Clinical negligence: claimant
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Hall of fameIrwin Mitchell
I am a Partner specialising in Medical Negligence. I predominantly focus on obstetric cases resulting in brain injuries arising from asphyxia or hypoglycaemia. My work also covers a range of other areas including paediatric brain injury, Erb’s palsy, wrongful birth, maternal injuries and spinal injury. I have been Head of the London Medical Negligence department since January 2021. I sit on the Medical Negligence Executive Board as well as IM’s Risk Forum and Technical Strategy Group.
Hall of fameAnthony Gold Solicitors LLP
Jenny Kennedy is a Partner on Anthony Gold’s Injury and Medical Claims team. A complex brain, spinal and amputation expert, Jenny is well known for representing foreign national clients injured in the UK as well as British nationals injured abroad. She settled the first reported case involving indexation of periodical payments to a foreign jurisdiction and secured a verdict of unlawful killing before a UK Coroner for the family of a mother killed whilst on holiday In South America. Described as "one of the most respected PI claimant lawyers in the country" her expertise includes dealing with all the associated elements of catastrophic injury litigation and managing the needs of clients with issues associated with significant head injury. She has a medical background, having qualified as a psychiatric nurse, and her clinical negligence expertise includes a wide range of claims of complexities with a special interest in psychiatric and orthopaedic injury cases.
Hall of fameFieldfisher
I specialise in catastrophic and fatal injury claims and have many years' experience securing the highest possible, sometimes ground-breaking awards for those whose lives are devastated by medical negligence. My team and I deal with all aspects of serious injury, but predominantly brain injury, birth injury, spinal injury, cerebral palsy and death of a loved one. I am regularly called upon to advise amid highly distressing circumstances. We pride ourselves on offering sensitively and respect to all our clients and fighting for just settlement in every case to help fund aids, equipment, rehabilitation and medical care. Our aim is to provide the circumstances for those injured and their families to live their best possible lives. My experience means I can instruct the best medical experts for each case. I also lobby for the medical profession to be well-informed about the legal process. I work with medical organisations to deliver training and ensure the law and specific cases are used to learn lessons and improve patient safety.
Rising stars
Rising stars with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Bolt Burdon Kemp LLP
Alex is a Senior Associate in the Spinal Injury team at Bolt Burdon Kemp. She started her career at Bolt Burdon Kemp in 2007. Alex specialises in complex claims involving spinal cord injuries sustained as a result of clinical negligence. She also acts for people who have sustained a spinal cord injury as a result of accidents. Alex has represented many vulnerable clients, including those who lack mental capacity and children. Alex works very closely with Horatio’s Garden, a national charity creating and nurturing beautiful gardens in NHS spinal injury centres to support everyone affected by spinal injury. Alex also supports and works closely with the Spinal Injuries Association, whose services and support are invaluable to people who have sustained spinal injuries. Alex is a trustee of Diverse City, a charity whose ambition is to break barriers, to transform artistic performance and to place diverse groups at the centre of the industry.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Bindmans LLP
Partner, Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury. Yagmur advises and represents individuals in a wide range of personal injury and medical negligence cases. She has a particular interest in head injuries, psychological trauma, complex orthopaedic injuries, fatal accident cases and tricky quantum issues. She also works with the partners at Bindmans on a number of personal injury and clinical negligence cases involving death and catastrophic injuries at birth.
