Henry Pitchers KC > Chambers of Adrian Keeling KC and Jonathan Jones KC > Birmingham, England > Barrister Profile
No5 Barristers' Chambers Offices
No5 Barristers' Chambers
103 Colmore Row
BIRMINGHAM
3 3AG
England
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Henry Pitchers KC
Work Department
Personal injury either side, clinical negligence either side, professional negligence.
Position
Henry was appointed Queen’s Counsel in March 2020, after two decades as an extremely busy junior. He has for many years been recognised by the directories and his peers as a leading barrister specialising in complex and high value claims arising out of both clinical negligence and personal injury. His caseload is dominated by acquired brain injuries, spinal cord damage, amputations, complex polytrauma, psychiatric disorder and fatalities. Even prior to his appointment to silk, he was instructed in some of the highest value claims, such as a child brain injury matter which concluded at a joint settlement meeting for the capitalised equivalent of approximately £28M.
Henry led the team at the Fishmongers Hall terror attack inquests, on behalf of the family of one of the young victims, Saskia Jones., helping to identify multiple failings of the state and others. He also is lead counsel in the case of Polmear v Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust. [2021] EWHC 196 (QB), one of three landmark appeals before the Court of Appeal, considering issues of recoverability for secondary victims (nervous shock).
Clinical negligence work covers the full range, but with a focus upon obstetrics (baby and mother) and neurosurgery (including strokes and intracranial infections, but also cauda equina). Henry is very experienced in liability disputes in personal injury claims, from RTCs (including MIB issues) to accidents in the workplace (including construction sites). He has been instructed in significant matters with an international element. As well l as having huge trial experience, Henry regularly is instructed to appear at inquests. Henry’s cases routinely involve periodical payments and the Court of Protection.
He is a contributing editor to Butterworth’s Personal Injury Litigation Service.
Career
Studied law at Worcester College, Oxford University, before taking the bar course in London. Following successful completion of pupillage, Henry took tenancy at 22 Old Buildings, Lincoln’s Inn (now 42 Bedford Row), before moving to No5 Barristers’ Chambers in January 2003.
Memberships
Personal Injury Bar Association; Professional Negligence Bar Association; AvMA.
Education
BA (Hons) Jurisprudence, Oxon.
Lawyer Rankings
Regional Bar > Midland Circuit > Clinical negligence
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Henry Pitchers KC – No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Henry is very good at interrogating the issues in a case and getting the best out of experts. He has a lovely manner with clients. He is an experienced advocate.’
No5 Barristers’ Chambers is ‘a large and well-organised set with the right counsel available for all types of cases’. Practice head Chris Bright KC is described as ‘a very intelligent advocate who is able to grasp the complex points of a case’. Jonathan Jones KC, in addition to work concerning neurological injuries, successfully secured a £6.5m settlement for a sportsman who suffered paraplegia due to the delayed diagnosis of a spinal abscess. David Tyack KC is involved in one of several cases conjoined in Paul v Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, an appeal to the Supreme Court concerning if one can make a claim for psychiatric injury after witnessing the death or other horrifying event of a close relative caused by earlier clinical negligence, while Henry Pitchers KC is ‘good with clients with learning disabilities’ and successfully represented a diabetic patient who settled a delayed treatment case for £2.5m.
Regional Bar > Midland Circuit > Personal injury
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1No5 Barristers’ Chambers is a ‘very strong set with excellent barristers at all levels of experience’ that offers representation across the full spectrum of personal injury cases. The practice is jointly led by Henry Pitchers KC and Jonathan Jones KC, who is ‘a fantastic advocate with a tenacious approach’. Chris Bright KC is renowned for his ‘excellent advocacy’ and is active in cases involving complex causation and quantum issues. The ‘amazing advocate’ Malcolm Duthie recently secured a high-value settlement in a case involving traumatic brain injuries suffered by a taxi driver. Paul Evans has particular expertise in handling claims concerning amputations and prosthetic use.
London Bar > Clinical negligence
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 4Henry Pitchers KC – No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Henry is a leader in his field. He is strategic, intelligent, knows his subject inside out, a compelling advocate, and has excellent drafting skills.’
London Bar > Personal injury, industrial disease and insurance fraud
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 4Henry Pitchers KC – No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Henry is calm and very approachable. He is able to digest technical evidence and advise in a very down to earth manner to our clients.’