Hugh Preston QC

Personal Injury

Hugh is ranked as a leading new silk by Chambers and Partners (in the current edition prior to taking silk he was ranked as one of the top 7 juniors in the country) and the Legal 500, in the specialist field of Product Liability involving medical and other products.    He combines this with a wider practice encompassing clinical negligence and personal injury.

Hugh is regularly instructed for both claimants and defendants across the whole spectrum of personal injury litigation, but he is best known for his defendant employers liability practice.   He acts for some of the leading EL insurers and is regularly briefed in complex personal injury defences of very high value.

He appeared without a leader in the House of Lords in 2009 in the leading PUWER case Smith v Northamptonshire County Council.   In the same year he appeared in the ECJ in a landmark ruling under the EC Product Liability Directive (O’Byrne v Aventis Pasteur).

In recent years he has developed a niche specialism in acting for global private security companies defending claims arising from head injuries and other combat injuries by security operatives working in Iraq, Afghanistan and other conflict zones.   He has appeared in some of the leading cases in this field, two of which will be going to trial in 2012.

What the directories say:

“one of the foremost juniors in the field” (Legal 500 UK 2011)

“a serious player in this field with a growing reputation .... he has a very subtle and tactful approach that’s well thought through, and he also proves very good with clients” (Chambers and Partners 2012)

 “charming and unshowy" (Chambers and Partners 2011)

"hard working, bright and without a whiff of pretence” (Chambers and Partners 2010)

“sound, sensible and knows what he’s doing” (Legal 500 UK 2009

Recent cases

• Smith v Northamptonshire County Council [2009].   Leading case on PUWER 1998 and the EC Work Equipment Directive.   The House of Lords delivered judgment on 20^th May 2009 (click here for a case summary).
• Various v Armorgroup [2009].   A number of claims by private security officers injured whilst on close protection duties in Iraq in the aftermath of the invasion by coalition forces in 2003.
• Cardy v Erinys (Iraq) Ltd [2012].   £1.6m claim by private security officer injured on duty in Iraq.
• Preece v Chief Constable of Staffordshire Police [2009].   Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome claim for £1.5m.   Acted for defendant and settled for £75,000 after malingering allegation.
• Collins v Jones [2003].   Trial, QBD.   £1.5m damages award following RTA.
• H v Northamptonshire County Council [2005].   Trial, QBD.   Claim for damages against local authority as a result of injuries sustained following alleged child abuse.
• Dobson v Killen [2008].   Trial, York County Ct., 2008.   High value claim for chronic pain syndrome arising from road accident.
• Tutty v Tesco Stores [2007].   Trial, QBD, Scunthorpe DR, 2007.   High value claim for complex regional pain syndrome following accident at work.

Memberships

• AVMA
• Personal Injury Bar Association