Clinical negligence - claimant
Standing ‘head and shoulders above the rest’, Leigh Day & Co’s 11-partner department is led by the ‘very well-organised’ Russell Levy, who is ‘clearly an expert in the field’. Renowned for its strength in the healthcare sector, the team acted on a number of complex claims in 2008, recovering damages ranging between £15,000 to nearly £6m in addition to a number of significant periodic payment settlements and awards. The practice includes the ‘eminent’ Anne Winyard; the ‘stand-out’ Claire Fazan; the ‘excellent’ Frances Swaine, and Sarah Campbell, who is described as ‘a real thinker’. Orthopaedic and spinal expert Henry Dyson, Olive Lewin who is experienced in cases involving demyelination of the nervous system, and Shurouk Al-Sabbagh are also recommended.
A real ‘star in the field of clinical negligence’, Paul McNeil leads Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP’s ‘excellent’ team, which includes Samantha Critchley who is consistently praised as ‘one to watch’; she ‘has all the makings of a star performer, she is clever, brave and knows each of her cases inside out’. Richard Earle is singled out for his ‘smooth and thorough’ approach. Successful cases for the team included Munday v Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, in which the highest reported settlement in an Erb’s Palsy case was awarded.
With 25 years of experience particularly in cases relating to obstetrics and neurosurgery, the ‘renowned’ Alison Eddy leads the practice at Irwin Mitchell LLP, which is praised for its reputation as ‘a national team with real presence in each office’; clients are ‘guaranteed good service’ from ‘well-structured’ teams. Birth injury specialist Auriana Griffiths is ‘excellent’. Work highlights in 2008 included a number of multimillion-pound awards for brain-damaged babies as well as several cases involving severe spinal injuries. Muiris Lyons moved to Stewarts Law LLP in 2008.
The ‘formidable’ six-partner practice at Kingsley Napley, led by the ‘skilled’ Kate Rohde, was significantly strengthened in 2009 with the arrival of the ‘terrific’ Stephanie Code from Charles Russell LLP and Dr Jock Mackenzie from Leigh Day & Co. Focusing on high-value catastrophic work, the team recovered damages in excess of £36m in 2008. The ‘personable and utterly professional’ Terrence Donovan, the ‘bright, hardworking and brave’ Alison Moore and cerebral palsy claims expert Ross Brain are consistently praised by clients.
Caroline Jenkins heads the six-partner department at Parlett Kent, which is highly regarded in the market. It is split across the firm’s Exeter and London offices and continues to receive referrals from Action against Medical Accidents. Julie Say is also recommended.
Muiris Lyons joined Stewarts Law LLP as head of department from Irwin Mitchell LLP, and is noted as a ‘clear leader in the field’. Specialising in complex, high-value claims, highlights for the five-partner practice in 2008 included a £4m spinal cord injury case. The team includes the ‘reassuring and compassionate’ Nick Knowles, the ‘totally committed’ Kevin Grealis and ‘impressive’ Leeds-based partner Frank Pinch, who is ‘a star of the future’.
Described as a ‘formidable and steely intellect’, Jon Nicholson leads the five-partner practice at Anthony Gold, which has welcomed the ‘excellent’ Stephanie Prior (a qualified nurse) to the team as a solicitor from Charles Russell LLP. The ‘exceptionally hardworking and approachable’ Jenny Kennedy and Jackie Spinks are recommended by clients. The team has particular expertise in cases involving birth injury and brain-damaged children, and orthopaedic and psychiatric injury cases.
The ‘legendary’ Richard Vallance leads the team at Charles Russell LLP alongside the ‘immensely talented’ Grainne Barton, who has joined the Guilford office from Parlett Kent. Birth injury expert Amanda Stevens is also recommended. The team lost former joint practice head Stephanie Code to Kingsley Napley and renowned associate Stephanie Prior to Anthony Gold. Associate Edwina Rawson is singled out by clients. Recent highlight cases include a high-value birth injury cerebral palsy claim.
The ‘hardworking’ and ‘experienced’ Deborah Blythe heads the three-partner department at Russell-Cooke LLP where key cases in 2008 include acting on a significant spinal injury case that settled on a lump sum and periodic payment basis for £1.2m. Janice Gardner ‘thinks outside the box’ and ‘is meticulous and committed to securing the best results for her clients’.
Lynn Knowles leads the two-partner team at Bindmans LLP, alongside Jon Crocker. It continues to see a high volume of cases brought by brain-injured clients. Key work in 2008 included the complex case of Jay Thompson v The Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust, for a child who sustained a significant brain injury and impaired vision as a consequence of a failure to monitor his rising temperature following a cardiac catheterisation procedure. Associate Siobhan Kelly is also recommended.
The ‘top-quality’ three-partner team at Bolt Burdon Kemp is led by Caroline Klage and is praised for its ‘ability to assess individual needs and address them accordingly’. The firm receives instructions on cases involving birth injury, brain damage, cerebral palsy, general surgery, spinal injury, and infectious diseases. The firm also has expertise in advising service and ex-service personnel who have suffered injury as a result of negligent treatment at the hands of medical officers employed by the MoD in the UK and overseas. Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp left the firm to join Kester Cunningham John in 2008.
The ‘energetic’ Jacqui Hayat and the ‘switched-on’ Olivia Lawson lead a ‘well-knit’, ‘dedicated’ two-partner team at Hodge Jones & Allen LLP. Highlights included two significant multimillion-pound cases including a case involving a failure to diagnose and treat a very rare inherited disorder which left a child severely brain damaged.
The ‘excellent’ team at Pattinson & Brewer Solicitors is led by Linda Levison. Cases in 2008 included several notable failure-to-diagnose claims as well as a number of spinal injury cases. John Kyriacou is also recommended.
James Bell and Paul Sankey lead the two-partner team at Russell Jones & Walker, which receives a significant number of instructions from its Claims Direct business. Recent instructions include a catastrophic injury case relating to a GP’s failure to manage a sickle cell patient. The team is also instructed on a number of birth injury cases.