Hugh Preston KC

Hugh Preston KC (ranked as a “Star Individual” by Chambers & Partners 2025) is a leading silk in the fields of Clinical Negligence, Group Litigation, Consumer Law and Personal Injury.

He was awarded the title “Barrister of the Year” at the PI Awards 2013, was shortlisted for Barrister of the Year at The Lawyer awards in 2017 and has been regularly shortlisted for awards by the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners in his specialist areas in recent years. He is ranked as a leading silk in Group Litigation (Tier 1), Clinical Negligence (Tier 2) and Product Liability (“Star Individual”) by Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500.

Hugh’s clinical negligence practice involves complex and maximum severity claims on behalf of claimants. He is currently instructed in over 20 ongoing obstetric and/or neonatal brain damage claims and is regularly instructed in complex birth injury claims involving all aspects of antenatal and neonatal care including failures to respond to CTG indications, chronic partial and acute asphyxia cases and all aspects of obstetric, midwifery and neonatal management.

He also has particular expertise in clinical negligence claims involving medical devices and took a leading role in the co-ordinated management of TVT/TOT/TVM Mesh Implant (Consent) litigation arising from allegations of inadequate advice when obtaining consent to vaginal mesh implantations.

Hugh’s product liability practice includes instructions in the highest profile medical device group actions in recent years, including the PIP Breast Implant litigation, the Pinnacle Metal Hip Implant litigation and several other metal hip group actions.

Current instructions include: psychiatric injuries following the use of addictive video games and other digital products, meningioma injuries following Depo Provera contraceptive injections, thrombosis related injuries following administration of the Astra Zeneca Covid-19 vaccine and, BIA-ALCL (cancer) injuries following the implantation of textured breast implants.

He is also instructed in infected blood products claims and personal injury and/or property damage following major fire damage incidents (including Grenfell Tower), and for claimants in group litigation arising from defeat devices used in VW, Audi, SEAT, Skoda and Mercedes motor cars, and air bag failure risks in Citroen cars.

He has longstanding wide experience of all aspects of personal injury litigation including historic sexual and physical abuse (particularly group actions involving child abuse and claims against religious and state institutions), claims arising from overseas accidents in the private security industry involved in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the full range of maximum severity claims. More recently he has been consulted in respect of claims arising from the administration of Covid-19 vaccines to vulnerable persons/children.

Hugh is also instructed in a wide variety of commercial and consumer law multi-party actions including international commercial arbitrations (current instructions include a high value internal sale of goods dispute referred to arbitration including issues of UAE and Iranian law), professional negligence claims against solicitors arising from Unregulated Collective Investment Schemes (UCIS), consumer credit, sale of goods, supply of services and claims under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPUTR). He is currently instructed in group litigation concerning unfair contract terms in holiday caravan park agreements, unfair relationship claims between lenders and borrowers and anti-competitive practices in the holiday park sector.

Hugh is qualified to accept instructions directly from clients and is registered under the Bar Council’s Public Access Scheme, meaning that members of the public who seek specialist advice can come direct to him. In addition, he welcomes instructions from solicitors, in-house law departments, qualified foreign lawyers, and clients licensed by the Bar Council to give instructions direct to barristers under the Bar Council’s Licensed Access Scheme.

Notable Cases

RCX v The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (2026) (Irwin Mitchell)

£21m (lump sum equivalent) settlement. Complex neonatal injury in the context of pre-existing and unrelated cystic fibrosis, resulting in profound brain damage.

RXD v Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (2026) (Thompsons)

Subtle brain damage resulting in emotional dysregulation, caused by neonatal meningitis following delayed diagnosis of Hirschsprung’s Disease (2026). £6m (lump sum equivalent).

VGH v Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust (2024) (Thompsons)

£44m (lump sum equivalent) settlement. Birth injury liability admitted resulting in mild cerebral palsy, severe and complex learning difficulty and challenging behaviour requiring extensive care and support.

Taha Pharmaceuticals v Capsugel Belgium NV (ongoing)

£10m+ civil fraud and sale of goods dispute arising from the export of a medical device capsule sealing machine from France to Tunisia, proceeding in the TCC, instructed by Kennedys.

Re. UCIS Professional Negligence claims (ongoing)

Multi-party action against solicitors alleging professional negligence arising from investments made in an Unregulated Collective Investment Scheme (UCIS).