Fletchers Solicitors

fletcherssolicitors.co.uk

Parbeen Alamgir

Partner & Senior Birth injury Solicitor Parbeen is a Partner and Birth Injury Solicitor within our Medical Negligence Department. Parbeen specialises in all types of birth injury claims and has developed a distinct interest and sub-speciality in HIE, hypoglycaemic insult, women’s health. As a respected and dedicated legal professional, Parbeen is a keen supporter of ‘Tommys’, a pregnancy and baby loss charity that funds research into stillbirth, premature birth and miscarriage. As well as this, she avidly supports the Child Brain Injury Trust - a charity that supports families and professionals working with children and young people who find themselves in need of information about what’s happened and how to cope with acquired brain injury. She also supports Peeps-HIE - a charity dedicated to supporting friends and families of those who have suffered an Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy event. Parbeen always goes that extra mile, using her extensive knowledge and experience to obtain excellent results for her clients. Parbeen is passionate and fully committed to helping her clients and ensuring their needs are met during the lifetime of a claim, by regularly engaging with case managers, experts and third parties in order to maximise compensation and achieve the best legal outcome.

Principal Associate Sharon is a leading clinical negligence solicitor with a strong track record of securing high-value settlements in complex cases. Sharon is a highly experienced clinical negligence solicitor with over 20 years’ experience representing claimants in complex and high-value medical negligence cases. Her work spans a wide range of serious and sensitive cases, with particular interest in birth injuries, kidney and neurological damage, spinal injuries, and amputations. She also handles fatality claims and cases involving clients with long-term care needs, ensuring their future requirements are fully considered. Sharon has successfully acted for clients in claims involving delayed diagnoses, misdiagnosed fractures, complications during surgery, and errors during childbirth. She is known for her attention to detail, thorough preparation, and client-focused approach. Notably, Sharon played a key role in representing claimants in the high-profile litigation involving breast surgeon Ian Paterson, securing early settlements for private healthcare patients affected by unnecessary or inappropriate surgery. Her dedication and professionalism are reflected in the outcomes she achieves and the trust she builds with her clients.

Richard Bannister

Richard has acted successfully in a variety of clinical negligence claims, drawing on his wealth of experience. Since 1992, he has undertaken claimant clinical negligence claims exclusively. He is highly admired for being “very focused and experienced”, “practical and pragmatic” and “a very reliable and effective practitioner”, in addition to establishing “good practical solutions to difficult problems”. His standing in the field is well-known and respected, especially in complex issues which include obstetrics, oncology, orthopaedics, brain injury, general surgery, fatal accidents and representation at inquests. Richard has been accredited to the Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA) Specialist Solicitor’s Referral Panel since 1997. He is routinely top ranked in the Chambers Guide to the UK Legal Profession as a leading Clinical Negligence Lawyer who is a “people person” and “popular with clients”, “highly regarded” and “very pragmatic, direct and sensible”. In 2019, the Chambers Guide recognised him as an Eminent Practitioner in this field.

Partner & Head of Fletchers Midlands and South Phil is a highly respected legal expert known for his dedication to injured patients and his longstanding commitment to advancing clinical negligence law. Phil is a nationally recognised expert in serious injury and clinical negligence claims, with over 25 years of experience representing claimants in high-value and complex cases. His work spans birth injury, brain injury, and spinal injury claims, and he is known for his strategic approach, attention to detail, and unwavering commitment to his clients. Phil is driven by a strong sense of justice and a commitment to improving outcomes for injured patients. He is approachable, empathetic, and a trusted advisor who combines legal expertise with compassionate client care.

Christian Beadell

Partner & Head of Legal Strategy & Operations Christian is a Partner and currently the seconded Head of Legal Strategy and Operations. A medical negligence solicitor, Christian has specialised in medical negligence claims for over 25 years having dealt with a wide variety of claims throughout his career including some of the biggest clinical negligence group action claims in the UK. He has also featured in the Legal 500 as a recommended claimant solicitor in the North West. Christian qualified as a solicitor in 1998 having trained in Chester & North Wales. He established a particular interest in Group Action work at an early point in his career, being a lead claimant solicitor in the MMR Litigation. Between 2010 and 2015, he pursued gynaecological and urogynaecological claims, representing several hundred claimants in the George Rowland Litigation against the Liverpool Women’s and Aintree Hospitals. This investigated the treatment given to women in the Merseyside area over several decades, and in particular focused on the introduction and development of mesh into the UK in both the treatment of stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. He has successfully recovered hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation on behalf of his clients. Christian is a strong advocate of collaboration with the NHS to resolve claims swiftly and cost effectively having helped evolve and develop a number of bespoke ADR protocols for group claims. He firmly believes in the delivery of access to justice for all level of claims and the importance of ensuring the lower value medical negligence claims are given the high level of service they deserve through optimisation of processes. In his current role in the Strategy team Christian has a focus on the implementation of change across the legal teams and the introduction of new and improved processes. He is Chair of the Innovation Group and part of the AI Working Group looking at the effective use of emerging technology to support and assist effective claim progression.

