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Clinical negligence: claimant

Hugh James’ dedicated and experienced team acts for Welsh Community Health Councils, insurers and charities. Practice head Stephen Webber is ‘first rate, handling very high-value claims with aplomb, and is an extremely calm solicitor who instils great confidence’. Webber and Andrew Davies, who fights cases well’, led on a number of high-value brain injury settlements. Senior associate Hannah Williams settled a £4m-plus spinal cord injury case.

Angelina Rigby heads the practice at Geldards LLP, having recently joined the firm from Metcalfes in Bristol. Senior associate Jane Rogers handles brain injury and negligent cardiology cases. The team recently saw a £6.5m brain injury settlement claim approved at the High Court.

Pauline Kent leads the team at Harding Evans LLP, and Ken Thomas is known for his experience in complex claims. Areas of focus include cerebral palsy cases, while a recent highlight was a £1m-plus delayed diagnosis settlement.

At Hutton’s, the ‘meticulous, well-respectedTim Musgrave recently settled a number of high-value cerebral palsy cases.

JCP Solicitors’ Keith Thomas specialises in maximum-severity cases, and also handles high-volume claims. Matthew Owen achieved a seven-figure settlement. Meinir Davies specialises in female clinical negligence matters.

Leo Abse & Cohen’s Yvonne Agnew recently achieved an out-of-court settlement for a publicised childbirth fatality case.

Marchant Harries & Co’s senior partner Peter Williams has experience in high-value cases, with recent work including delayed/missed cancer diagnosis 
cases.

Smith Llewelyn Partnership’s clinical negligence caseload is handled by Mei Li and Pauline Roberts.

Thompsons Solicitors LLP primarily acts for private clients. Led by Cathryn Davies, it recently achieved a six-figure settlement in a hospital treatment infection case.

Walker Smith Way’s knowledgeable and proactive team includes practice head David Rudd, who is ‘efficient and a man that you can do business with’ and led on Conan Ingram v Williams. Rachael Vasmer is ‘tenacious and a fighter’, and recently achieved a £1.3m settlement in a case relating to a spinal anaesthetic. Associate Kevin Saul led on a high-profile inquest.


Clinical negligence: defendant

Welsh Health Legal Services acts for Wales’ NHS trusts and local health boards, and is led by the ‘formidable’ Anne-Louise Ferguson.

Morgan Cole’s ‘well-led, hardworking team’ is headed by the ‘commercially minded and sensible’ David Mortimer. It is instructed by Cardiff & Vale University Health Board, and represents professionals through the Medical Protection Society.

RadcliffesLeBrasseur advises medical and healthcare professionals. Huw Llewellyn-Morgan leads, following Jane Lang’s departure to Berrymans Lace Mawer LLP.


Personal injury: claimant

Hugh James is praised for its ‘professionalism, care and concern’, and has specialist teams in areas such as group actions and industrial disease, while high-volume accident claims are now handled through its legal outsourcing service Involegal LLP. Andrew Harding leads on catastrophic injury cases. Mark Harvey is praised for his ‘conviction, personable approach and clear advice’, and handles harmful product and overseas accident cases. It continues acting for miners union NACODS on osteoarthritis claims.

Leo Abse & Cohen primarily serves trade union members, with practice head Richard Norman focusing on employers’ liability and industrial disease claims. Mark Church leads on serious injury cases, while Swansea-based Lorraine O’Brien handles RTA claims.

With a ‘strong, well-informed team’, NewLaw Solicitors LLP has depth in specialist advice including high-volume motorcycle accident claims. Elisabeth Roth leads on cases involving serious injury. Brain injury specialist Alison Culverwell achieved a £1.2m settlement arising from a motorcycle accident.

Thompsons Solicitors LLP acts mainly for trade unions but also for private clients on cases involving complex, serious injuries. Mick Antoniw focuses on fatalities, while Louise Westlake handles accident and disease work. The firm recently handled a high-profile inquest against the Assembly Government.

Pauline Kent is now the practice head at Harding Evans LLP, following David Morgan’s appointment as a District Judge. The practice handles RTA claims, while other recent instructions include spinal injury and amputee cases.

JCP Solicitors’ Claire Goldsworthy, Lynne Morgan and Keith Thomas have specialist experience in catastrophic and maximum-severity claims. The team recently handled a number of high-value RTA and work accident settlements.

Russell Jones & Walker’s ‘consistently supportive’ team is led by the well-regarded Michael Imperato, who specialises in serious injury, sports and travel-related claims. Nicholas Collins is ‘professional, efficient, knowledgeable, reassuring and approachable’, and handles employer’s liability and work accident cases. Julian Cason focuses on industrial disease matters. The team recently settled various workplace accident and asbestos claims.

A firm of quality’, Simpson Millar LLP is led by the highly regarded Phillip Gower, who is ‘always available to clients, very approachable and “human”’, and specialises in industrial disease and brain injuries. The team primarily serves trade union members, and recently settled a number of asbestos-related claims at the High 
Court.

Walker Smith Way is ‘prepared to take on difficult cases and fight them hard’. Practice head Neil Turnbull recently settled a £1m-plus serious head injury claim. Mark Denholm is ‘approachable, conscientious and hardworking, and has excellent judgement’. The firm’s key clients are trade unions such as Unite and 
USDAW.

Watkins & Gunn’s practice is led by managing partner Clive Thomas. Recent work includes acting for the South Wales-based Bakers Food & Allied Workers Union on employers’ liability claims, as well as handling referrals from National Accident Helpline.

