JUNIOR PROFILE

James Pickering

UK Bar 2026

12 King's Bench Walk

Ranked in 5 practice areas

Personal Injury: Industrial Disease

All Circuits

4 years ranked

Motor Insurance Fraud

All Circuits

1 year ranked

Travel: International Personal Injury

London (Bar)

4 years ranked

Personal Injury

London (Bar)

2 years ranked

Group Litigation

All Circuits

1 year ranked

About

Provided by 12 King's Bench Walk

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

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

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)

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)

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

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 DiseaseUK 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 DiseaseUK Bar
James is unbelievably brainy and very good at distilling difficult issues into simple, clear digestible notes and advice.
Personal Injury: Industrial DiseaseUK 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 DiseaseUK Bar
He is very responsive and good with clients.
Motor Insurance FraudUK 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 FraudUK Bar