Juliet Stevens

Product Liability

‘Attention to detail, excellent understanding of technical legal issues and all round great advocate.’ Rising Star, Legal 500, 2023

“She has a good grasp of scientific and statistical concepts. She gets on well with clients and witnesses.” Rising Star, Legal 500, 2022

“An up-and-coming junior in the product liability field.” Rising Star, Legal 500, 2021

Medical Product Liability

Juliet has a particular interest in claims involving pharmaceuticals, medical products and devices. She has extensive experience analysing the methodologies and conclusions of drug trials and large scale epidemiological studies. Selected cases include:

• LM v Pharmaceutical Firm (2022) –  instructed as junior counsel, led by Alexander Antelme KC, in a claim brought on behalf of a child against a pharmaceutical company. A life-changing reaction to one of its standard medicines was alleged.
• The Seroxat Group Litigation (2019-2020) – instructed as junior counsel in the Seroxat Group Litigation in both the High Court and the Court of Appeal, led by Michael Kent KC. This litigation was listed in The Lawyer magazine’s “Top 20 Cases of 2019”.
• The Metal-on-Metal hip litigation (2017) – While a pupil, assisted Alexander Antelme KC and David Myhill with the Pinnacle Metal-on-Metal hip group litigation.

Personal Injury

Juliet is regularly instructed in relation to claims concerning personal injury arising from allegedly defective products. Selected cases include:

• RD v BB (2002) – representing four claimants, including children, in a claim concerning the explosion of a commercial pressure cooker, resulting in severe burns and psychiatric injury.
• AA v Groupama (2018) – instructed as junior counsel, led by Alexander Antelme KC and Andrew Davis, in a case concerning a fatal accident in France caused by the failure of a lorry tire. The Claimant advanced a claim for over 90 million euros. The claim gave rise to issues of product liability, relevant French law and quantification.
• XY v Car Manufacturer (2017) – Advised on EU regulation of car fuel tanks in relation to litigation arising from a car fire which caused catastrophic injury.

Commercial claims

 Juliet also acts for claimants, defendant entities and insurers across the breadth of commercial product liability claims.

Selected cases:

• Acted for an insurer in a recovery action concerning a house fire said to have been caused by a defective residual current device.
• Acted for a commercial livestock farmer in relation to a claim arising from the supply of defective animal Considerable consequential loss was claimed.
• Smith v The Company of Animals Limited –  successfully defended a manufacturer at trial, in a claim in which it was alleged that a leading pet training device was defective.
• Sheldon v Shell UK Oil Products Ltd – represented a petroleum company at trial whose petrol was said to be contaminated such that it caused damage to the Claimant’s vehicle.

Juliet has given numerous seminars concerning product liability and its interplay with other legal disciplines. In addition, she has contributed to various relevant publications including the chapter concerning Multi-Party Actions in Bullen & Leake & Jacob’s Precedents of Pleadings by Sweet & Maxwell.

Selected Cases

Awards

News

• Victoria Woodbridge elected as the next Chair of the PNBA
• 25 for 25: The Pro Bono Challenge

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Articles

• The cost of commercial surrogacy abroad is a recoverable head of loss: Whittington Hospital NHS Trust v XX [2020] UKSC 14
• Appealing findings made by the TCC: guidance from the Court of Appeal

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Qualifications

• BPTC, City University (2016)
• GDL (Distinction), City University (2015)
• Queen Mother’s Scholarship, Middle Temple, 2015
• Astbury Scholarship, Middle Temple, 2014
• Part 1 Membership Examination, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (2011)
• Medicine BM BCh (Distinction), University of Oxford (2010)
• Medical Sciences MA (First Class), University of Oxford (2007)

Memberships

• PNBA
• PIBA
• LCLCBA