Serjeants' Inn Chambers

Heidi is an experienced clinical negligence, product liability and personal injury specialist with a varied and substantial practice. Heidi has undertaken personal injury work throughout her career and since joining Serjeants’ Inn Chambers has quickly developed a thriving clinical negligence and product liability practice. She is recommended as a leading junior in product liability by Legal 500 and is currently involved in two potential class actions relating to issues surrounding metal on metal hip replacements. Heidi has a particular interest in all aspects of medical and product liability law, having specialised for many years in personal injury law through which she has an in-depth knowledge of the medical sector. Heidi undertakes work that is publically funded and is happy to take instructions on a CFA basis in appropriate cases. Clinical negligence: Heidi has a growing clinical negligence practice and, since joining Serjeants Inn Chambers, has been instructed in a large number of clinical negligence cases encompassing a broad spectrum of medical issues, including obstetrics, psychiatry, microbiology and cosmetic surgery. Heidi regularly settles pleadings, drafts letters of claim / response and advises in writing and in conference. She has recently acted in a variety of claims where there has been a failure to competently perform surgical procedures, failures to obtain informed consent, claims against GPs, and claims for nervous shock following the loss of a baby. Product liability and group litigation: in conjunction with her clinical negligence and personal injury practice Heidi has significant experience of acting in both general product liability claims encompassing a personal injury element and group litigation. She has particular experience of claims involving pharmaceutical products. Heidi was instructed as junior counsel in the Fetal Anticonvulsant Litigation where (alongside Christopher Johnston QC and James Berry) she represented over 100 claimants in a major group action relating to birth defects caused by exposure to the anti-epileptic drug Epilim during pregnancy. This was an exceptionally complex case requiring in-depth analysis of medical evidence in a variety of fields including clinical pharmacology, teratology, neuropsychology and both adult and infant epilepsy. Heidi is currently instructed in multiple potential class actions against various manufacturers arising out of difficulties patients have experienced with metal on metal hip implants and resurfacings. She advises in relation to a variety of product liability claims and has a specific interest in those involving pharmaceuticals or medical devices. She is acting for an infant claimant in a claim arising from a malfunctioning cochlear implant which was subject to medical recall, has recently represented an infant claimant in a claim following injury caused by a defective firework and successfully settled a claim against the Ford Motor Company arising from personal injuries sustained when a vehicle failed due to defective brakes. Inquests: Heidi has developed an extensive inquest practice including inquests held in accordance with Article 2 involving suspected clinical failures or deaths in custody. Heidi specialises in acting for the families of the deceased but also acts for doctors and healthcare trusts. She has experience in acting in inquests involving both coroners sitting alone and sitting with juries and in those involving complicated expert evidence. Recent experience includes representing the family of a man who died following restraint by police officers whilst an inpatient and the family of a man who died after suffering from severe side effects following his involvement in a drug trial. Personal injury: Heidi is instructed in personal injury work of all levels of complexity and has extensive experience of representing both claimants and defendants in a variety of personal injury matters. She has advised and litigated across a broad spectrum of personal injury and fatal accident claims of all values, including employer’s liability, health and safety at work, road traffic claims and has extensive experience in claims arising out of accidents on the highway, occupiers’ liability and defective premises. Heidi is available for mediations and round table meetings and is happy to attend clients’ offices for conferences.

Called 2001.

PIBA; PNBA; AVMA.

1999, MA (Cantab); BA (Hons) Law, 1st; senior scholar of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge; college prize for distinguished performance.