The Legal 500 > United Kingdom - The Bar > Regional Bar > Clinical negligence

St John's Chambers is one of strongest sets in the Western circuit for clinical negligence work, with a range of junior counsel covering both claimant and defendant matters. Vanessa McKinlay is a key practitioner, with recent cases including a £1m cauda equina case on behalf of the claimant, and a successful defence of a £2m claim on appeal, in which McKinlay acted as a led junior. For dental negligence cases, rising star Robert Mills is highly recommended despite his junior call date, while continuing to build a substantial practice in general clinical negligence matters. Justin Valentine undertakes a substantial amount of birth injury and neonatal work, and recently acted for a claimant who suffered Erb's palsy at birth in 1998, in a case which centered on the differing standards for a negligent application of force compared to current practice.

Guildhall Chambers remains a strong presence in the Bristol clinical negligence market, particularly for claimant work, and has expanded its capacity to take on top-level work in 2020, with Selena Plowden QC taking silk. Sophie Holme remains another stand-out member of the team, with recent cases concerning hospital infections, missed diagnoses, chronic pain disorders, and surgical negligence. Senior junior Robert Sowersby is highly active in this area, and continues to expand his defendant practice, while at the junior end Kriti Upadhyay is building a solid clinical negligence practice, often taking on cases that involve inquests.

Old Square Chambers continues to house a team of experienced clinical negligence barristers who act for defendants and claimants in a range of cases, although recent work has tended more towards the claimant side. Kara Loraine is recommended for claims involving negligent obstetric care and delivery, psychiatric injury claims for parents arising from infant deaths, and serious delayed diagnosis claims. Naomi Rees is another key member of the team, with a heavy claimant focus, while Sophie Beesley is particularly notable for her recent work on the Ian Paterson inquiry, which concluded in early 2020.

Mark Lomas and Hamish Dunlop are the key names to note in 3PB's clinical negligence team, with a strong background in very serious cases involving birth injuries, surgical complications, and missed diagnoses leading to death or serious injury. Of particular note is Lomas' representation of a claimant who suffered severe neurological injury due to a brain stem tumour which had previously been removed, where the return of the tumour was missed during routine scanning and diagnosis was delayed.

Members of No5 Barristers Chambers continue to undertake complex clinical negligence cases across the western circuit, with Jonathan Jones QC appearing in a range of serious cases including cerebral palsy and other birth injuries, and serious brain or spinal injury caused by delayed diagnoses. David Tyack is another notable member, and recently acted for a claimant who had undergone a below-knee amputation following a failure to act on the signs of post-surgery thrombosis.