James Bell

Recent Work

• Group litigation – acted for 264 current and former Royal Marines in a claim against the MOD in relation to an exercise in Latvia in relation to their exposure to asbestos whilst on a training exercise in Latvia. The case involved complex personal injury and Human Rights arguments
• Article 2 inquest – represented the family at an inquest where the Coroner found that the deceased ‘was provided with the opportunity to take his own life’ having been referred to, and accepted by, a respite facility which did not meet his needs.
• Sight loss claim – £400,000 settlement obtained for 67-year-old man who lost sight in one eye due to medication error post-surgery
• Brain injury suffered at birth – as a result of a delay in performing a caesarean section upon his mother. The Claimant received a substantial lump sum and annual payments for life, which, on a capitalised basis, are equivalent to an award of just under £21 million.
• Claim for a child with four limb dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy, decreased muscle tone and partially reduced vision. Liability in the case was settled in 2022, with admissions being made as part of the Early Notification Scheme including around failures during the birth such as not correctly measuring the baby’s heart rate or properly resuscitating the child  following her birth in poor condition.  A compromise settlement was reached for a lump sum, with annual periodical payments to cover ongoing care and case management.
• Cerebral palsy claim – James settled a claim for a young man who was brain damaged at birth due to his delayed delivery. The final award approved by the court was for lump sum payments of £3.3m sterling and €5m euros. Additionally the claimant will receive €355,900 (index linked) per annum to fund his care package.
• Nerve injury during routine scoliosis surgery – £290,000 awarded against a well-regarded private spinal surgeon in respect of a severely debilitating spinal nerve injury caused during a routine scoliosis surgery. Following the initial surgery, two further surgeries were performed in quick succession which caused further trauma. The case was very complex on the issue of consent and causation.
• Hip replacement surgery claim – routine hip surgery was not performed to a reasonable standard – leading to three further surgeries and a Girdestone procedure. James fought hard settling only a couple of weeks before trial. The final settlement was for a lump sum of £1,625,000 alongside Periodical Payments of £168,000 per year from 2025 to 2029 and thereafter for life at £216,500 annually. This represents an excellent outcome for the client who can in the first instance look to move to more suitable accommodation.
• Claim for a high achieving professional and mother of young children, who suffered a devastating brain injury due to delayed diagnosis of a subarachnoid haemorrhage (bleed on the brain). It was argued that the hospital should have arranged an urgent CT scan when ST first attended which would have led to a diagnosis of CVST. ST would then have been prescribed anticoagulation (a medicine to help prevent blood clots) and made an almost complete recovery. Following negotiations, the case settled for over £3,500,000.
• Coroner’s inquest following the death from sepsis of 3 year old Zadie Ajetunmobi.

What Clients & Directories Say

“He just has tremendous poise and calmness, even in high stress situations.”
(Legal 500 UK 2026)

“James is great: he is extremely experienced, an excellent lawyer and capable on all types of cases.”
(Legal 500 UK 2026)

“James Bell is a brilliant lawyer.”
(Chambers UK 2025)

“James is a very experienced litigator.”
(Chambers UK 2025)

“James Bell has been exemplary in looking after our case. He has struck the perfect balance for us in pursuing our claim in a delicate and supportive manner. We are very grateful to him for all his guidance and care. I would happily recommend him to friends and family if ever needed.”
(Client feedback, 2025)

“James Bell, who heads up the clinical negligence team, is highly experienced and driven. He has excellent judgment and is a safe pair of hands for all sizes of claim. Really goes the extra mile for his clients.”
(The Legal 500, 2024)

“James is excellent, highly experienced and effective in clinical negligence casework.”
(Legal 500, 2023)

“James is a highly experienced litigator, handling cases of the highest order and complexity.”
(Legal 500, 2023)

“James Bell is a real fighter for his clients, pushes very hard and has excellent judgement. He is hugely committed to his clients.”
(Chambers UK, 2023)

“James is hugely experienced, with great judgement and tactical nous. Fights hard for his clients and gets great results. In addition to excellent case preparation skills he has a very nice manner with injury victims.”
(Legal 500, 2022)

“He is absolutely fantastic and a real fighter for his clients.”
(Chambers UK, 2022)

“He has good client care skills and makes it an easy process for his clients. He’s also intuitive and has good judgement.”
(Chambers UK, 2021)

Publications

• Three-year-old girl died from sepsis just 10 hours after being admitted to A&E – because ‘doctors failed to recognise her symptoms – Daily Mail, September 2024

• YOUNG LIFE LOST Girl, 3, dies just hours after going to A&E because ‘doctors didn’t recognise her symptoms’ – leaving family devastated – The Sun, September 2024

• Girl, 3, dies hours after going to A&E because ‘doctors didn’t recognise her symptoms‘ – Express, September 2024

• Girl, 3, dies hours after going to Broomfield A&E because ‘doctors didn’t recognise her symptoms’ – Essex Live, September 2024

• Inquest examines Essex hospital sepsis protocols after death of three-year-old – ClaimsMedia, September 2024

• Financing early treatment for accident survivors with neurological injuries – Expert Witness Journal, June 2023

• Financing early treatment for accident survivors with neurological injuries – NR Times, May 2023

• No-fault NHS compensation system: Equality but not equity | Opinion | Law Gazette