Charles Atkins

Healthcare.

Charles was a partner at two leading national defendant healthcare firms for 10 years based in London before joining Gordons Partnership in 2007. He worked on and led teams in the defence of clinical negligence claims, regulatory and disciplinary matters on behalf of healthcare practitioners and NHS bodies and represented clients at inquests. His clients included Medical Defence Organisations, private hospital groups and their insurers, individuals and NHS bodies. In 2007 Charles set up and established our Healthcare department. He now leads a team of lawyers in our Guildford office dealing with claims, regulatory and disciplinary matters, inquests, criminal allegations, contract disputes on behalf of healthcare practitioners and recently, the addition of a team specialising in the representation of care providers. The team has grown significantly in size during that time to become one of the largest defendant healthcare practices in the South East.

His expertise is in defending healthcare clinicians on behalf of a leading Medical Defence Organisation in claims of clinical negligence, disciplinary proceedings and disputes between clinicians and their contract holders. He also undertakes regulatory work on behalf of practitioners before the General Medical Council, General Dental Council, General Pharmaceutical Council and other regulatory bodies. In addition, he provides advice and representation at inquests along with statutory criminal prosecutions and other healthcare advisory services. He regularly advises in some of the highest value and complex claims with particular expertise in spinal, brain and vascular cases leading to amputation.

The healthcare team provides high quality, pragmatic and commercial advice on a wide range of disputes to organisations and individuals. He is proud of the achievements of the team which has been recognised in the Legal 500 as being ranked as a Tier 1 Clinical Negligence defendant firm. Charles is also a recognised leader in the field of defendant healthcare work and has been described in another Legal Directory (Chambers) as being a “sound practitioner with a deep knowledge of this area of law” with “a wealth of experience defending healthcare professionals”. 

Partner and Head of Department since joining Gordons in 2007.  Work undertaken includes defending claims of clinical negligence, representing clients at Inquests and Inquiries and representing professionals before their Regulatory bodies.

1988 BA Hons in Law and Accountancy; 1988/89 Chester Law School (Law Society Finals)