Cordner Lewis SolicitorsMichael Cordner focuses on RTA and employers’ liability claims, while Julian Lewis undertakes industrial disease cases.

Dolmans Solicitors’ complex PI claimant work is led by Philip Bradley, who is ‘very organised, very pragmatic, and has sound judgement’. Recent cases include a six-figure occupational disease settlement.

At Douglas-Jones Mercer, senior associate Nicholas Llewelyn handles fatal accident, RTA, and occupational and public liability cases.

Glyn Maddocks leads Gabb and Co’s team on personal injury claims.

At Gamlins, Kate Robertson undertakes employers’ liability, accident-at-work, and RTA claims.

Geldards LLP handles employers’ liability claims for trade union USDAW. ‘Extremely capable’ practice head Gillian Latham specialises in complex matters.

Paul Bennett heads the practice at Hutchinson Thomas, which is currently pursuing a seven-figure cerebral palsy damages claim.

Led by Tim Musgrave, Hutton’s handles industrial disease and employers’ liability claims, and has achieved numerous high-value settlements.

MLM Cartwright focuses on public sector clients. Litigator Andrea Thomas handles employers’ liability work, and heads the practice’s miners’ compensation unit.

North Wales firm Mackenzie Jones Solicitors is led by Richard Jones. Providing a ‘professional service from start to finish’, it is recommended for catastrophic injury and other high-value cases in the locality.

Secure Law’s specialist personal injury practice is led by Richard Crane and Bob Harvey. It deals primarily with RTA claims as well as employers’ and public liability matters.


Personal injury: defendant

A ‘key market player’, Beachcroft Claims Limited’s Simon Curtis leads on catastrophic injury cases for regional clients and national insurers such as Wales and West Utilities and Aviva. Andrew Baker focuses on catastrophic motor defence cases. ‘An excellent tactician and a thorough and tenacious litigator’, Ailsa Roberts joined from the Bristol office to lead the Newport team.

Berrymans Lace Mawer LLP’s ‘particularly strong team’ in Cardiff is led by Matthew Harrington, who ‘continues to set an example with his professionalism, practicality and no-nonsense clarity of advice’. Cenydd Edwards and Kerris Dale are also highly regarded. Clients include Capita and Corus.

Dolmans Solicitors’ eight-partner team, led by senior partner Adrian Oliver, is ‘hardworking and very thorough, and gives clear advice’, primarily advising local authorities and particularly police forces. Oliver and Melanie Standley continue to advise South Wales Police on the Lynette White murder inquiry. Peter Bennett leads on occupational disease matters.

Hugh James acts for insurers, and corporate and public sector clients. Philip Dicken leads, with Pauline Lewis handling high-value and catastrophic claims. The team advised Chartis on various issues relating to the Buncefield litigation.

New clients for Morgan Cole include Cardiff Council and Wales & West Utilities. ‘One of the foremost experts in his field’, Simon Cradick has ‘encyclopaedic knowledge of claims for asbestos exposure’; and John Sherratt handles catastrophic injury claims. The firm is acting in a test case in the Employers’ Liability Trigger Issue litigation, set to go the Supreme Court.

Douglas-Jones Mercer’s Jeremy Wolfe is ‘a true gentleman. Ever polite and thoughtful, he brings vast experience and knowledge of civil litigation law to the table’. The firm acts for corporate and public sector clients, notably fire and police 
services.

Donna Makin leads Geldards LLP’s high-volume work, with a focus on occupational disease matters.

NewLaw Solicitors LLP hired Karen Meggitt and a team of five lawyers from Eversheds LLP, to lead the firm’s motor litigation work.

At Rausa Mumford (inc. SJ Cottrell), Peter Beckerley acts for insurers and loss adjusters, focusing on employers’ and public liability issues.

Welsh Health Legal Services’ Andrew Hynes acts for NHS trusts and local health boards.


Professional negligence

Morgan Cole is ‘a top firm in the field of professional negligence in its part of the country’. Clare Hughes-Williams is ‘fearless when needs be, but commercially sensible’ and has expertise in claims against solicitors; and associate Catrin Davies is ‘very much a rising star’. Clients include Capita and Zurich, while new instructions came from Liberty Mutual, Lemma Europe and Travelers Insurance. The firm recently handled a number of large coverage investigations with potential multimillion-pound liabilities.

Commercially minded, friendly and experienced’, the team at Berry Smith is led by Iwan Doull on real estate related issues. Highlights included a £1m-plus High Court claim against solicitors, and representing new client Dunbar Bank in a claim regarding a South Wales redevelopment.

Darwin Gray is an up-and-coming player in the field, handling claimant work for architects, engineers and lawyers among other professionals. Ian Herbert has experience acting for banking and corporate 
clients.

Hugh James, led by Richard Locke, has a ‘good professional and personal approach’. Senior associate Llyr Davies acts for a number of finance groups, and recently advised on a number of negligent advice claims regarding investments into the suspended Arch Cru fund. Senior associate Alun Tobias handled a £1m-plus construction claim against a national firm of 
surveyors.

Client focused and delivering results that exceed expectations’, JCP Solicitors’ team is led by Kevin 
O’Brien, and acts for corporates and lenders such as Standard Life Bank/Barclays and ITL Mortgages. It handled a successful appeal for a banking group to the SRA Compensation Fund.

Dolmans Solicitors is experienced in claims against solicitors and other professionals, including financial advisers and architects, through Philip Bradley and Alison Henders-Green.

Harding Evans LLP handles claims against solicitors, surveyors and other professionals.

At MLM Cartwright, Chris Mayers and Alex Pay handle professional negligence work.


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