James Gibson

James Gibson joined Hugh James in 2007 after graduating from Exeter University and Cardiff University Law School.

James has more than 9 years of experience in pursuing industrial disease claims and is a Partner in a department of over 50 lawyers. James has built expertise in industrial injury claims including cancer, respiratory disease and hearing loss and specialises in complex, high profile group actions. James has successfully settled hundreds of personal injury claims and recovered millions of pounds in compensation for clients.

James was a lead solicitor appointed by the High Court in the high profile Phurnacite workers group litigation on behalf of former National Coal Board workers at the Phurnacite Plant in South Wales. Over 200 workers and their families brought claims against the Secretary of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change for respiratory diseases and cancers alleged to have been caused by exposure to emissions at the plant. After representing the claimants at the six week trial of the test cases at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, and the landmark judgment handed down by the Court in 2012, James oversaw the settlement of each worker’s claim.

Most recently, James is one of the lead solicitors appointed in The British Coal Coke Oven Workers Group Litigation and British Steel Coke Oven Workers Group Litigation. James also leads the investigation into a group of claims of workers who allege that they suffer from respiratory disease and cancer as a result of their employment at British Coal’s Homefire plant near Coventry. In each separate litigation, it is alleged that hundreds of coke oven workers have suffered from respiratory diseases and cancers as a result of their employment at coking plants operated by British Coal and British Steel across the UK.

James is multilingual and can speak German and Spanish as well as English.

James became a partner with Hugh James in 2017. He joined as a trainee at Hugh James in 2007. He went on to qualify in 2009 before advancing through associate (2013), senior associate (2015) and partner (2017).