Stewarts Law LLP
Partner Alison specialises in high value and complex clinical negligence claims for individuals who have sustained spinal and brain injuries. She is committed to securing excellent results for her clients and recognises the importance of early access to rehabilitation following a life changing injury. Alison has significant experience in running spinal cord injury claims. She has particular experience in claims arising from the delayed diagnosis of spinal abscesses, injuries resulting from mismanagement of spinal injury, cauda equina and spinal surgery claims. Alison also has experience of running brain injury cases. Notable cases: Alison has recently recovered damages for a 78 year old Claimant who was rendered tetraplegic following negligent spinal surgery. The damages were awarded by way of annualised payments for care for the rest of his life and a lump sum for the remainder of the damages. The capitalised value of the damages was £3m, based upon the Claimant living for his projected life expectancy. Alison recently acted for a Claimant who was a horse enthusiast rendered an incomplete paraplegic following the delayed diagnosis of a spinal abscess. Damages of £3m were recovered which assisted the Claimant to return to her main passion in life, riding her horses. The Claimant has also used the damages to purchase and adapt a property which will enable her to live with her horses on site. Alison recently advised a client in relation to the delayed diagnosis of a spinal abscess, which resulted in her client sustaining paraplegia. Following an admission of liability, Alison secured a significant six figure interim payment enabling her client to move to adapted accommodation and to fund much needed additional care and rehabilitation. The served Schedule of Loss totalled £10m. Alison secured a seven figure settlement for a brain injured client in relation to the delayed diagnosis in A&E of a subdural haematoma following an assault. Alison secured a seven figure settlement for a client following the delayed diagnosis of spinal TB.
Stewarts Law LLP
Partner Amy has over 10 years’ experience acting for individuals who have sustained catastrophic, life changing injuries as a result of clinical negligence. Amy acts in claims where delayed diagnosis, surgical and post-operative mismanagement and medical mismanagement have caused life changing injuries. Amy has an expertise in claims involving spinal cord injuries and with a particular interest in claims that involve the delayed diagnosis of spinal infection and injuries resulting from spinal surgery. Amy’s practice also involves cases where injuries have resulted from the mismanagement and delayed diagnosis of sepsis and meningitis.
Bolt Burdon Kemp LLP
Claudia is a Partner in the Child Brain Injury team. She acts exclusively for children who have sustained a brain injury as a result of medical errors or accidents. She has experience of severe and complex claims involving children with cerebral palsy who have sustained brain injuries at birth, as well as children who have suffered from conditions including stroke, meningitis, encephalitis and cerebral abscesses. Claudia is passionate about securing compensation for children who have suffered injury as a result of negligence. She has a particular interest in cases relating to birth injury.In addition to her expertise in cases involving negligence, Claudia is an IPSEA-qualified special educational needs advisor and represents children and young people with Special Educational Needs arising from or connected to brain injuries.
Irwin Mitchell
I am a partner who specialises in representing women and children injured through pregnancy, obstetric, or gynaecological treatment as part of my broader clinical negligence caseload. No one can turn back the clock but provided we can prove treatment was negligent, we can at least provide some financial security for the future and if possible in the process of the investigation, provide answers about what went wrong. I was awarded the Law Society Solicitor of the Year Award 2021 for my work in this area and I am ranked in the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners guides.
Leigh Day
Sanja deals with a wide range of cases involving medical care provided to patients at NHS and private hospitals, by private doctors and GPs, resulting in serious injury or death. Sanja brings claims on behalf of adults, children and bereaved families. Sanja has a particular interest in obstetrics and gynaecology and issues affecting women's health. She has significant experience of acting for women who have been injured during childbirth and who have suffered perineal tears (3rd and 4th degree tears). She also acts for children who have sustained brain injuries at or after birth, including those who have been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and Erb's palsy Sanja represents parents who have suffered the loss of a baby because of stillbirth or neo-natal death. Sanja’s other particular interest is amputation, an area in which she has a growing practice. Sanja also specialises in fatal cases, and has considerable experience in bringing claims arising from the death of a loved one. She represents and supports bereaved families through the process of a Coroner’s Inquest. Legal expertise Cases Sanja has successfully concluded include: Obtaining a six figure settlement in a claim brought by a woman who sustained life-changing injuries during the birth of her child. Securing Judgment in favour