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James Williams

"He is polite, extremely affable, bright, commercially astute, proactive and makes us feel he is genuinely invested in the outcome of our matters."

Chambers UK 2025

Call
2010 (Solicitor: 2008)
Tel:
+44 (0)20 7583 9020
Email:
jwilliams@hendersonchambers.co.uk
clerks@hendersonchambers.co.uk

James practices in three core areas: product liability and group actions; the law of the workplace, including both employment and health & safety; and general commercial law.

Current or recent high-profile instructions in group litigation include: acting for VW in the first wave of diesel vehicle emissions litigation, for Nissan in the later “Pan NOx” emissions litigation, for JLR in the separate DPF group litigation, and for BHP at the remedy stage of the Fundao Dam litigation. James is also instructed by AstraZeneca in the litigation regarding the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccination.

James appears regularly in the Employment Tribunal and EAT, acting for both claimants and respondents. He undertakes all kinds of employment work and has a particular interest in cases on working time and worker status. He also experienced in handling workplace injury matters including H&S prosecutions, inquests, and industrial disease claims, usually acting for defendants.

Other recent experience includes the Cape v Dring litigation concerning non-party access to documents used in court, which reached the Supreme Court in February 2019; and acting as sole counsel for the claimant in King v Sash Window Workshop, the landmark 2017 ECJ decision on holiday pay and workers’ rights.

Before coming to the bar, James spent two years as a City solicitor in the corporate group at Slaughter and May. He is committed to giving practical advice and resolving disputes as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. James will always consider accepting pro bono instructions, particularly in employment disputes.

For more information about the way barristers at Henderson Chambers work, including our terms of engagement, fee transparency statement and our complaints process, please click here.  Barristers are regulated by the Bar Standards Board.

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Expertise

Product Liability & Group Actions

As at September 2026, James is acting for the defendants in the JLR DPF Group Litigation (in which a GLO was ordered in 2024 and the first CMC took place in June 2026), and for BHP in the remedy stage of the English litigation arising out of the Fundao Dam collapse in 2015. James was part of the counsel team acting for Volkswagen defending the diesel vehicle emissions claims in relation to the EA189 engine (until December 2021). He was also instructed by Nissan in the early stages of the Pan NOx vehicle emissions litigation.

James has particular experience in relation to pharmaceuticals. From 2018-2020 James was instructed by GSK in the long-running Seroxat group litigation. He is currently acting for AstraZeneca defending claims that its Covid-19 vaccine was defective within the meaning of the Consumer Protection Act 1987.

In 2017, James acted for the defendant in Concept 70 v Cape Intermediate Holdings. The case concerned liabilities for historic asbestos exposure: the former employers of workers suffering from mesothelioma sought (through their insurers) a contribution from Cape under the Civil Liability (Contribution) Act 1978 towards settlement sums paid out. James was subsequently instructed throughout the ongoing Cape v Dring litigation concerning non-party access to documents used at the trial. This reached the Supreme Court in February 2019 and is now the leading case on the extent to which non-parties can access documents generated or used in litigation.

Also in the field of industrial disease, James acted for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (as successor to the liabilities of the National Coal Board) in the British Coal Coke Oven Workers Litigation under a GLO, which reached trial in the summer of 2018. He is still instructed by DBEIS in individual legacy cases arising from the British Coal Respiratory Disease Litigation and in asbestos-related claims.

James is also experienced in handling the costs aspects of group litigation.

James has also acted, both led and as sole counsel, on a range of disputes over allegedly defective goods including pharmaceuticals, domestic appliances, fertilizers, perfume, cement products, cars, children’s cribs and vehicle components. He is an Officer of the IBA Class Actions Committee.

Representative cases

grid list
  • Mariana v BHP Group (UK) Ltd

    the Fundao Dam litigation

  • The JLR DPF Group Litigation

    [2024] EWHC 2920 (KB)

  • Scott and others v AstraZeneca UK Ltd

    the AZ Covid-19 Vaccine litigation

  • The Nissan/Renault Diesel NOx Emissions Group Litigation

    [2024] EWHC 695 (KB) and [2024] EWHC 1728 (KB), [2024] Costs LR 120

  • The Volkswagen NOx Emissions Group Litigation

    [2021] EWHC 3444 (QB), [2023] 1 All ER (Comm) 107

  • The Seroxat Group Litigation

    [2019] EWHC 337 (QB) and [2019] EWHC 1167 (QB); in the Court of Appeal [2019] EWCA Civ 1924; and in the QBD again [2020] EWHC 1766 (QB), [2020] Costs LR 795

Read more

Employment

James has wide experience of all aspects of both statutory and common law employment work including employment status, unfair dismissal, TUPE, discrimination, redundancy and whistleblowing. He appears frequently in the Employment Tribunal and EAT and advises both employers and claimants. He is also experienced in litigation and injunction applications in the civil courts involving employee competition, confidential information, wrongful dismissal and restrictive covenants.

