Christopher Walker

Nominated for Personal Injury Junior of the Year at the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2024.

Christopher Walker is a highly regarded specialist barrister.  He has been recommended for many years by both the Legal 500 and Chambers UK  directories for his work in high level catastrophic personal injury and fatal accident litigation. 

In the past 12 months, his practice has included significant and successful trials, a mediated settlement of claims arising from the Grenfell disaster and the negotiated conclusion of numerous cases of significant value:

• In  R v C [2024]  Christopher was instructed on behalf of a Defendant.  This High Court trial of liability for a road traffic accident was brought to a premature conclusion at the closure of the Claimant’s case when the Claimant then accepted a pre-trial Part 36 offer out of time.  The Claimant was represented by a silk. 
• In Raymond-Scott v UKRI [2023]  Christopher, instructed on behalf of the Claimant, succeeded in an expert heavy 8 day trial in the High Court, recovering damages for a non freezing cold injury caused by a 12-14 hour exposure.  The Claimant’s credibility was in issue and liability and quantum were both fiercely contested. 
• Bull v Aigbefoh [2023] EWHC 2452.  In this interlocutory appeal, Christopher succeeded in opposing the Claimant’s assertion that privilege attached to her recording of her medical examination by the Defendant’s expert. 

Christopher has huge experience in all aspects of personal injury litigation drawn from over 30 years in practice, with a particular emphasis on the most severe spinal cord, brain and more general orthopaedic injuries.  He is instructed by both Claimants and Defendants 

He has built a reputation as an engaging advocate with a forensic eye for detail who makes incredibly complicated litigation seem easy. He is often praised by both lay and professional clients for tackling the most difficult cases whilst providing practical and client-friendly advice. 

His workload derives from the established categories of employer’s liability, road traffic accidents and public liability claims.  The majority of his cases involve awards or settlements running to many millions of pounds. He regularly litigates with and against silks. 

His practice encompasses associated clinical and professional negligence claims, health and safety prosecutions, coroner’s inquests, and litigation with a focus on some particularly thorny issues of human rights breaches. 

Christopher is well known as an intelligent and persuasive negotiator, adept at placing his clients at the centre of his work. Such skills are regularly put into practice, whether the case culminates in joint settlement meeting, mediation, or trial. Recommendations from the 2025 directory editions include: "Chris is fantastic with clients, charming and self-assured. He is a tenacious negotiator and provides excellent advice." (Chambers & Partners), and “Christopher is very detailed conscious and very thorough. He is excellent with clients." (Legal 500)

• Recommendations

  "Christopher is very talented counsel with great attention to detail and very strong advocacy. He is easy to approach." - Personal Injury, Chambers UK 2025

  "Christopher is very detailed conscious and very thorough. He is excellent with clients." - Personal Injury, Legal 500 2025

  "An excellent barrister. He is very detail conscious and very thorough in his approach." - Personal Injury, Legal 500 2024

   "A first-rate advocate with the ability to cut through to the heart of the case effortlessly." - Personal Injury, Legal 500 2023

  A personal injury specialist who focuses on catastrophic brain and spinal injuries, amputations and fatal accidents. He receives instructions from claimant and defendant solicitors and is praised for his adroit handling of employers' and public liability disputes. He has extensive experience of cases with tricky contributory negligence and mental health elements. His practice covers a range of related areas including clinical and professional negligence, human rights matters, coroner's inquests, and health and safety prosecutions. "A very good negotiator." - Personal Injury (London Bar), Chambers UK Bar 2022.

  A well-respected barrister with a wealth of experience in fatal accident and catastrophic injury claims. He also has expertise in product liability and employers' liability cases. He is regularly instructed by both defendants and claimants. "Excellent with clients and extremely thorough." - Personal Injury (Western Bar), Chambers UK Bar 2022. 

  "Quick-thinking and adapts to changing scenarios quickly - tenacious but not aggressive." - Personal Injury, Legal 500 2022.

  “He has a good eye for detail.” “He’s very incisive and excellent with clients – he’s able to explain difficult issues in terms they can understand.” “Chris is really forensic and always well prepared. There’s not a page in the bundle he won’t have read and know about.” “He is very approachable and great with clients.” - Personal Injury, Chambers UK Bar 2021

  “Always takes a practical and pragmatic approach to cases allied with good judgement.” “He’s excellent in his analysis of the evidence and knows exactly how to coordinate a team of experts to produce the strongest case. He’s very engaging and puts clients at their ease with his easy charm and obvious empathy. His advocacy is very sharp, and judges respond to his concise arguments and helpful manner.” - Personal Injury, Legal 500 2021

