3PB

Personal Injury; Clinical Negligence

Overview

Conor Mullan joined 3PB in November 2021 and has specialised in personal injury and clinical negligence claims for nearly 20 years. His practice focuses on personal injury, clinical negligence, inquests and health and safety with a background in serious criminal law. During which time he has frequently dealt with injuries up to and including those of the utmost severity. This includes being instructed in the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry in an ongoing specialist advisory role for a number of participant NHS organisations and acting as one of the counsel to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

His successful practice at the Bar of Northern Ireland since 2003 was extended to England and Wales following his call to the Bar in 2012; and Conor now enjoys a well-established, dual practice in both jurisdictions. His practice in Northern Ireland is predominately High Court civil law claims and appeals.

For a number of years Conor has been panel-approved counsel for the insurance sector, conducting cases for all the major insurers and their preferred defendant law firms.

Conor recently appeared in the Court of Appeal of Saint Helena, utilising his extensive background in serious criminal trials, to represent a senior medical practitioner against the Attorney General of Saint Helena. The case follows a complex criminal investigation on the island about potential criminal charges following treatment of his client's former patients. The appeal looked at the Caribbean island's Supreme Court ruling on the arrest and subsequent bail without charge of the accused. Civil proceedings relating to an injunction arising out of allegations of clinical negligence ran parallel to the appeal case (see under Clinical Negligence tab).

Conor has lectured on wide-ranging areas of personal injury issues including credit hire disputes, employers’ liability claims and litigation tactics as well as health and safety law.

Personal Injury

Conor Mullan is an experienced personal injury practitioner who is instructed in a wide range of personal injury law: road traffic accidents; employers’ liability; Highways Act claims; occupiers’ liability; fatal accidents and clinical negligence.

He advises from the outset and helps tactically steer the claim through the entire litigation process including; drafting pleadings and advices on liability and quantum, advising in conference, liaising with liability and medical experts and drafting detailed narrative schedules of loss and position statements for settlement meetings etc. He regularly represents both Claimants and Defendants in trials, appeals, interim applications and costs and case management hearings.

Conor also has particular expertise and interest in motor insurance fraud litigation in road traffic accidents (including fraud-rings, staged, contrived and induced accidents, low velocity impact cases, phantom passenger claims, credit hire fraud, exaggeration of loss etc.) which is complimented by his extensive background as a trial advocate in criminal law, and he is instructed by both Claimants and Defendants.

Throughout his career, Conor has defended RTA claims for many of the major insurers, both on quantum and liability. His quantum experience extends across the full range of personal injury claims and related litigation including catastrophic injuries; industrial disease; chronic pain and psychiatric injuries.

Clinical Negligence

Conor Mullan is instructed in the main to act for claimants in clinical negligence claims. He offers specialist advice and advocacy in all aspects of clinical negligence claims and a wide range of healthcare issues. He has forged close links with a diverse array of specialist medical professionals.

Conor provides high quality advice and representation across the whole spectrum of clinical litigation and associated disciplinary tribunals. His experience ranges from dental negligence, and the smaller obstetric and orthopaedic claims to complex psychiatric and catastrophic injury claims.

He recently appeared in the Supreme Court of Saint Helena representing a senior medical practitioner subject to an injunction preventing him from leaving the island. He was instructed by the Public Solicitors office in Saint Helena in conjunction with the Medical Protection Society in London and the Embassy of Guatemala in London. The case involved diverse and wide-ranging issues stemming from allegations of clinical negligence. The injunction brought by the Attorney General of Saint Helena was successfully discharged by Conor, following final hearing before the Chief Justice.

He also appeared in the Court of Appeal of Saint Helena, utilising his extensive background in serious criminal trials, to represent this medical practitioner against the Attorney General of Saint Helena. The case follows a complex criminal investigation on the island about potential criminal charges following treatment of his client's former patients. The appeal looked at the Caribbean island's Supreme Court ruling on the arrest and subsequent bail without charge of the accused. The Justices of Appeal sat remotely in London with representation spread over England, Scotland and Saint Helena. The appeal tested the jurisdiction of the Court and the interpretation of amended Saint Helena legislation, specifically those on arrest, detention and release of suspects.

Inquests

Conor Mullan has significant experience of inquests in Coroner’s Courts and wider Public Inquiries, representing the interests of families of the deceased or those of other interested parties, advising on and acting in subsequent fatal accident claims or other associated proceedings.

Conor is instructed in the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry in an ongoing specialist advisory role for a number of participant NHS organisations.

He was also instructed as counsel to the ongoing Grenfell Tower Inquiry during 2020.

Conor also represented the family of Roseanne Irvine over a number of weeks in an inquest into her suicide whilst in custody at HMP Maghaberry in Northern Ireland in 2007. The inquest was monitored by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and was the subject of a report “NIHRC- The prison within” into the imprisonment of women. The inquest jury came to an unprecedented verdict which then formed the backbone of civil proceedings in the High Court on behalf of the family. The inquest was nationally reported and subject to extensive commentary. The Coroner made representations to HM Government recommending the holding of a Public Inquiry arising out of same.

Conor is frequently instructed to act in inquests arising from fatal accidents at work and fatalities relating to road traffic accidents. His most recent jury inquest lasted a number of weeks and concerned a police pursuit of a stolen vehicle, resulting in the fatalities of the young occupants.

Health and Safety Law

Conor is also often leading counsel for health and safety disputes, acting for both the Health and Safety Executive and defendant businesses and individual directors or safety officers in prosecutions.

He has contributed to many health and safety seminars for lawyers including Pinsent Masons, Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) and the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).

He recently presented at the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) in London

Year of Call: 2003

Personal Injuries Bar Association Human Rights Lawyers Association Criminal Bar Association Inner Temple

Institute of Professional Legal Studies, Barrister course LLB (Hons)