of a child who sustained a brain injury resulting in cerebral palsy during a complex delivery. Settling a claim brought by a family of a woman who died during her pregnancy after a negligent failure to diagnose and treat pre-eclampsia at a London Hospital. Securing a six figure settlement for a woman who sustained injuries in childbirth resulting in a recto-vaginal fistula. Significant six-figure compensation for the children of a woman who died following negligent treatment of a haematological condition. Obtaining compensation for the family of a young woman who died from hyponatraemia. Obtaining a six figure settlement for a woman who sustained significant psychiatric injuries from her experiences of negligent failure to diagnose post-operative complications of cholecystectomy. Settling a claim arising from a stillbirth. Settling a claim for a six-figure sum for a woman who suffered facial disfigurement after a delay in diagnosing a sarcoma. Obtaining significant compensation for a man who sustained neurological injuries as a consequence of anaesthetic and surgical negligence. Obtaining compensation for the adult children of a woman who died as a result of negligent failure to diagnose and treat thyrotoxicosis. Securing settlement for a widow and child of a man who died as a result of negligent failure to diagnose and treat post-operative complications of bowel surgery at King’s College Hospital. Settling a claim for a partner of a woman who died after a negligent failure to diagnose and treat a psoas abscess at Queen’s Hospital. Sanja in the news It's time to modernise the Fatal Accidents Act Solicitors Journal 19.9.l7 Sanja was asked to speak on Al Jazeera News on 6.3.16 when she commented on questions over Ireland's compensation for symphysiotomy victims. The first act of a costs saga Solicitors Journal 10.8.15
Leading individuals
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Leigh Day
Emmalene has been a Partner in the Clinical Negligence team since April 2015, having qualified and joined Leigh Day in 2004. She has over 16 years of experience practising in Clinical Negligence. Emmalene runs a mixed caseload of high value and complex cases. She has a special interest in obstetric and gynaecology cases arising from childbirth, particularly cases of cerebral palsy and brain injury suffered at birth. She also acts for mothers who have suffered third and fourth degree tears, and vaginal and rectal prolapse as a result of childbirth. She regularly acts for parents of newborn babies who have suffered serious injuries arising out of Group B Strep infection and works alongside the charity, Group B Strep Support.
Slater and Gordon
Emma is a principal lawyer and was promoted to Joint Head of the Clinical Negligence Department for London and Cambridge in April 2017. Emma is an experienced litigation solicitor specialising in clinical negligence claims. As a skilled advocate, she has trained for and was recently awarded by the Law Society the Higher Rights of Audience qualification in June 2016, making her a Solicitor-Advocate. During her career Emma has dealt with a wide variety of complex and high value claims. These have included securing compensation for clients who have suffered as the result of delays in diagnosis of cancer and other illnesses, amputation cases and injuries during birth and during labour. Emma has developed a specialism in claims concerning delays in diagnosis of cancer and more specifically in breast cancer. She is currently one of the two Lead Solicitors running the group action against Ian Paterson (the former breast surgeon from Birmingham who has been convicted of performing negligent and inappropriate surgeries. Emma was mentioned in the Lawyers Top 20 Cases in January 2017 for her role.
Stewarts Law LLP
Partner Hugh specialises in complex healthcare claims, particularly those involving spinal cord injury. He has been described as having a "truly excellent grasp of clinical negligence and the issues in a case". Hugh solely undertakes claimant clinical negligence claims, whether against the NHS or private healthcare providers. He has substantial experience of spinal claims and the complications arising from such injuries, as well as with regard to issues arising from the provision of healthcare insurance cover, indemnification and recovery. A significant part of Hugh’s practice includes substandard management of mental health conditions and injuries associated with the failure to protect individuals from harm, both within a hospital environment and in the community.
Bolt Burdon Kemp LLP
Caroline is a specialist in cases involving child brain injury and heads up the firm’s child brain injury department. She has been instrumental in successfully concluding a number of high value complex cases. Caroline relishes a challenge and has won a number of cases rejected by other firms on the grounds that they had poor prospects of success. Caroline champions a pro-active and practical approach. This ensures that cases are progressed swiftly and without delay with clients receiving the maximum amount of compensation possible and where appropriate, interim payments of compensation to help to fund their complex care, treatment, therapy and equipment needs as well as to alleviate financial hardship. Caroline is an IPSEA qualified SEN (Special Educational Needs) advisor.Caroline frequently comments in the national press and in social media on healthcare issues. She is also a contributor to the Journal of Personal Injury Law.
