Photo of Christopher Kennedy KC

Christopher Kennedy KC

Year of call 1989, Gray's Inn

Year of Silk 2010

pi@9sjs.com  

Areas of Expertise
Clinical Negligence, Regulatory and Professional Discipline Group, Insurance Fraud, Personal Injury, Travel & International Personal Injury Law

GDPR Policy

Personal Injury: Band 1
"He is one of the most respected silks in the industry by both lawyers and insurers alike. He is incredibly knowledgeable, approachable and commercially aware. He always goes above and beyond with his preparation."
"Christopher's knowledge of this area of the law cannot be beaten."
"Christopher has superlative- forensic attention to detail, he is very commercial, strong in negotiations, and very pragmatic."

Chambers and Partners 2024


Personal Injury:
"Christopher has immense experience and a quick-fire mind, and he is able to digest vast amounts of information rapidly, and has an easy manner with clients. He is a go-to silk, and during advocacy, he is composed, measured, and his are points delivered in a smooth style."

Legal 500 2024


Personal Injury - Northern (Bar):
"Chris is a fountain of knowledge and is technically excellent."

Chambers and Partners 2023


Personal Injury - Northern Bar:
"He is highly intellectual and able to effectively distil complex issues and make them straightforward for clients."

Chambers and Partners 2022


Personal Injury - Northern (Bar): Band 1
"He has forensic attention to detail." "Very intelligent and has excellent commercial awareness."

Chambers and Partners 2021


Personal Injury: Leading Silk Band 1
"Technically excellent, approachable and user-friendly"

Legal 500 2020


Personal Injury - Northern (Bar): Band 1
"He is excellent on high-value and complex personal injury claims. He's always extremely well prepared and approachable, and is a fantastic negotiator." "He's very good with clients and is able to present complex issues in a straightforward way." "He has a lovely manner and is able to drill down into complex evidence without flustering witnesses and experts."

Chambers and Partners 2020


Motor Insurance Fraud – All Circuits: Band 1
“Has a quick mind, is very good with clients and possesses a superb grasp of detail."

Chambers and Partners 2020


Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence – ranked Tier 1
“A very confident silk with a quick mind and a superb grasp of detail.”

Legal 500 2019


Motor Insurance Fraud – All Circuits: Leading Barrister (Band 1)
"A very robust advocate." Chambers and Partners UK Bar 2019

Chambers and Partners UK Bar 2019


"His close attention to detail, commercial awareness and preparation are second to none."

Chambers and Partners 2018


"Outstanding. Very analytical and extremely good with papers, clients and experts. Always on top of his brief and very easy to get on with."

Chambers and Partners 2018


'A master on his feet.'

Legal 500, 2017


'He is forensically brilliant.'

Legal 500, 2017


Principally represents defendants, often on significantly high-value claims, though he also undertakes claimant work. His caseload encompasses catastrophic brain injury, RTAs and industrial disease claims, among others. "Detail-driven and an effective negotiator." "An incisive thinker with an approachable and emphatic manner with clients. He is superb at breaking down the complex components of policy issues and his attention to detail in catastrophic personal injury claims is outstanding."

Chambers & Partners 2017


“An incisive thinker with an approachable and emphatic manner with clients. He is superb at breaking down the complex components of policy issues and his attention to detail in catastrophic personal injury claims is outstanding.”

Chambers and Partners 2017


“An expert in personal injury law who also has considerable knowledge of road traffic accident cases.” “Single-minded in pursuit of his case and quite prepared to dig his heels in where necessary.”

Chambers and Partners 2017


"Recommended for health and safety prosecutions."

Legal 500, 2016


"Recommended for cases involving psychogenic issues."

Legal 500, 2016


Principally represents defendants, often on significantly high-value claims, though he also undertakes claimant work. His caseload encompasses catastrophic brain injury, RTAs and industrial disease claims, among others. 'Detail-driven and an effective negotiator.' 'An incisive thinker with an approachable and emphatic manner with clients. He is superb at breaking down the complex components of policy issues and his attention to detail in catastrophic personal injury claims is outstanding.'"

Chambers and Partners 2016


"A leading regulatory practitioner who devotes his practice to the defence of individuals and companies in health and safety prosecutions. 'He has the knowledge and presence to have clients eating out of the palm of his hand.'"

Chambers and Partners 2016


"Focuses on defending individuals and companies facing enforcement proceedings for health and safety offences. He also acts for local authorities. 'He is always prepared and gets straight to the heart of a matter.'"

Chambers and Partners 2016


"A leading practitioner who principally represents defendants in serious personal injury cases, with wide-ranging experience in cases involving potentially fraudulent claims. He undertakes the full spectrum of disputes, including matters involving industrial disease and clinical negligence. 'I found him excellent. He is very knowledgeable, good on his feet, good with clients and very bright.' ' He is very approachable and capable. He is very forensic and quick to grasp the relevant issues.'"

Chambers and Partners 2016


"Very easy to deal with, he goes the extra mile and is extremely approachable." "Calm and considered, he's absolutely on the point when cross-examining witnesses."

Chambers & Partners 2015


"He is nicely commercial and pragmatic. He doesn't just give you a legal opinion – he also gives you a business opinion."

Chambers & Partners 2015


"He is very good on his feet: calm and considered, and absolutely on the point when cross-examining the witness." "He is excellent in conference and always meticulously well prepared."

Chambers & Partners 2015


"Expertise in the health and safety aspects of personal injury matters."

Legal 500 2014


"Experienced in multi-party actions for claimants and defendants."

Legal 500 2014


"He's detail-driven, and an effective negotiator."

Chambers & Partners 2014


“‘brilliant’.”

Legal 500 - 2013


“Christopher Kennedy KC is head of 9 St John Street’s personal injury group. He tackles a broad range of claims, including those concerning employer’s liability, public liability, industrial disease and serious road traffic accidents.”

Chambers & Partners 2013


‘cross-examination skills are outstanding’

Legal 500 2012


“The ‘astute and unstuffy’ Christopher Kennedy QC is ‘courteous yet tough’, and ‘keeps his opponents on their toes’. His ‘written advice is concise and well thought-out,’ say clients, and he is sought on the trickier catastrophic injury and quantum issues.”

Chambers & Partners 2012


“A new silk, who fellow barristers believe ‘will always make a good fist of a case however seemingly weak it is’.”

Chambers & Partners 2011


“Christopher Kennedy’s practice spans all types of personal injury work, but also takes in a substantial proportion of regulatory work. He is ‘approachable, pragmatic and will cut to the issues’.”

Chambers & Partners 2010


"Christopher Kennedy is a sought after choice for general personal injury work. Clients like him as he provides 'unfailingly commercial and practical advice'."

Chambers & Partners 2009


"Christoper Kennedy always gives excellent service."

Chambers & Partners 2007


"Christoper Kennedy offers 'technical excellence, pragmatism and a clear understanding of the client's expectations'."

Chambers & Partners 2006


Christopher Kennedy KC is Head of Chambers at 9 St John Street.

Chris Kennedy

Most of Chris' instructions come from insurers and he usually represents Defendants in cases where the Claimant has suffered very severe injury or where there is a point of more general importance to be decided. However, he enjoys representing Claimants and is happy to receive instructions to do so.

Chris' recent cases include those of,

  • a young trainee Imam who was rendered tetraplegic in a motorcycle accident and whose case involved detailed consideration of the merits and demerits of the provision of an exoskeleton;
  • a firefighter who was paralysed whilst lifting weights in a gym;
  • a cyclist in a low-awareness state following a road traffic accident where the key dispute is as to the suitability of a residential or community placement;
  • a child whose expectation of life has been drastically shortened as a result of being hit by a car on a pedestrian crossing;
  • a case considering the issues generated by a Defendant's wish to rely on assertions made on a without prejudice basis in support of an allegation of fundamental dishonesty.

Chris has also represented the Defendant insurer in two cases where their insured driver has deliberately used a vehicle to cause harm to a number of members of the general public.

In addition to the 'standard' matters which are to be expected in cases of severe injury, Chris' current/recent caseload has meant that he is particularly familiar with the issues raised by:

  • negotiating the way forward in cases where damages will not be assessed for some time. He is used to dealing with these cases both where the parties are working towards a trial and those where they are not;
  • the availability of public funding; having to assess the merits and demerits of community and residential models for Claimants in low-awareness states or with significant behavioural challenges;
  • having to disentangle the effects of intercurrent medical conditions from the consequences of an accident;
  • emerging technology in the fields of prosthetics and spinal injury; subtle brain injury;
  • individuals with pain; higher earning Claimants; accidents abroad and foreign Claimants injured in this country;
  • deploying liability expert evidence in 'non-standard' cases.

Chris' other area of specialist expertise is in the field of Health and Safety and he has advised and represented the same Defendants in both the criminal and civil jurisdictions.

Prescribed Information

Christopher Kennedy KC is a practising barrister, who is regulated by the Bar Standards Board. Details of information held by the BSB about Christopher Kennedy KC can be found here.

Christopher Kennedy KC’s clerks will happily provide no obligation quotations for all legal services that he provides. Their contact details can be found here. It is most common for Christopher Kennedy KC to undertake Court, Tribunal and Mediation services for a brief fee plus additional refresher days. For advisory work, drafting and conferences it is most commonly charged at an hourly rate. Conditional Fee Agreements and Damages Based Agreements will be considered in cases with favourable prospects of success. Christopher Kennedy KC will typically return paperwork within 21 days, however professional commitments, complexity and volume of documentation can affect these approximate timescales.

Appointments

King's Counsel (2010)

Associations

Personal Injury Bar Association,
Professional Negligence Bar Association

Education

BA, Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge

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