James has a particular interest in working time and worker status, and acted as sole counsel for the claimant throughout one of the most significant cases on holiday pay to reach the ECJ in recent years: King v Sash Window Workshop Ltd C-214/16.

Helped by his experience in group actions involving personal injury and industrial disease, James is also familiar with the law of employer’s liability, health and safety and workplace injury claims. His commercial background means he is also happy to advise in employment disputes with a commercial dimension such as unfair prejudice claims.

James acts for both claimants and respondents and will consider requests for pro bono assistance or CFA work.

Representative cases

grid list
  • Hospital Medical Group v Westwood [2012] EWCA Civ 1005, [2013] ICR 415, CA

    (led by Patrick Green KC) – worker status

  • Bal v Parallel Realisations 1 Ltd (in admin) (2012) UKEAT/0215/12, [2013] All ER (D) 34 (Jan)

    ET procedure (review of decision following fresh evidence) and TUPE

  • Pan v Portigon AG London Branch (2013) UKEAT/0116/12/LA, [2013] All ER (D) 53 (Sep)

    (led by Patrick Green KC) – race discrimination, constructive unfair dismissal and ET procedure

  • T-Systems Ltd v Lewis (2015) UKEAT/0042/15

    Disability discrimination under s.15 Equality Act 2010

  • Sash Window Workshop v King [2015] IRLR 348 (EAT), and in the CA and ECJ King v SWWL [2018] 2 CMLR 223, [2018] IRLR 142, [2018] ICR 693, (2017) Times, 26 December, (2017) All ER (D) 213 (Nov)

    Working time, payments in lieu and damages in discrimination claims

  • Akhigbe v Berkeley Homes (Urban Renaissance) Ltd (2019) UKEAT/0005/18

    Striking out and whistleblowing

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Company and Commercial

James has a broad and growing commercial practice. His background as a City solicitor enables James to advise on all aspects of company law. He worked on a range of transactions, including the creation of the Asset Protection Scheme by HM Treasury to deal with the UK banking crisis in 2009, and Prudential PLC’s proposed rights issue and $36bn bid in 2010 for the AIA insurance group.

James’ commercial practice often draws on his wider expertise in product liability, personal injury and employment law. Representative recent cases and advisory work include:

  • Acting for a defence contractor in a misfeasance claim against the MoD relating to corruption in its procurement processes
  • Acting for the reinsurance broker, Aon, in two sets of claims by the families of some of the victims of the Chapecoense football club plane crash in Colombia in November 2016
  • Advising the former owner of an acquired company defending a bid by the purchaser to claw back deferred consideration payments on the basis of alleged failure to disclose lost business
  • Advising an AIM-listed company about its liability for brokers’ commission payments following a successful placing.
  • Appearing in the Chancery Division (on behalf of a creditor with the benefit of a retention of title clause) in resisting an application by the administrators of a digital media company for an order under paragraph 72 of schedule B1 to the Insolvency Act 1986 to dispose of an asset.
  • Acting for a major bus operator in a dispute with a software supplier over the performance of an IT system designed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
  • Advising on an unfair prejudice petition (and parallel Employment Tribunal proceedings) for a co-owner of a business forced out by fellow directors.
  • Appearing in the TCC on behalf of the successful applicant in AMP v Persons Unknown [2011] EWHC 3454 (TCC), [2012] All ER (D) 178 (Jan), believed to be the first case to use an injunction to restrain file-sharing through BitTorrent technology.
  • Acting for a Jersey-based fund in a major arbitration under LCIA Rules over its refusal to pay out to an investor associated with various alleged frauds in different European jurisdictions.
  • Advising an unsecured property investor who suffered loss after a secured creditor was fraudulently inserted into the security structure above him.
  • Acting for the finance company of an agricultural vehicle manufacturer over the enforcement of personal guarantees from the directors of its insolvent counterparty (settled during trial)
  • Acting for a former CEO of a company in an AIM-listed group in his claim for unpaid wages and a 10% equity stake

Health & Safety

James has experience of defending HSE prosecutions. He has advised on HSE investigations and proposed fines, and regularly acts for defendants at sentencing hearings in the criminal courts.

Inquests and Inquiries

James frequently acts for interested persons at inquests. He has undertaken several substantial jury inquests in relation to deaths in custody or deaths at work. His inquest work often overlaps with his product liability practice.

