Victoria Gofton > Shakespeare Martineau LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Victoria Gofton

0207 264 4439 catherine.hammerson-jones@shma.co.uk View profile View profile

Work Department

Clinical Negligence (Lime Solicitors)

Position

Legal Director

Career

Victoria joined the Clinical Negligence team in Lime’s London office in 2021 and is a specialist in supporting those who have suffered negligent medical treatment.

She qualified as a solicitor in 2003 and practiced in the fields of personal injury and clinical negligence throughout that time, electing to focus solely on clinical negligence when she returned from maternity leave in 2015.

She has experience handling a multitude of different types of cases but has a specialist interest in acquired brain injury, cases involving amputations and misdiagnosis of cancer.

Further experience and specialisms

• Law Society Clinical Negligence Accreditation
• APIL member
• AVMA helpline volunteer 2006-2014

Victoria’s clientele

Victoria acts solely for Claimants and is prepared to take on cases that are complex and challenging and firmly believes justice should be available for all, especially those that have been devastated after sustaining a serious injury. She understands that this situation not only changes the injured person’s life but also has a huge impact on their family and friends and she considers it her duty, as their solicitor, to assist them to navigate through the life changing situation they have found themselves in.

Victoria believes solicitors can have a hugely positive impact on the lives of those who have suffered injury or lost a loved one through medical negligence. She feels they deserve to have somebody on their side doing everything possible to help get their life back, and to ensure the necessary finances and support systems are in place for their future where necessary.

Notable work

• £5.6m settlement for a client who sustained an acquired brain injury following a car accident. He was 17 years old at the time of the injury and needed significant rehabilitation in a residential unit. He was then moved into independent living to continue his rehabilitation with a 24-hour support team around him whilst his family remained in the family home nearby.
• £4.3m for a client who suffered a second and catastrophic sub-arachnoid haemorrhage whilst in hospital awaiting coiling, which was unnecessarily delayed. He went from being a successful independent businessman, to needing 24 hours care with significantly reduced mobility. He had limited insight into his condition and his wife was heavily involved with his rehabilitation and case management.
• £1m for a client who suffered an above the knee amputation following a delay in diagnosis of critical foot ischaemia. The client was in significant need of a better fitting prosthesis to improve his wellbeing, as well as more appropriate accommodation for him and his family who were living in cramped conditions. A support structure was also put in place via a case manager to maximise his rehabilitation, which the funds helped to provide.
• £550,000 for an anaesthetic awareness claim where the client suffered a serious psychiatric reaction and developed chronic fatigue syndrome.
• £450,000 for a young client who suffered an injury caused by the incorrect placement of a spinal aesthetic which resulted in permanent food drop and weakness in the right leg.
• £300,000 for a client following a delayed diagnosis of breast cancer. Liability was admitted save for a disagreement about whether the client was, sadly, likely to die of cancer in the future as a result of the misdiagnosis. The compensation achieved allowed the Claimant to have the further treatment she required and gave her a safety net in case she ever needs increased support and private palliative care in the future.
• £160,000 for a client who sustained serious intra-abdominal sepsis, anastomotic disruption and a large right sided hernia, following surgery for an appendectomy. The case centred on whether the Claimant had been fully consented for the procedure and given the opportunity for conservative management before surgery was undertaken.