Sharine Burgess

Partner Sharine is a Partner with over 25 years of experience handling a wide range of complex high value claims involving brain injury, significant psychiatric illness, occupational stress, military claims, sexual abuse, industrial disease and clinical negligence claims. Sharine likes to work with clients with complex conditions, often in very challenging circumstances. She fights to ensure her clients are treated with dignity and respect, and each client’s unique requirements are supported fully throughout the legal process. This approach has enhanced her reputation amongst her peers, other professionals and charities. Sharine works closely with local charities including Headway East Northampton and the Acquired Brain Injury Forum Northants (ABIF Northants). She is on the management committee for ABIF Northants and works closely with local brain injury professionals to support those with acquired brain injuries.

Partner, Solicitor & Head of MLS Client Services Bob is a Partner and highly experienced solicitor at Fletchers, with over 20 years’ experience specialising in personal injury and medical negligence. As well as this, Bob is our Head of Onboarding, leading a team of skilled professionals that handle the very early stages of all our claims. Before his successful legal career, Bob was a qualified nurse, having worked in various different A&E departments throughout North West. This means that Bob has valuable insight into the running’s of the NHS; experience that helps to dictate his working methods now, as a legal professional working with individuals that have experienced clinical negligence or sustained serious injury’s following an accident. Outside of work, Bob is a keen motorcyclist, having ridden motorbikes for over 25 years and continues to commute to our offices around the Northwest on his bike. He is passionate about utilising his legal skills to support the biker community should an accident occur.

Senior Associate Sarah specialises in clinical negligence claims including, birth injury claims, claims involving delayed diagnosis, surgical errors and cancer related claims. Sarah also represents families at inquests.  Having qualified in September 2001, Sarah is a serious injury lawyer, with experience handling a wide range of complex cases. Sarah is committed to making the litigation process as simple and stress free as possible for her clients. She ensures her clients feel comfortable reaching out with any concerns and strives to provide compassionate, accessible support throughout their legal journey.

Associate Solicitor & Team Leader Louise Dempsey is an Associate Solicitor and Team Leader in the Employers’ & Public Liability team, managing a team of solicitors and paralegals handling a wide range of employers’ liability, public liability and occupiers’ liability cases. Louise has been a qualified solicitor since 2012 and has worked in the legal profession since 2005, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team. She has a particular interest in employers’ liability claims, driven by a strong belief that everyone should feel safe at work and be able to return home to their family free from the risk of injury. Alongside her leadership responsibilities, Louise remains committed to supporting her own clients in securing the compensation they deserve. Louise finds great satisfaction in holding negligent employers accountable and helping clients secure the compensation they’re entitled to. She’s also committed to ensuring clients have access to the treatment and support they need to aid their recovery.

Associate & Birth Injury Solicitor Leanne is a Associate & Birth Injury Solicitor operating within our Medical Negligence Department. In total, she has worked in the legal profession since 2003, initially specialising in catastrophic injuries. As a dedicated Specialist Litigator, Leanne specialises in birth injury cases and is passionate about getting results for the many families she represents. Her unwavering client care has seen her succeed in representing many vulnerable families, all of whom have experienced incredible trauma and loss.

Partner & Head of Personal Injury Angela is a highly experienced Partner, Solicitor and Head of our Personal Injury team in Leeds. With over two decades of expertise in claimant personal injury law, she plays a key role in supervising and managing a team of fee earners, ensuring cases progress efficiently while maintaining the highest standards of client care. Her role also involves complaint handling, strategic case progression, and mentoring junior solicitors. With a deep understanding of personal injury claims, Angela has handled a wide spectrum of cases, including road traffic collisions, workplace accidents, public liability claims, animal-related injuries, and criminal injury compensation cases. She has significant experience in high-value and catastrophic injury cases, including those involving amputations, brain and spinal injuries, historical sexual abuse, and fatal accidents. She is particularly skilled in navigating complex litigation, including cases that reach the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. Angela takes pride in building strong relationships with her clients, gaining their trust, and guiding them through difficult legal processes. She has an impressive track record of securing life-changing settlements, including multimillion-pound compensation awards that have provided her clients with essential rehabilitation, treatment, and financial security. Her career is marked by a dedication to achieving justice, even in the most challenging cases. She has led high-profile claims that have shaped legal precedents and contributed to significant legal developments. She is also committed to mentoring and developing her colleagues, fostering a culture of technical excellence and professional growth. A longstanding member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) since 2002, Angela is an accredited Senior Litigator, demonstrating her commitment to maintaining the highest professional standards. Whether handling complex litigation, managing high-value claims, or supporting her team, Angela brings a wealth of experience, strategic insight, and unwavering dedication to her role.

Partner & Brain Injury Unit Leader Iain is a Partner and Brain Injury Unit Leader within our Medical Negligence Department, specialising in catastrophic injury clinical negligence cases; with a particular interest in brain injury and spinal cord injury cases. Having joined Fletchers in 2016, Iain has a long-standing reputation as an well-respected lawyer. Due to his exceptional skills, he is now predominantly only instructed on claims exceeding £1 million, primarily focussing on brain injury, spinal cord injury and amputations. Iain practices almost exclusively in the High Court and is a solicitor-advocate, obtaining many multi-million-pound settlements, either by way of a lump sum and/or annual payments. Iain consistently achieves significant settlements on exceptionally complex claims and approaches every single case with rigorous care for the individuals involved. He is dedicated to fighting hard for his clients. Iain prides himself and his team of outstanding lawyers for helping clients to move forward with their lives after suffering catastrophic injuries from clinical negligence. Iain is passionate about helping people and transforming lives after injury.