  “He continues to be hugely impressive in his willingness to take on difficult cases and in his exceptionally legally robust drafting. He is also hugely persuasive in both written and oral advocacy.” “He’s very thorough and very good on the detail.” “He is very bright, thorough and well prepared. He quickly gets to the nub of issues and his advice is clear.” “He has a fantastic manner with clients and is a good negotiator.” - Personal Injury, Chambers UK Bar 2020

  “Good client care and an excellent grasp of issues in high value cases.” - Personal Injury, Legal 500 2020

  “A fantastic advocate who is really understated in the way he goes about it.” “Very well prepared, confident and insightful with experts and a skilful negotiator.” - Personal Injury, Chambers UK Bar 2018

  “Known for catastrophic injury and fatal accident claims.” - Personal Injury, Legal 500 2017

  “He is quick to note the strengths and difficulties in each case and is not frightened to fight the claimant’s corner. He gets to the heart of the issue quickly and provides practical and client-friendly advice.” - Personal Injury, Chambers UK Bar 2016

  “He is an incredible, technical lawyer who makes incredibly complicated litigation seem easy.” “He gets his way by gentle persuasion and steely determination.” - Personal Injury, Chambers UK Bar 2016

  “An experienced and intelligent negotiator who is very good on his feet.” “He is clever, collaborative and adept at complex cases.” - Personal Injury, Legal 500 2015

  “He gets down to the issues and absorbs vast amounts of information very quickly.” “An experienced and high-calibre barrister, who is technically excellent and has superb client skills.” - Personal Injury, Chambers UK Bar 2015

  “He’s a charmer – if you need someone to face up to testosterone you put Christopher Walker in the room and he’ll calm them down. He’s tenacious without being aggressive.” - Personal Injury, Chambers UK Bar

• Personal Injury

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  Christopher undertakes all aspects of personal injury work on behalf of both Claimants and Defendants in high value cases.  

  Noted for his hugely persuasive style in both written and oral advocacy, he is typically engaged in claims involving spinal injury, brain damage, soft tissue & orthopaedic injury leading to amputation, psychiatric damage, and fatal accidents. He is instructed in employers’ liability claims (including industrial disease and stress at work), road traffic accident claims, and public liability claims. 

   

  Sample Litigation 

  Below is a sample of recent cases in which Christopher has acted alone, the other party represented by a silk. 

   

  2024

  • Grenfell Fire – Instructed on behalf of senior fire officers attending the conflagration.  Personal injury claims of these Claimants settled on confidential terms through mediation 
  • Re: DN – Instructed on behalf of 54 year old Claimant with an incomplete C5 spinal injury  following a rta.  Multi million pound claim with predictably significant care needs. (ongoing) 
  • T v W – 26 year old male motorcyclist suffered brain and orthopaedic injuries in rta.  Substantial pre accident vulnerabilities.  Settlement of £3.8 million approved by High Court.  Instructed on behalf of Claimant 
  • M v LBH – 7 year old male required amputation through Chopart joint of foot following accident in park.  £2.5 million settlement approved by High Court.  Instructed on behalf of the Defendant 
  • T v P – 57 year old male motorcyclist.  Below knee amputation.  Issues as to life expectancy.  £2.43 million.  Instructed on behalf of the Claimant 
  • A v H – 51 year old male motorcyclist.  Below knee amputation.  Liability in dispute.  £2.25 million.  Instructed on behalf of the Defendant 

   

  2023

  • M v B – 34 year old female.  Multiple orthopaedic injuries & assertion of need for a 24 hour care regime.  Damages claimed of over £17 million.  Settlement at £3.5 million on eve of trial.  Instructed on behalf of Defendant. 
  • B v C – 51 year old female.  Above knee amputation together with multiple injuries to spine & pelvis.  Settlement at £2.75 million. Instructed on behalf of the Defendant.  
  • C v M -  48 year old female.  Above knee amputation following RTA.    Liability having first been established at trial, claim settled for £2.54 million.  Instructed on behalf of the Claimant. 
  • T v J – 32 year old male pedestrian.  Severe brain injury with enduring neurocognitive and executive deficits.  Settlement of £2.42 million on an 85/15 apportionment approved by the High Court.  Instructed on behalf of Claimant. 
  • D v J  - 43 year old male.  Traumatic amputation of his dominant hand following accident at work.  Contributory negligence in play.  Settlement £1.58 million.  Instructed on behalf of Claimant. 

