Nominated for Personal Injury Junior of the Year at the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2024.
Christopher Walker is a highly regarded specialist barrister in all fields of Personal Injury and related work. For many years he has been consistently recommended for Personal Injury by both the Legal 500 and Chambers UK which refer to his focus on high level catastrophic and fatal accident claims.
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 injury and chronic pain conditions.
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.
Instructed on behalf of both Claimants and Defendants, Christopher generally acts in high value claims involving the established categories of employer’s liability, road traffic accidents and public liability claims. Many 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. Skills which are regularly put into practice whether the case gets to joint settlement meeting, mediation, or trial. The latest edition of the Legal 500 recognises that “His advocacy is very sharp, and judges respond to his concise arguments and helpful manner.”
Notable cases include:
‘An excellent barrister. He is very detail conscious and very thorough in his approach.' - Personl 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
Christopher undertakes all aspects of personal injury work on behalf of both Claimants and Defendants in high value cases. He has been recognised for his particular specialism in catastrophic injury cases where individuals have suffered life changing injuries.
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 of litigation in 2020/21, recently concluded or ongoing (both Claimant & Defendant):
Road Traffic Accidents
Accident at work
Public liability
Reported cases include:
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:
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:
MA in Law (Cambridge)
Licence Speciale en Droit Européen (Université Libre de Bruxelles)
Harmsworth Scholar, Middle Temple
Personal Injury Bar Association
Fluent French speaker; Classical musician; Burnley FC