James Ellis

James is currently undertaking a Civil pupillage with a focus on Personal Injury under the supervision of Gareth Thompson.

Now undertaking his second six, James has attended fast track and small claim trials, stage 3s, OIC hearings, applications, interlocutory and final hearings including pre-action disclosure and clinical negligence. This has been accompanied by a growing paper practice.

James has a keen interest in clinical negligence and regularly drafts pleadings for more senior members of the group to develop his knowledge and would welcome instructions in clinical negligence cases.

His cases of note include:

• CW v U (2024) – Represented the Defendant in a credit hire matter. Successfully sought relief from sanction to allow a call recording into evidence that was then used in an intervention argument to reduce the credit hire claim from over £13,000.00 to £919.89.
• AR v AK (2024) – Represented the Defendant on a liability disputed RTA. Succeeded in running a no contact defence.
• SG v E (2024) – Advised on a Product Liability claim and pre-action disclosure application valued in excess of £50,000.00.
• JB v S (2024) – Represented the Claimant in a successful personal injury Fast Track claim with allegations of Fundamental Dishonesty.
• JH v IM (2024) – Represented a Defendant on an RTA liability and credit hire claim. The Defendant witness did not attend, however the claim was dismissed following submission on the agreement being unenforceable.
• MG v WM (2024) – Drafted Particulars of Claim and provided advice on prospects for a slip at work.
• AT v A (2024) – Successfully represented a Claimant accused of Fundamental Dishonesty and obtained Part 36 consequences in the Claimant’s favour.

He is able to accept instructions in the following types of cases:

• Clinical negligence;
• Claims arising out of deliberate infliction of harm, including claims brought pursuant to the Human Rights Act 1998;
• Road traffic accidents and credit hire;
• Fatal Accident claims;
• Fundamental Dishonesty;
• EL/PL;
• Animals Act claims;
• Travel & Tourism;
• Inquests;
• Disease;
• Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority appeals.

In his first six James has gained valuable experience including shadowing cases with more senior barristers which included applications, interlocutory hearings, fast-track trials and multi-track trials. James also gained experience drafting statements of case, advice and schedules of loss.

Prior to pupillage, James was a court advocate within an international law firm’s advocacy service for over two years where he worked across the firm’s practice areas, including personal injury, property and credit hire. In this role James undertook small claims, stage 3 hearings, infant approval hearings, CMCs, CCMCs and applications.

James was also a Native English-Speaking Tutor in Hong Kong for the 2019-2020 academic year at a vocational college, and prior to this was a self-employed county court advocate for two years.