   

  2022

  • R v J – 51 year old male knocked from bicycle.  Brain injury.  Very substantial but incomplete recovery from neurocognitive symptoms prevented him from developing his business in emergent power generation sector.    Loss of a chance.  £4.1 million settlement.  Instructed on behalf of the Claimant. 
  • F v P - C rendered C5 AIS D tetraplegic having been knocked from his bicycle.  Settlement of £2.85 million, provisional damages.  Instructed on behalf of Claimant 
  • W v M -  38 year old male required a below knee amputation resulting from injuries in rta.  Settled for £2.5 million.  Instructed on behalf of the Claimant 
  • H v B -  44y ear old male required an above elbow amputation.  Settled for £2.5 million.  Instructed on behalf of Defendant. 
  • Re: M - 11 year old boy struck by taxi whilst scooting across inner city road.  Brain injury.  High Court approved settlement while C only 15 years old.  £2.35 million.  Instructed on behalf of Claimant. 
  • AB v EF -  Vulnerable 19 year old run over while playing “chicken” at night on a dual carriageway.  Severe brain injury.  Following an independent living trial, Court approved a settlement of £2.1 million, net of liability apportionment.  Instructed on behalf of Claimant. 
  • M v H -  39 year old male required below knee amputation after failed limb salvage surgery.  Settled for £2 million, net of an agreed liability apportionment. 

   

  2021

  • W v L - Claimant rendered C3 AIS C tetraplegic following accident.  Settlement through £4.17 million capital sum & substantial ppo but with an active reverse indemnity.  Instructed on behalf of Defendant. 
  • P v MJL - Labourer on construction site lost control of petrol powered saw.  Resulting injuries led to trans humeral amputation.  Liability disputed.  Settled for £3 million.  Instructed on behalf of Claimant 

   

  Recent trials:

  • R v C [2024] -  High Court trial on preliminary issue of liability in road traffic case.  Instructed on behalf of the Defendant.  Claimant (represented by a silk) abandoned its position mid trial by accepting the Defendant’s pre trial apportionment offer, out of time.   
  • Raymond-Scott v UKRI [2023] - Instructed on behalf of Claimant.  Succeeded in fiercely contested 8 day trial in the High Court, recovering damages for a non freezing cold injury caused by a 12-14 hour exposure. 

   

  Notable reported cases:

  • Bull v Aigbefoh [2023] EWHC 2452 -  Instructed on behalf of Defendant.  Succeeded in opposing Claimant’s assertion that privilege attached to her recording of her medical examination by the Defendant’s expert. 
  • Ovu v London Underground Ltd [2021] EWHC 27433 – Claimant alighted from night tube and walked into a non-public area of the station.  Fell from external staircase to his death – duty of care under the Occupiers’ Liability Acts of 1957 & 1984; 
  • Hawes v Harlow DC [2014] EWHC – Highways Act 1980, nuisance and negligence 
  • Higgs v Pickles  [2011] PIQR P15 – Application of Ogden Tables 
  • White v Lidl UK [2005] EWHC 871 – on definition of a “secondary victim” 
  • Carruthers v MP Fireworks [2007] Lawtel AC0112670 – on control of expert evidence 
  • Chambers v Excel Logistics [2006] EWCA 1031 – Acceleration periods & approaches to calculation of future loss of earnings’ claim. 

• Human Rights

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  Alongside Christopher's personal injury practice he has gained a depth of experience of litigation with a focus on some particularly thorny civil liberties issues and human rights breaches. Examples of his work include:

  • Fatal accident and severe personal claims pursued by Tanzanian nationals following shooting and other incidents in an open-pit gold mine by local security/police officers;
  • A personal injury claim made on behalf of a middle-aged female following the acquisition of a profound hypoglycaemic brain injury while detained in police custody;
  • Watson Woodhouse (a firm) v. The Chief Constable of Cleveland Police - Settlement of £550,000 following admitted false imprisonment of a leading criminal defence solicitor and an unlawful search of his premises and those of his firm;
  • Settlement of fatal accident claims arising from death of a detainee in police custody from a drugs’ overdose.

• Coroners & Inquests

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  Christopher has extensive experience of representing interested parties in jury and coroner only inquest hearings. He is often instructed to appear in workplace health & safety inquests where employees have suffered a fatal fall or otherwise injured whilst operating machinery. Sample of inquests with juries:

  • Re: Bernard Ovu (2017) – Mr Ovu died as he fell down an emergency exit staircase at Canning Town tube station. Consideration of issues relating to lone working staff and action to be taken by LUL when members of the public access non-public areas;
  • Re: Adam Withers (2016) – death of detained patient diagnosed with acute and transient psychosis who climbed onto conservatory roof of Epsom Hospital and thence onto industrial chimney from which he fell. Consideration of hospital’s failure to assess absconding risks of vulnerable and psychiatric patients.  Subsequent prosecution of hospital;
  • Re: Shaun Maslin (2014) – death of Mr Maslin, a sub-contractor, in an explosion while pressure testing a gas main near Staines. Subsequent Regulation 28 report advising as to need for national minimum requirements for operatives within the gas industry for pressure testing.