James Purnell > Chambers of Charles Gibson KC > London, England > Barrister Profile
Henderson Chambers Offices
Henderson Chambers
2 HARCOURT BUILDINGS, TEMPLE
LONDON
EC4Y 9DB
England
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James Purnell
Position
Barrister specialising in commercial and public law, with expertise in group actions, product liability, health and safety, personal injury, environment, inquests and employment.
Career
Called 2002, Middle Temple (Queen Mother Scholar); pupillage Henderson Chambers 2002-2003; Attorney General’s C Panel (2009 – 2014); Attorney General’s B Panel (2014 – ); List of Specialist Regulatory Advocate’s for the EA, HSE and ORR (2012 – ); registered Direct Public Access practitioner; qualified pupil supervisor from 2010. Notable cases: Fetal Anti Convulsant Group Litigation (2008 – 2011); Iraqi Civilian Claims against MOD (2013 – ); defective hip implant group litigation (2014 – ). Recent reported cases: Ferguson v British Gas [2010] WLR 785 (harassment); Network Rail v Conarken [2011] 2 CLC 1 (consequential loss); Secretary of State for Justice v Bowling [2012] IRLR 382 (discrimination); Secretary of State for BIS v McDonagh [2013] ICR 1177 (employer insolvency).
Languages
French, Spanish.
Memberships
Health and Safety Lawyers Association; Personal Injury Bar Association; Employment Lawyers Association; List of Specialist Regulatory Advocates for the EA, HSE, ORR.
Education
The Oratory School; Edinburgh University; City University
Leisure
Football fanatic; piano man.
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Health and safety
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 3James Purnell –Henderson Chambers ‘James works extremely hard and absorbs huge quantities of material very quickly. He is clever and gives sensible, pragmatic advice.‘
London Bar > Environment
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 2James Purnell – Henderson Chambers ‘His work rate is phenomenal and his advice pragmatic.’
London Bar > Group litigation
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 2London Bar > Personal injury, industrial disease and insurance fraud
(Personal injury - Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 5James Purnell –Henderson Chambers ‘James is a highly skilled senior junior. He is very personable and client-friendly and has a pragmatic and commercial approach.’
London Bar > Product liability
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 2James Purnell –Henderson Chambers ‘James is a highly skilled senior junior. His advocacy in inquest matters is excellent, striking the right balance between sensitivity to the difficult nature of inquests yet also maintaining a robust position on behalf of his client.’
London Bar > Inquests and inquiries
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 4James Purnell –Henderson Chambers ‘James’ advocacy in inquest matters is excellent, striking the right balance between sensitivity and a robust approach. His advice is clear and pragmatic.’
Henderson Chambers is a ‘go-to set for inquests and inquiries‘. Members are well known for representing clients from the transport, manufacturing and construction sectors, to name a few areas. Prashant Popat KC is currently acting for Studio E Architects in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry; Oliver Campbell KC represented cladding manufacturer Siderise. Junior James Purnell represented BMW UK in an inquest into the death of a police officer whose car caught fire due to an engine fault. Abigail Cohen‘s practice includes cases touching on health and social care.