Director of Private Client Kate Edwards is recognised as one of the country’s leading experts in Court of Protection (CoP) and personal injury trust matters. She is responsible for leading and expanding our CoP offering in response to the growing demand for our deputyship and trusteeship services. Kate’s work involves overseeing the property and financial affairs of clients who lack mental capacity through injury or illness as well as acting as trustee for children who receive compensation. She has a wealth of expertise in professional deputyship and trusteeship, including cases involving high value litigation, family disputes and high net worth individuals. In 2012 Kate founded the Court of Protection Practitioner’s Association (CoPPA) to promote co-operation between all the professionals who work with clients who lack capacity. She continues to sit on the national executive committee. Kate is a contributing author to The Court of Protection Handbook – A User’s Guide. Kate is a member of the ad hoc Court of Protection Rules Committee and in 2020, she was invited by Mr Justice Hayden to join the ‘Hive Committee’ – a small group of key individuals who could consult rapidly on the issues affecting the working of the CoP during the pandemic.

Alison Flaherty

Partner & Head of Clinical Negligence Alison Flaherty is a Partner and Head of Clinical Negligence Serious Injury, bringing over two decades of legal expertise to the role. With a strong focus on achieving justice for clients, Alison oversees four catastrophic clinical negligence teams comprising over 40 legal professionals. Alison’s extensive experience spans 20 years in both Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence, with a specialisation in the latter for the past 15 years. Joining Fletchers Solicitors in 2015 as a Clinical Negligence Solicitor, she swiftly advanced to the position of Head of Department in 2016, demonstrating her exceptional leadership and legal acumen. In her current role, Alison is responsible for leading teams dedicated to handling cases involving spinal, brain, and birth injuries, as well as those involving amputations. Additionally, she plays a pivotal role in maintaining and enhancing collaborative relationships with NHS Resolution and their Solicitors, ensuring fast, fair, resolution for our clients. Alison’s proudest achievement lies in the collaborative relationship she has fostered with NHS Resolution over the past six years. Through Resolution meetings and dedicated efforts, Alison and her team have secured over £18 million in compensation, exemplifying her commitment to securing justice and support for clients in their time of need.

Clinical Negligence Solicitor and Team Leader Julie is a Solicitor within our medical negligence department. She has overall responsibility for the strategic direction of cases in view to achieving the very best results for all our clients. In total, Julie has 25 years’ experience in the legal sector and has been a Claimant Specialist Clinical Negligence Solicitor for over 15 years. Julie was also appointed the Chairperson of Wirral Local Ethics Committee until its disbandment. She leads a team of nine lawyers who deal with maximum severity cases; including amputation, spinal and fatal injury claims. Her team are the specialists in amputation cases, and she prides herself on providing an efficient and best possible service to those who have suffered life-changing injuries.

Partner & Spinal Cord Injury Unit Leader Michael Gray is a Partner, Solicitor and leads our Spinal Cord Injury Unit in the Medical Negligence department. With over 15 years’ experience, Michael is highly regarded in the field due to his forensic and compassionate approach. Michael’s ultimate focus is always on client care. During his time here at Fletchers, he has achieved truly life changing settlements for his clients, which ensure that those individuals have their long-term needs provided for. Michael regularly receives excellent feedback from his clients. With The Legal 500, he has been described as “a superstar…” with “…a wealth of experience in clinical litigation…” who “…heads up a team of very good lawyers who deal with cases of the most complexity and significant value.”. With tens of millions in damages recovered for his Clients, Michael is predominantly only instructed in cases exceeding £1million. He and his team work on some of the most complex cases for our seriously injured clients, many of which take many years to resolve.

Legal Director (FCILEx) Sarah is a Legal Director and an accredited member of the Law Society’s Clinical Negligence Panel. With over 18 years’ experience, she acts exclusively for patients and their families affected by medical negligence. Sarah has a strong track record in high-value and life-changing cases. She secured a multi-million-pound settlement for an amputee client, obtained damages including the cost of US surrogacy for a woman who lost her fertility due to a gynaecological injury, and ensured an elderly client who lost her sight could purchase a bungalow after being unable to remain in her mobile home. She also represented a widow whose husband died following a delayed bowel cancer diagnosis—securing a settlement that ensures long-term financial stability for her and their two young children. Known for her compassionate and tailored approach, Sarah provides dedicated support to each client, helping them navigate complex and emotionally challenging claims. She is also a supporter of the Campaign for Safer Births, which advocates for maternity safety and legal reform around stillbirth inquests.

