1-ranked International & Travel Team. He edits the key practitioner textbooks in his areas of practice: Occupational Illness Litigation (Sweet & Maxwell), Asbestos: Law & Litigation (Sweet & Maxwell), and Butterworths Personal Injury Litigation Service (Accidents Abroad) (LexisNexis UK).

See https://12kbw.co.uk/barristers/james-pickering/ for further details.

Career

Called 2013.

Professional Memberships

Personal Injuries Bar Association

Pan European Organisation of Personal Injury Lawyers

London Common Law & Commercial Bar Association

Publications

Occupational Illness Litigation (Sweet & Maxwell) (Editor)

Asbestos: Law & Litigation (Sweet & Maxwell) (Co-Editor)

Butterworths Personal Injury Litigation Service (Accidents Abroad) (LexisNexis UK) (Editor)

‘Asbestos Product Litigation’, Journal of Personal Injury Law (2021, 1, pp. 17-24)

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

UK Bar

Personal Injury: Industrial Disease - All Circuits

2
Band 2
Individual Editorial

James Pickering is regularly instructed to act on behalf of claimants in mesothelioma claims. He is also noted for his work in relation to group actions brought by military personnel suffering hearing loss and non-freezing cold injuries.

Learn more about this team❖View ranking table

Motor Insurance Fraud - All Circuits

2
Band 2
Individual Editorial

James Pickering regularly acts for defendants and insurers across a wide range of motor fraud cases. He is noted for his ability to tackle issues of fundamental dishonesty, particularly in relation to exaggerated personal injuries and staged road traffic accidents.

Learn more about this team❖View ranking table

Travel: International Personal Injury - London (Bar)

3
Band 3
Individual Editorial

James Pickering offers a breadth of knowledge in relation to cross-border personal injury claims. He has experience defending claims on behalf of insurers as well as acting for large groups of claimants.

Learn more about this team❖View ranking table

Personal Injury - London (Bar)

4
Band 4
Individual Editorial

James Pickering has a broad personal injury practice that includes an industrial disease specialism. He acts for claimants as well as defendants and has experience handling brain injuries as well as group litigation. He has further expertise in claims arising from accidents abroad.

Learn more about this team❖View ranking table

Group Litigation - All Circuits

4
Band 4
Individual Editorial

James Pickering of 12 King's Bench Walk has expertise in personal injury and industrial disease, which he brings to bear on group litigation cases, often acting for sporting, military or policing clients.

View ranking table

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

James has a Rolls-Royce brain and eye for detail.

Personal Injury: Industrial Disease respondent
UK Bar

James Pickering is very reliable. He is thoughtful, thorough and extremely good in conference when advising clients on highly sensitive and emotive subjects.

Personal Injury: Industrial Disease respondent
UK Bar

James is unbelievably brainy and very good at distilling difficult issues into simple, clear digestible notes and advice.

Personal Injury: Industrial Disease respondent
UK Bar

James Pickering has excellent command of the area. His attention to detail is phenomenal and he is very good with clients.

Personal Injury: Industrial Disease respondent
UK Bar

He is very responsive and good with clients.

Motor Insurance Fraud respondent
UK Bar

I'm always amazed by his level of expertise and technical knowledge on cross-border matters. He is certainly a fine advocate who deserves strong recognition.

Motor Insurance Fraud respondent
UK Bar

He is a very erudite barrister able to cut through to the issues quickly.

Travel: International Personal Injury respondent
UK Bar

He is really good, very experienced and practical.

Travel: International Personal Injury respondent
UK Bar

He has an excellent command of the area. His attention to detail is phenomenal, and he is very good with clients.

Personal Injury respondent
UK Bar

James is thorough in his review of the issues and delivers advice in a clear and concise manner. He is extremely responsive.

Personal Injury respondent
UK Bar

He is very thorough and has a great eye for detail. His tactics and strategy always result in favourable outcomes.

Personal Injury respondent
UK Bar

James is very thorough, with a great eye for detail, tactic and strategy which always results in favourable outcomes - I've been really impressed.

Group Litigation respondent
UK Bar

James is a brilliant lawyer. He is a great speaker and great operator for group litigation as he's seen a lot of it, and is a specialist in industrial disease and international litigation.

Group Litigation respondent
UK Bar

James has progressed quickly and has excellent command of the area. His attention to detail is phenomenal and he is very good with clients.

Group Litigation respondent
UK Bar

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