Recent concluded instructions in inquests include acting for:

  • the Ministry of Justice at the inquest into the suicide of a prisoner at HMP New Hall
  • Virgin Healthcare, the outsourced healthcare provider, in an inquest into the death of a prisoner at HMP Coldingley
  • the Ministry of Justice in an inquest into the suicide of a prisoner at HMP Northumberland
  • a national cinema chain in relation to the death of a teenager from an allergic reaction after eating popcorn
  • a supported living provider in Newcastle in relation to the suicide of a resident with mental health difficulties
  • a national food company regarding a workplace death at a logistics hub
  • a supported living provider in London in relation to the death of a teenage resident with drug and mental health difficulties.
  • a major construction company in relation to a fall in a lift shaft at a large development in Greenwich
  • AstraZeneca at several inquests in relation to deaths potentially caused or contributed to by vaccination against Covid-19

James often advises on the application of A2 ECHR in the context of inquests and has experience of A2 claims under the HRA 1998, e.g. Devall & Corcoran v MoJ [2022] EWHC 1608 (QB).

James also has experience of Public Inquiries. He acted for AstraZeneca in Module 4 of the Covid-19 Inquiry, and also acted for a prominent witness at the Inquiry into the Southport stabbings.

Industrial Disease and Personal Injury

In addition to the group actions listed above, James also acts in unitary personal injury claims, mostly for defendants in work-related claims.

His experience in the Cape litigation, the British Coal Coke Oven Workers Litigation and the ongoing British Coal Respiratory Disease Litigation (where James is regularly instructed by DBEIS) has given him particular experience in mining, asbestos-related and respiratory disease claims. He regularly handles other industrial disease claims including for NIHL and VWF.

James has acted on a wide range of unitary personal injury cases ranging from prison assault claims and workplace accidents to non-freezing cold injury, mesothelioma and cancer cases, for both public sector (mostly for the MoD and MoJ) and private sector defendants.

 

Representative cases

grid list
  • Vaughan v Ministry of Defence [2015] EWHC 1404 (QB), [2015] All ER (D) 207 (May)

    (as junior to Malcolm Sheehan KC) – employer’s liability to off-duty service personnel

  • Faulkner v SoS for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy [2020] EWHC 296 (QB), [2020] 1 WLR 2906, [2020] Costs LR 221

    QOCS and set-off of costs orders

Costs

James is experienced in handling the costs aspects of cases in his core area of practice. Representative cases in this area include:

Representative cases

grid list
  • Bailey and others v GSK [2020] EWHC 1766 (QB), [2020] Costs LR 795

    Post-trial costs hearing in the Seroxat group litigation

  • Faulkner v SoS for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy [2020] EWHC 296 (QB), [2020] 1 WLR 2906, [2020] Costs LR 221

    QOCS and set-off of costs orders

  • The Nissan/Renault Diesel NOx Emissions Group Litigation [2024] EWHC 1728 (KB), [2024] Costs LR 120

    Costs hearing in the Pan NOx vehicle emissions litigation

 

What the directories say

"James Williams is valued for his expertise in employment status and holiday pay disputes. He is regularly instructed by claimants and respondents, and is adept at handling restrictive covenants and TUPE matters."
Chambers UK 2026

"James Williams' authoritative but respectful and considered manner in the Employment Tribunal is reassuring."
Chambers UK 2026

"James has strong experience in employment matters, presenting effective legal arguments and advocacy on technical points of law."
Chambers UK 2026

"James demonstrates a thorough understanding of group litigation dynamics. His advocacy skills are outstanding, presenting compelling arguments and achieving favourable outcomes in group litigation."
Chambers UK 2026

"James is a hugely good practitioner, clever and hard-working."
Chambers UK 2026

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News and articles

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Instructing James Williams

If you require help or advice please contact our clerking team

Call +44 (0)20 7583 9020
or email

Appointments
  • Junior Counsel to the Crown (A Panel), 2026-date
  • Junior Counsel to the Crown (B Panel), 2021-26
  • Junior Counsel to the Crown (C panel), 2014-19
  • Judicial Assistant, Court of Appeal, 2010
  • Associate in Corporate group at Slaughter and May, 2008-10
  • Qualified as a solicitor in February 2008
Memberships
  • Employment Lawyers Association (ELA)
  • The Commercial Bar Association (COMBAR)
Education
  • Christ’s College, Cambridge 2000-03 (MA History, 1st class)
  • BPP Law School, 2003-05 (GDL 2004; LPC 2005)
Regulatory Information

All members of Chambers are registered with the Bar Standards Board of England and Wales. For our standard contractual terms click here.

For more information about the way barristers at Henderson Chambers work, including our fee transparency statement and our complaints process, please click here.

Bar Council Number: 558134

VAT Registration Number: 132268334

Legal Status: Barrister

Professional Insurance: All members of Chambers have professional liability insurance provided by the Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund Ltd. Territorial coverage is world-wide and subject to the term of the Bar Mutual. Click here for details.

Regulated by the Bar Standards Board.

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