Leigh Day
Olive has been considered one of the leading lawyers in the field of clinical negligence for many years. She is a former registered nurse who acts on behalf of claimants in a wide variety of complex cases. She has recovered multi-million pound settlements for clients who have suffered brain damage; cerebral palsy; spinal cord injury, and neurological injury as a result of lithium and gentamicin toxicity. Olive has also recovered substantial damages for clients who have suffered endocarditis, and clients who have suffered 3rd and 4th degree tears. Olive was the solicitor instructed for the claimant in Hassell v Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Trust on the issue of informed consent and recovered in excess of £4.4 million for her client.
Kingsley Napley LLP
Richard acts for individuals who have sustained injuries as a result of medical treatment whether provided by the NHS (within a hospital or GP setting), or in the private healthcare sector. He has a varied caseload with an emphasis on spinal, brain and catastrophic injuries. He is experienced in all aspects of spinal injury claims including, injuries arising from trauma, orthopaedic and neurosurgical procedures, congenital abnormalities of the spine and failure to diagnosis Cauda Equina Syndrome. His extensive experience in brain injury cases include birth and neonatal injury claims resulting in cerebral palsy, and acquired brain injury.Richard blogs and Tweets about his subject and has had articles and opinion pieces published in the Personal Injury Law Journal, trade magazines and the national press, including The Times.
Anthony Gold Solicitors LLP
Partner on the Injury and Medical claims team. Dr Jock Mackenzie has a broad clinical negligence practice and, due to his background as a hospital physician, he has a particular interest and expertise in cases involving complex medicine and rare medical conditions; brain injury (both adult and child, including birth injuries and cerebral palsy); neurological, neurosurgical and spinal injuries; emergency and intensive care; and general internal medicine. His current brain injury work includes a case involving an anaesthetic incident in a private hospital, a missed radiological diagnosis of a treatable vascular brain abnormality, a significant brain injury following the delay in diagnosis and treatment of post-operative sepsis and a twin cerebral palsy case. His spinal work includes spinal infarct from a cardiac arrest due to a delay in diagnosis of a pulmonary embolus and significant spinal injury from use of an experimental spinal implant. His other work involves delays in diagnosis of post-operative sepsis, delay in diagnosis of cancer and Group B Streptococcus meningitis. Recent successfully concluded cases include a near 7-figure sum due to the death of a family member from the very rare condition macrophage activation syndrome and a 7-figure lump sum and periodical payment settlement for a woman in a minimally conscious state resulting from brain damage due to an air embolus from a central line. Jock has considerable experience in acting for clients who are resident abroad, including in the U.S., the Middle East (in particular Kuwait), India and Europe, especially clients who come to England specifically for specialist private medical treatment. He also has significant experience of treatment in the private sector, especially cases involving foreign nationals being treated in UK private hospitals, surgical cases and cases involving fatal injuries caused by medical care. Two of Jock’s more recent concluded successful private medicine cases include two seven figure sum settlements: one for an adult with PVS (persistent vegetative state) from the Middle East due to negligent anaesthetic care and the other for an Eastern European businessman who suffered with septic shock due to a negligent delay in diagnosis of post-operative peritonitis. He was also successful in 2019 in the High Court in a novel private medicine case involving Impulse Control Disorder due to Ropinirole for Parkinson’s Disease (Kennedy v Frankel).
