Year of call: 1987
Simon Hilton is vastly experienced Counsel whose practice encompasses high value Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence cases, professional negligence, regulatory, Professional disciplinary and Inquests. Simon has been junior regional panel A counsel to the Crown since 2000.
Simon has appeared in many leading cases within these fields and his known for his skill in negotiation and advocacy. Simon acts for many leading insurance companies as well as NHS Trusts and many departments of government.
Simon’s principal areas of specialisation are Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury. He acts for both Claimants and Defendants, often in cases of high value or technical complexity. In his capacity as AG Panel Counsel he is widely experienced in litigation involving Government departments (eg military accidents, prison assaults, historic sexual abuse) as well as inquests (death in custody, military fatality).
His personal injury practice embraces industrial and occupational disease, road traffic, rail and general EL work. He has a particular interest in related insurance disputes, including claims arising out of permanent health policies and contested indemnity cases. He also specialises in health and safety related work, cases involving product liability, and claims for psychiatric injury arising from workplace stress and bullying.
In clinical negligence, the breadth and diversity of his caseload in the last two years has included litigation arising from:
Simon has very extensive experience in health and safety, trading and consumer law enforcement – including data protection. Simon has acted in over 100 HSE, local authority and Environmental Agency prosecutions, generally for the defence, especially in cases arising from construction fatalities, agriculture and fire accidents. He has appeared in the Magistrates and Crown Courts, and the Court of Appeal. He has advised and represented commercial clients across the range of consumer protection legislation, including cases under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968, Trademarks Act 1994, Consumer Credit Acts, CQC Regulations, and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations.
Simon’s work in this area is complemented by his expertise in the fields of personal injury and clinical negligence. Much of his disciplinary practice is medical based. He has both prosecuted and defended doctors in the General Medical Council (and on appeal to the Administrative Court ~ Jasinarachichi v GMC 2014 EWHC 3570 Admin.) in cases involving professional misconduct and registration. He has represented clients in disciplinary proceedings before the British Psychological Council, and has acted as Legal Assessor to the British Hearing Aid Council.
In 2012 he represented the Liverpool and North Yorkshire Primary Care Trusts in a disciplinary appeal under the NHS Drug Tariffs Regulations concerning alleged overpayments to a contractor in a sum in excess of £1M.
Simon has extensive experience of the Coroners’ Courts, appearing in cases involving industrial and mining accidents, deaths in custody and the Armed Forces, medical mishap/mismanagement, and deaths in social (and private) care. He recently represented the Home Office on the death of a detainee at an Immigration Detention Centre, and Sheffield City Council following the death of a child in care who fell from the roof of the Manchester Arndale centre.
His practise at the Bar incorporates clinical negligence, personal injury, regulatory and disciplinary work. He sits as a Recorder and is a longstanding member of the AG’s Treasury Panel for the Regions.
Simon’s principal areas of specialisation are Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury. He acts for both Claimants and Defendants, often in cases of high value or technical complexity. In his capacity as AG Panel Counsel he is widely experienced in litigation involving Government departments (eg military accidents, prison assaults, historic sexual abuse) as well as inquests (death in custody, military fatality).
His personal injury practice embraces industrial and occupational disease, road traffic, rail and general EL work. He has a particular interest in related insurance disputes, including claims arising out of permanent health policies and contested indemnity cases. He also specialises in health and safety related work, cases involving product liability, and claims for psychiatric injury arising from workplace stress and bullying.
In clinical negligence, the breadth and diversity of his caseload in the last two years has included litigation arising from:
Simon’s principal areas of specialisation are Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury. He acts for both Claimants and Defendants, often in cases of high value or technical complexity. In his capacity as AG Panel Counsel he is widely experienced in litigation involving Government departments (eg military accidents, prison assaults, historic sexual abuse) as well as inquests (death in custody, military fatality).
His personal injury practice embraces industrial and occupational disease, road traffic, rail and general EL work. He has a particular interest in related insurance disputes, including claims arising out of permanent health policies and contested indemnity cases. He also specialises in health and safety related work, cases involving product liability, and claims for psychiatric injury arising from workplace stress and bullying.
In clinical negligence, the breadth and diversity of his caseload in the last two years has included litigation arising from:
Limitation appeal – commencement of second action post Horton v. Sadler.
Mesothelioma – appeal under CPR Show Cause procedure.
Instructed by HA in £1.5M claim following trunk road accident.
Judicial review – re-categorisation decision on life prisoner.
Military helicopter crash; double fatality; £1M claim with complex aeronautical evidence.
Motorcycle accident; amputation of both legs.
Railway accident; electrocution; brain damage.
Overturned combat vehicle in Bosnia; severe arm injury.
Judicial review; fresh claim in asylum proceedings; Article 8 ECHR.
Action to enforce payment under PHI policy; fibromyalgia
Pharmaceutical regulations (drug tariffs); overpayments exceeding £1M to drug contractor; instructed by NHS.
Instructed by MOD; infantry recruit drowned during training exercise at Catterick.
Compensation for contravention of the Data Protection legislation
Prosecution under Section 3 HSWA following death in nursing home (positional asphyxia)
Prosecution under Section 2 HSWA – oil rig diver trapped underwater.
Double fatality following fire at Moat House Hotel;
Prosecutions under Ss 3&4 HSWA; production worker dragged into pallet-wrapping machine
Management & PUWER regulatory prosecutions; fatal accident to Bobcat driver
Prosecution under HSWA & Management Regulations following mining fatality during construction work at National Mining Museum.
Management of Medicines & Registered Manager charges brought under Health & Social Care Act 2008
Prosecution under S2 HSWA following fatality during boat repairs at dry dock.
Prosecution under Section 2 HSWA following fatal accident caused by reversing lorry.
Prosecution under Section 7 Fire Precautions Act following fatal fire at Moat House Hotel in Bolton
Carbon monoxide poisoning of farm workers.
Sprayed limpet asbestos insulation in a slaughter house.
Fire in primary school; prosecution under Fire Precautions Act
Criminal prosecution following collapse of steel beam during construction of gymnasium.
Prosecution under Section 2; overturned dumper truck; catastrophic injury.
Prosecution under Section 3 HSWA and PUWER 1998; severe injury to farm worker – arm drawn into unguarded rotavator.
Prosecution under Section 2; catastrophic injury to farm worker falling through skylight.
Prosecution under Section 3; fall from scaffolding resulting in brain injury.
Prosecution under Section 3 following accident caused by failure to implement traffic management measures.
Section 33 EPA prosecution; dumping controlled waste.
Section 33 EPA prosecution; contamination of river.
Control of Asbestos Regulations; dutyholder offences (successfully defended on an abuse of process argument).
Misleading advertising; prosecution under 2004 Advertisement Regulations.
Unfair commercial practices; door-stepping by sales canvassers; prosecution under 2008 Regulations.
Food Safety Act prosecutions (sell by dates).
Police Regulations 2003; construction of pay provisions for temporary.