Partner & Serious Injury Solicitor Nadia is a Partner and Solicitor, bringing over 30 years of legal expertise to her role. She is also the Trustee/Director for the national cycling charity, Cycling UK. Over the years, she has represented hundreds of vulnerable road users such as cyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians. With a focus on ensuring timely rehabilitation, speedy repair or replacement of bikes and kit, and securing fair compensation, Nadia is committed to advocating for justice, client rights and for their well-being. Alongside her impressive and extensive legal career, Nadia is also a key ambassador for road safety and active travel. As the subject matter expert for all things cycling, she leverages her extensive experience to provide expert insight to drive forward her work and support others in the team. In addition, as Trustee/Director at Cycling UK,. she actively participates in national campaigns to benefit vulnerable road users. This year, Nadia has joined other colleagues at Fletchers in cycling to raise money for charity, having taken part in our Office to Office challenge to raise money for Fletchers Foundation and will be taking part in our Cycle through Portugal this year to raise funds and awareness for the Spinal Injury Association. Nadia’s passion for making a difference is evident in her involvement in various community initiatives. She was named in Cycling UK’s ‘100 women’ and was a founding member, now running a women’s cycle group, TeamGlow, in South Manchester. She was also a founding member and Director of WalkRide GM, a campaign group focussed on walking, wheeling and cycling in Greater Manchester. She also frequently utilises her media training to raise awareness of road safety issues through press articles, radio, and TV appearances. She gave evidence to the House of Commons Transport Committee Active Travel Inquiry in 2019. Her advocacy efforts have led to tangible changes, including improvements in road layouts and targeted resources for repairing dangerous potholes. It comes as no surprise then, that Nadia is an avid cyclist herself, having completed Land’s End to John o’ Groats, ultra endurance events such as All Points North, Maratona dles Dolomites, and she is a member of the Club des Cingles du Ventoux after three ascents of the French mountain in one day. Among her many achievements, Nadia takes pride in her spot on BBC Breakfast’s red sofa where she provided expert commentary on long term government funding for pothole repairs. Through her tireless advocacy and legal expertise, Nadia continues to make a meaningful impact on the lives of her clients and the broader community, ensuring safer roads and a brighter future for vulnerable road users.

Associate and Solicitor Jerard is an Associate at Fletchers, having qualified as a solicitor in 2002 and has represented clinical negligence claimants since then. As an advocate for patient rights, Jerard has developed specific expertise in complex spinal injuries. He has previously settled in a case for a person who sustained an incomplete tetraplegic injury in a road traffic accident, for a net value of £9.4 Million. In addition to this, Jerard specialises in gynaecology, amputation, complex orthopaedic, nerve and other sensory injuries, including complex regional pain syndrome. As a strong supporter of mediation, Jerard has secured numerous 6 figure settlements via ADR. Amongst some of his accreditations, Jerard has built up a strong reputation with the Association of Personal Injury Solicitors (APIL), having served as their Clinical Negligence Special Interest Group Coordinator between 2017-2024. Jerard is part of APIL’s Clinical Negligence Conference Committee and a regular Chairperson at the annual conference. More recently, he has renewed his APIL accreditation as a Senior Litigator and Clinical Negligence Specialist. As well as being a highly skilled clinical negligence solicitor, Jerard is also an experienced Inquest Lawyer, in which he is regularly instructed in clinical inquests particularly arising from maternal and neonatal death, stillbirth and delayed diagnosis. As well as this, he has contributed to Parliamentary and NHS England Consultations on Reform and Improvement of the NHS/Clinical Negligence Law.

Partner & Clinical Negligence Solicitor Samantha qualified as a Solicitor in 1999 and has specialised in litigation since 2002. She has experience of dealing with catastrophic personal injury and serious clinical injury claims and over her long career she has recovered millions of pounds in damages for her clients. She has good working relationships with both opponent lawyers and barristers with whom she works quite closely to achieve good results for her clients in high value claims. She joined Fletchers Solicitors in May 2019 and was made a Partner in August 2022. She specialises in litigated claims but has several pre litigated claims.

Partner and Clinical Negligence Team Leader Katy is a Partner and team leader in our clinical negligence team. She has 19 years’ post-qualified experience of medical negligence and personal injury work, and has progressed numerous cases through the court process to trial. She provides high quality work for the clients that she represents, having good attention to detail and technical knowledge. . Katy prides herself on developing excellent relationships with both her clients and their families, wanting to reassure her clients and restore faith following the trauma that they will have experienced whilst securing the best possible outcome Whilst Katy deals with a variety of clinical negligence cases, she has a keen interest in orthopaedic, cosmetic surgery and also paediatric cases. Aside from her legal cases, Katy is working with the Clinical Negligence department to encourage and assist colleagues with training and experience in litigation. One of her more notable cases involved the Court of Appeal, with the defendant appealing the judgement given by the County Court. Permission to appeal was rejected and her client successfully received over £350,000 compensation. Katy works with the Lawcare Charity as a Peer supporter, providing advice and support for people within the Legal community and working on a one-to-one basis with struggling Lawyers. She is also a keen promoter of supporting mental health within the workplace.

Associate & Clinical Negligence Solicitor Kate first joined Fletchers in 2016 as a Solicitor/Specialist Litigator in the Medical Negligence Department. She was quickly recognised both internally and externally for her excellent performance, distinct technical skills in civil litigation and her excellent customer care. Kate is a multiple nominee for the Lawyer of the Year Award and was ranked in the Legal 500 as one of only three Medical Negligence Lawyers in the Northwest in the Rising Star category in 2019 and has retained her status since. Kate has also worked in our Serious Injury team, giving her all round experience and skills in all areas of medical negligence and serious injury. During her time in serious injury, Kate has specialised in amputation, brain and spinal injury cases, as well as ophthalmic, paediatric, colorectal, orthopaedic, obstetrics and gynaecological cases. She also has experience working on and complex fatal incidents and neurological and neurosurgical matters. Now, Kate and her team specifically manage amputation cases. She has a close affiliation with the Amputation Foundation and enjoys charitable work and fundraising. Kate is also involved in the Amputation Campaign, working closely with a panel of specialists in the field on a bespoke prosthesis provision and support for an individual, in order to raise wider awareness. Kate is also a Lead Associate for Stick ‘n’ Step and Cauda Equina Charity.