Leigh Day
Maria has extensive clinical negligence experience and manages a wide range of cases. Maria is extremely dedicated and tenacious in her approach to exploring the core issues of a case and to achieving the best possible outcome for her clients. She is meticulous in the organisation and running of cases. Maria’s commitment to claimant clinical negligence work derives from a passion to improve healthcare by identifying where changes can be made to avoid future errors and to ensure that patients who have been harmed are properly compensated for their injuries. Maria has won plaudits in claims involving the delayed diagnosis of breast cancer, retinopathy of prematurity and maternal birth injuries such as perineal tears as well as other gynaecological injuries. Maria also specialises in cases for children who have suffered brain damage, adult brain injury, spinal injury and cardiac cases. Maria consistently achieves exceptionally high awards in claims where traditionally the damages can be quite low, such as in claims involving stillbirths and neonatal deaths. Maria also represents parents at the inquest into the death of their child as well as assisting families who have suffered the death of an adult family member. In addition to this, Maria’s cases also include best interest cases and claims for compensation by patients who have suffered abuse by healthcare professionals. Maria’s recent cases include: the settlement of a brain injury case for a seven figure lump sum and periodical payments for life for an adult man who has been left with permanent brain damage and disabilities as a result of a catastrophic mid-brain haemorrhage due to a failure to carry out a cervical blood patch earlier. Mr X suffered a catastrophic mid-brain haemorrhage as a result of the hospital’s negligence, leaving him with permanent brain damage and disabilities. Mr X is married with 3 adult children; Six figure compensation for the parents of a baby who died 8 hours after delivery as a result of a failure to deliver the baby sooner. Ms X had an uncomplicated pregnancy. She gave birth to a baby girl who died 8 hours after her delivery. There were various failures by the medical staff at the hospital during the labour, including failures to carry out continuous CTG monitoring and a delay in seeking a consultant review. A decision was made to proceed to a caesarean section but there was a delay in carrying this out. On delivery, the baby was noted to be in a poor condition with no spontaneous respiratory effort, poor oxygen saturations and her heart rate was noted to be less than 60bpm. She was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit where she died approximately 8 hours later; £480,000 settlement for the young son of a woman who died after a lengthy delay in diagnosing her breast cancer following an administrative error made by her GP. The case proceeded to trial. The GP admitted that he had been negligent in that Ms X’s breast cancer should have been diagnosed earlier, but disputed that with earlier treatment she would have been cured. Other cases include: a substantial six figure sum for a claim relating to the failure to diagnose and treat cellulitis promptly, which led to renal failure, septicaemia and the development of osteomyelitis; a substantial six figure sum settlement for the failure to diagnose and treat a cerebral aneurysm. As a result, Maria’s client’s husband suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage and died; the achievement of a six-figure settlement on behalf of a widow for the death of her husband at 47, leaving her with 4 children. The case concerned the failure to investigate a cardiac arrhythmia thoroughly; compensation for the husband of a woman whose breast cancer diagnosis was delayed by more than one year, leading to her premature death; significant compensation for a young woman who suffered a third degree tear when giving birth. The hospital failed to identify that she had suffered a third degree perineal tear and to carry out an appropriate repair; damages for a client whose full term baby girl was stillborn at the Bloomsbury Birthing Centre (UCH) as a result of the failure to identify signs of fetal distress and to expedite the delivery of the baby; a significant six figure sum for the failure by West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust to identify that Maria’s client was pregnant during a gynaecological procedure which led to the stillbirth of the baby; compensation for a woman who was fitted with a contraceptive coil when she was in fact 21 weeks pregnant unbeknownst to her. The GP failed to recognise that her uterus was enlarged and palpable. The baby died soon after delivery following a premature labour and delivery; damages for the parents whose baby died shortly after delivery at North Middlesex Hospital as a result of the hospital’s failure to manage the second stage of labour and to perform an instrumental delivery/caesarean section earlier.
Osbornes
Stephanie is head of medical negligence at Osbornes, with a particular focus on child and adult brain injury cases, fatal cases, obstetric and gynaecological cases, ophthalmology and complex spinal injury cases. Stephanie practiced as a registered nurse for over ten years before qualifying as a lawyer brings to the department an in-depth knowledge of medical practice and procedure, which differentiates her from many of other clinical negligence lawyers. Stephanie has chaired and spoken at the AvMA Medicine for Lawyers conference and lectures on clinical negligence to post graduate medical students at Bart's Hospital and to forensic medical examiners for the police. Stephanie also holds a diploma and is an examiner in forensic medical science (DipFMS) and is the legal editor of ;Medicine, Science and the Law; and contributes to the journal by providing quarterly case reports. She also contributes to JPIL bimonthly. She is also an examiner for the Dip(FMS). Stephanie is regularly contacted by the BBC for commentary on clinical negligence-related stories. She has lectured on brain injury resulting from medical negligence to the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers .
