James Pickering and David Green are instructed in the Military Deafness Litigation, which has been named as one of the top 20 cases to be heard this year by The Lawyer.

They are instructed by Simon Ellis and Ruth Davies of Hugh James on behalf of around 3,500 claimants, all current or ex-service personnel.

They are instructed alongside Aliyah Akram and led by Harry Steinberg KC, both of Outer Temple Chambers.

Each year The Lawyer names the 20 cases which will be the most significant, or have the greatest impact on the law and the legal services market, in the coming year.

The Military Deafness Litigation brings claims for personal injury on behalf of members of the Army, Navy and RAF, who claim that they suffered hearing loss and tinnitus during training exercises through a lack of proper hearing protection.

In July 2024 the MOD reached an agreement with the Claimants, in which issues including breach of duty and limitation were compromised. The lead claims are proceeding to trial to determine the contested issues of medical causation, and quantum.

The lead case litigation follows Barry v MOD [2023] EWHC 459 (KB), in which David Green and Harry Steinberg KC, instructed by Hugh James, obtained over £700,000 for an individual former Royal Marine discharged on medical grounds after being deafened on a training exercise.

The Military Deafness Litigation will have a wider significance, both for former service personnel contemplating claims for hearing loss, and for all individuals affected by injury and disease during military service.

The lead claims trial is listed to be heard in the High Court, starting in October.

Read The Lawyer Top 20 Cases of 2025 here (paywalled).