Partner & Medical Product Liability Solicitor Lisa is a Partner at Fletchers and leads the firm’s specialist Medical Product Liability team. With over 20 years of experience in clinical negligence- and more than a decade specialising in group actions against major pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers - Lisa is a nationally recognised expert in defective medical product litigation. Lisa is dedicated to securing justice for individuals harmed by faulty medical devices and drugs. She brings claims under the Consumer Protection Act and in negligence, holding manufacturers accountable for the life-altering injuries their products cause. Her extensive portfolio includes high-profile group actions such as the Transvaginal Mesh Litigation, Essure contraceptive device claims, metal-on-metal hip implant litigation, and action against Tavistock Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS). Lisa is especially passionate about women’s health issues, defective medical devices, and group actions that enable patients’ voices to be heard collectively—especially when they've felt ignored by the healthcare system. Her clients often come to her after years of being dismissed or left without answers. Lisa is proud to provide them with a voice and a path to justice. A standout highlight in her career includes successfully reviving and resolving transvaginal mesh claims after other firms had abandoned them due to perceived poor prospects—restoring hope and legal recourse for women who had endured years of pain and suffering. Lisa's work has attracted widespread media attention. She has appeared on BBC, Sky News, and Newsnight, and provided expert commentary for both broadsheet and tabloid publications. Her legal insight and commitment to justice continue to shape the landscape of medical product litigation in the UK.

Partner, Solicitor & Head of Clinical Negligence Saima is a Partner and Head of Clinical Negligence here at Fletchers, with many years of legal experience and leadership expertise to her name. Her role involves providing guidance on technical issues, overseeing people management and driving performance to achieve key performance indicators. Additionally, Saima plays an active role in promoting diversity and inclusion within Fletchers, serving on the Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Since joining Fletchers in 2017, Saima has played a pivotal role in guiding and supporting five clinical negligence teams in Manchester, helping to deliver excellent client care. Prior to her current role, Saima was a one of our highly valued team leaders, a role that showcased her dedication to driving results and supporting team growth. With a strong focus on team performance and development, Saima leads by example, fostering a positive working culture that empowers team members to excel. Saima’s diverse career journey includes experience in both Claimant and Defendant firms, offering her a comprehensive understanding of the legal landscape. From representing medical professionals in regulatory matters to handling complex clinical negligence cases, Saima’s expertise spans a wide range of legal disciplines.

Partner Chris has over 30 years’ experience handling personal injury claims and exclusively represents individuals who have suffered life-changing injuries. Highly regarded in the legal community, he is ranked by Chambers and recommended by the Legal 500. Chris specialises in catastrophic injury cases, with a particular focus on brain and spinal cord injuries. He has secured numerous million- and multi-million-pound settlements for clients who have suffered serious trauma, including quadriplegia, paraplegia, and amputation injuries. He is currently instructed in multiple high-value brain and spinal injury cases of the utmost severity. Known for his compassionate and hands-on approach, Chris supports his clients and their families throughout the claims process and is always accessible. Many of his cases come through personal recommendations from former clients and professional contacts. Chris is a member of the Spinal Injuries Association, the Professional Negligence Lawyers Association, and the Headway Panel. He also serves as a trustee and company secretary for Headway Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland. In addition to his specialist legal work, Chris frequently undertakes his own advocacy, appearing at inquests and in both the County and High Court.

Partner and Private Client Team Leader Joanne McNally specialises in managing the property and financial affairs of individuals who lack the capacity to make decisions for themselves. She is dedicated to making best-interest decisions and collaborating with clients, their families, and professional support teams. Joanne prides herself on building strong, trusting relationships that support her clients through challenging times. With 23 years of legal experience, Joanne began her career in 2001 and qualified as a solicitor in 2005, she initially specialised in residential and commercial property law before transitioning to Court of Protection work in 2012. Over the years, she has held senior roles, including Head of Department and as Professional Trustee and Financial Deputy in her role as a Director of a Trust Corporation. Her property law background uniquely complements her Court of Protection work, particularly when purchasing homes for clients, ensuring a smooth process and delivering life-changing outcomes. Joanne finds great fulfilment in helping clients rebuild their lives after life-altering injuries. She values the opportunity to make a positive difference, even when faced with complex and unpredictable challenges. Coming from a working-class background as the first in her family to pursue higher education, Joanne is proud of her journey and aims to inspire aspiring lawyers from all backgrounds. As a committee member for Headway Liverpool, she helps organise events for service users and has raised over £2,500 through her passion for running with much more yet to come. Joanne is committed to using her expertise to advocate for vulnerable individuals, ensuring they receive the support and outcomes they deserve.

Senior Director Simon is a Senior Director with an incredible proven track record of success and an extremely respectable reputation as a legal professional. Amongst his accolades, Simon is listed in the Legal 500 Hall of Fame, recommended as a Legal 500 Leading Lawyer in the Yorkshire and Humber region and recognised as a notable practitioner in the Chambers & Partners Directory. In addition to this, Simon is on the Solicitors Regulation Authority Clinical Negligence Panel and maintains a space on the Referral Panel of Action for Victims of Medical Accidents (AvMA). Simons long-spanning career has seen his gain extensive experience and skills in handling very high-value multi million pound complex clinical negligence claims, particularly relating to cerebral palsy, meningitis and erb’s palsy.

Senior Director & Head of Private Client

Partner & Head of Clinical Negligence Tim is a Partner and one of our Heads of Clinical Negligence at Fletchers and leads our Liverpool Clinical Negligence teams. Throughout his career has worked on claims of modest value, right through to multimillion pound clinical negligence cases, of utmost severity achieving successful outcomes for the most vulnerable clients and families. Now, Tim oversees the technical legal aspects of his teams cases, ensuring that we provide excellent client service throughout the whole litigation process. As a passionate manager and leader, Tim helps lead his team to delivering their KPI performance targets, helping to ensure the firm is working in the most efficient and productive manner possible and empowering his team leaders to deliver the businesses objectives. Tim also works closely with other departments within Fletchers to deliver company objectives as well as more widely across the Group. He serves as a key point of contact for external partners, developing excellent working relationships with Counsel and Agencies, working with the Fletchers Clinical Negligence Department. In addition to this, Tim is proud to hold a key leadership position in a Band 1 – Chambers & Partners firm and to be heading up one of the Fletchers Group offices to deliver and support growth of the company profile and the teams in Liverpool. He continues to enjoy working on a wide range of clinical negligence cases.

Legal Director Dan acts for clients in complex cases all over the country, with particular interest in spinal injury cases such as Cauda Equina Syndrome claims.  Since qualifying as a Solicitor, Dan has exclusively represented claimants in high value, complex, novel and high profile personal injury and medical negligence cases. Dan has always been an enthusiastic contributor to his local legal community, serving in many voluntary roles, including as Editor of the Leicestershire Law Society magazine and as President of the Leicestershire Medico-Legal Society. In 2021 Dan was awarded the accolade of Solicitor of the Year by the Leicestershire Law Society. Dan is currently on the Council of the Birmingham Medico-Legal Society. Throughout his career, Dan has always been an active member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL), previously being Secretary for the Product Liability Special Interest Group and Co-ordinator for the East Midlands Group.

Associate Gemma is an Associate Solicitor within the Clinical Negligence Team at Fletchers. The Team has experience in dealing with a variety of Medical Negligence cases against NHS Hospital Trusts, General and Private Practitioners. Gemma has experience in advising on a range of Medical Negligence claims, to include delays in diagnosing and treating Cauda Equina Syndrome, representing clients on matters arising from complications with pregnancy, gynaecological injuries, negligent misdiagnosis, delays in diagnosing fractures and psychiatric injuries. Gemma is also on the committee for the Leicestershire Junior Lawyers Division. Gemma enjoys helping clients through times which can be extremely difficult, in the hope to obtain answers in respect of the care they have received. Gemma believes it is important for clients to obtain closure from what can be a challenging experience.

Formerly of Minton Morrill, Sahida is a Partner and heads the Birth Injury Team in Leeds. She has over 27 years’ experience in representing claimants in complex and high value medical negligence claims, often involving birth injuries, cerebral palsy or other brain injuries. She frequently represents claimants achieving multi million-pound settlements. They include children who have cerebral palsy of varying severity as a result of events surrounding their birth, claims involving children who suffer with Kernicterus causing a brain injury as a result of undiagnosed neonatal jaundice and brain injuries caused by untreated hypoglycaemia as recent examples. Sahida is an accredited member of the Law Society Clinical Negligence Panel as well as a member of the AvMA (Action for Victims of Medical Accidents) panel, a quality mark for those lawyers who place clients at the centre of everything they do and who are prepared to go that extra mile. Sahida has consistently been ranked as a leading individual The Legal 500 which recognises top performers as well as being recognised as a Specialist Practitioner in Chambers and Partners, another Legal directory that lists the best lawyers and legal practices. Sahida was also nominated as Lawyer of the Year 2023 and 2024 in the Insurance Category by the Legal 500 Northern Powerhouse awards. She was also shortlisted in 2024 for the Yorkshire Lawyer Awards under the “Partner of the Year” category.

Partner and Clinical Negligence Solicitor Francesca Paul is a Partner at Fletchers Solicitors and a lead lawyer in the firm’s renowned Group Actions team. She brings extensive experience in complex group litigation, with a particular focus on medical negligence. Highly regarded for her strategic approach and deep legal knowledge, Francesca is known not just for the breadth of the cases she leads, but for the compassion and commitment she shows to each client. While her cases often involve large numbers of affected individuals, Francesca believes in seeing the person behind every claim- listening to their experiences, understanding their goals, and working tirelessly to achieve the justice they deserve. Francesca began her career in Nottingham, where she represented individuals who had suffered abuse while in local authority care. She played a key role in actions against Nottinghamshire County Council, advocating for survivors of abuse at Beechwood Community Home and other children’s homes across the East Midlands and London. Her work extended to representing clients in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), and she notably acted on behalf of the claimant in the landmark Supreme Court case Armes v Nottinghamshire County Council, which established the vicarious liability of local authorities for the actions of foster parents. Francesca is passionate about widening access to justice for those failed by the healthcare system or institutions in positions of trust. Her work combines legal excellence with a strong sense of empathy and purpose, making her a vital and respected leader in the Group Actions team and someone who is regularly asked to provide media commentary in her area.

Partner and Birth Injury Solicitor He is a member of the prestigious Specialist Clinical Negligence AvMA Panel and Law Society Clinical Negligence Accreditation Scheme. Guy is recognised by the top legal directories as an “Associate to Watch” (Chambers & Partners) and a “Next General Partner” (Legal 500). He was shortlisted for the “Rising Star of the Year” award in the North Powerhouse Awards (2024). Guy has extensive experience with complex and very high value cases with a particular focus on cerebral palsy birth injury claims. He has settled cases in excess of £12 million and is currently instructed on a range of other birth injury cases likely to settle in excess of £15 million. Guy is passionate about his clients, access to justice and improving NHS care. He has worked as a claimant clinical negligence lawyer since qualification at another leading law firm in London in 2011.

Partner Highly regarded by her clients, Susan is described as caring, patient, and understanding. She is known for her ability to listen carefully and provide reassurance throughout the legal process. Susan supports clients with a diverse range of claims across clinical negligence, including brain injury and spinal cases, birth injury cases, cases arising from sub-standard surgery, failure to diagnose/treat cancer, sepsis, and fatalities. She holds a Senior Litigator status with the Association of Personal Injury Solicitors (APIL), and is ranked in both Chambers and Partners and also in the Legal 500 as a Leading Individual. Susan strives to achieve the best possible outcomes for her clients and is dedicated to fighting their corner, ensuring that their interests are always at the forefront of her efforts. She is committed to providing the highest level of support, legal advice, and compensation for her clients. She understands the importance of handling matters both efficiently and compassionately for clients who are struggling to come to terms with the impact of their injuries or the injuries suffered by their loved ones.

Partner Natasha is a Partner in the Medical Negligence department at Fletchers. She qualified as a solicitor in 2009 after already working in clinical negligence for one year during her training contract. Natasha has been ranked in the Legal 500 as rising star, and more recently a next generation partner and described in the same directory as ‘exceptionally well prepared, very bright and focussed. Natasha never misses a point and always gets the very best for clients. Natasha has a very caring way with clients and gives them sensible practical advice.’ Similarly, Natasha is ranked in Chambers and Partners, and has been described as ‘phenomenally bright, extremely hard working and very determined’, and as ‘an exceptionally able solicitor who never gives the opposition an inch. Tireless, tenacious and fierce.’ Natasha has a varied caseload of serious injury claims against NHS trusts, private hospitals/practitioners and General Practitioners. She has particular experience in cases relating to spinal injury, often caused by cauda equina syndrome, abscess/discitis, myelopathy, tumour , trauma and haematoma/stroke. Natasha also specialises in brain injury, and in particular stroke, Wernicke’s encephalopathy, and birth/hypoxic injury. She also has experience in a wide range of cases such as surgical error, gynaecological injury, sepsis/infection, and ophthalmic injuries. She represents adults and children and acts on behalf of claimants only. She also has experience of assisting clients during the inquest process and representing families in the Coroners’ Courts throughout the country. Natasha has a reputation for achieving positive outcomes where cases are particularly difficult, novel or have complex loss of earnings arguments.

Associate & Chartered Legal Executive Helen is a highly experienced Associate, Chartered Legal Executive and Team Leader with two decades of dedicated service in the legal field. With a prior specialisation in personal injury law, Helen has spent the last 10 years focusing on clinical negligence claims, demonstrating her expertise in complex areas of law. In her role, Helen manages a small caseload of clinical negligence claims while also leading and developing a team of legal professionals. She holds overall responsibility for handling and progressing cases, ensuring the best possible outcomes for clients. Her team covers a wide spectrum of clinical negligence claims, addressing various aspects of healthcare and treatment. Helen's extensive experience and expertise encompass all types of clinical negligence claims, including those involving amputation and fatal injuries. Her commitment to her clients is evident in her dedication to supporting them throughout their claims process and achieving the best possible outcome on their behalf. Throughout her career, Helen takes immense pride in her work, particularly in the positive impact she has made on her clients' lives. Her ability to navigate complex legal matters with compassion and skill has earned her the respect of her colleagues and clients alike.

Andrea Rusbridge

Consultant Andrea is an experienced Partner and Solicitor with over 35 years experience in her field. Andrea qualified as a solicitor in 1989 having joined a previous firm as a trainee where she gained experience in personal injury for both claimants and defendants. From 1990 onwards Andrea undertook only claimant work and increased her experience of medical negligence work, before being promoted to Associate Solicitor. Over the years, she has continued to gain experience in personal injury and clinical negligence, increasing her medical negligence practice and successfully becoming a Partner in 1995. She has exclusively specialised in clinical negligence cases only since 1996. In 1998 Andrea was accepted onto the AvMA panel of specialist solicitors and has retained that accreditation ever since. Andrea sat on the legal aid assessment panel, where she dealt with appeals against decisions by the legal aid agency and continued to volunteer for this for four years. Andrea is now a CEDR accredited mediator having completed the 5 day CEDR mediation course in October 2019. With vast experience in many types of medical negligence case, including cerebral palsy, birth injury, obstetrics, gynaecology, vascular, amputation, cardiology, and delayed diagnosis of cancer, wrongful birth, neurological injury and cauda equina, Andrea is an expert in her field. She regards her legal expertise primarily as the means to help rebuild the lives of people and their families who have been injured as a result of negligent medical treatment and maintains that it is important to provide support and understanding throughout the process as well as achieving the best outcome that she can for her client.

Partner & Clinical Negligence Solicitor Margaret is a Partner and Clinical Negligence Solicitor specialising in birth injury claims. She has over 17 years of experience to her name and boasts accreditations from APIL (Association of Personal Injury Lawyers) as both a Senior Litigator and Clinical Negligence Specialist. She has represented clients in variety of claims involving medical negligence, such as delay in diagnosis, negligent surgery claims, fatal claims, and has experience of running cases up to and including Trial. Her particular area of expertise is in cases involving significant brain injuries in children due to birth injury, delayed treatment of meningitis, herpes simplex virus, and wrongful birth injury claims. She is passionate about working closely with clients to understand the circumstances surrounding their medical mistreatment and strives to provide them with answers and closure. Margaret finds it rewarding to see her clients receive compensation that can be used to fund essential care, therapies, and equipment that improves their quality of life. She also finds fulfilment when her work leads to policy changes, such as the implementation of a "blue light" process for delivering emergency blood supplies at an independent treatment centre after a tragic case she handled. In addition to her casework, Margaret is passionate about training and mentoring new paralegals and trainee solicitors, helping them develop the knowledge and skills they need to advance their legal careers. She takes great pride in seeing them flourish in post-qualification roles.

Partner & Medical Product Liability Solicitor Sarah is a Partner at Fletchers and co-leads our specialist Medical Product Liability team , a growing and dynamic department. With 15 years of legal experience, 12 of which have been served as a qualified solicitor, Sarah brings deep expertise and insight to this emerging area of litigation. Her work involves advancing claims under the Consumer Protection Act and in negligence against manufacturers and distributors of defective medical products. These claims are often pursued as group action claims, enabling individuals with shared experiences to join together, pool resources, and access justice that might otherwise be out of reach. Sarah’s background spans both Claimant and Defendant clinical negligence work. Her caseload has included high-value and sensitive claims involving delayed cancer diagnoses, obstetric injuries, orthopaedic negligence, maternal birth trauma, psychiatric harm, and fatal outcomes. This dual perspective has equipped her with a strategic, balanced approach that benefits the clients she now represents. Sarah is particularly passionate about group litigation, which she sees as a powerful tool to amplify the voices of people harmed by major healthcare failings. She brings empathy, tenacity, and purpose to her work, striving to secure meaningful outcomes for her clients. A proud moment in her career was working on the Transvaginal Mesh litigation—England’s first successful group action on behalf of women injured by pelvic mesh implants. The claims led to accountability from several major pharmaceutical companies and brought justice to women who had long been ignored.

Partner & Head of Medical Negligence Emma is a Partner, Solicitor and Head of Clinical Negligence. She assists with the overall running of the department and oversees the Clinical Negligence teams at the Leeds office.  Emma has specialised in clinical negligence for over a decade. She has a determined to represent clients who don’t have a voice and to make a difference to their lives.  For over a decade she has provided high quality, potentially life altering legal representation to hundreds of clients across a wide range of clinical negligence claims.

Denise Stephens

Partner Denise is a partner working in the medical negligence department at Fletchers Solicitors. Denise is one of the country’s leading medical negligence specialist solicitors. She is head of a specialist national clinical negligence group within our team in Reading and, although based in Reading, Denise travels extensively throughout England and Wales representing her catastrophically brain injured clients. Denise is renowned for her work involving babies injured at birth such as cerebral palsy but also have vast experience across a wide and diverse range of medical cases. She has 20 years of expertise in handling numerous serious brain injury claims for patients across a wide medical spectrum. Denise is passionate about fighting for the rights of injured patients, she is focused, approachable and sympathetic. Denise gets to the centre of an issue quickly and with expertise. In particular, she holds a special bond with the Encephalitis Society and she is extremely proud of having been shortlisted alongside the Encephalitis Society for the 2018 ‘Partnership with a Health Charity’ Better Society Award.

Kirsty Thomas-Horton

Partner, Solicitor & Head of Charities and Partnerships Kirsty strives to make life easier for those who have suffered life-changing injuries, offering guidance throughout the claim. She’s also committed to various charity projects, previously raising over £11,000 for the Southport Spinal Centre.

Senior Associate Simon has been dealing with personal injury and clinical negligence claims since 1992, and qualified as a Legal Executive in 1997. Since 2008 Simon has concentrated on clinical negligence claims. Simon has a wide-ranging practice with a special interest in Fatal claims, claims involving laparoscopic surgery, orthopaedic claims and delays in diagnosing cancer. Currently, Simon is also dealing with claims involving failures in diagnosing metabolic disorders, wrongful birth claims and Medical Products liability claims. He knows that bringing a claim for clinical negligence can be a stressful experience not just for the injured person, but their families, and how important it is to ensure his clients understand the process of attempting to rebuild lives.

Partner Nick Tubb is a partner in the national medical negligence team based at the Birmingham office. Nick has specialised in acting exclusively on behalf of patients and their families for over 20 years and is an accredited member of the solicitor referral panel of the patient charity, AvMA (Action Against Medical Accidents). He has dealt with a broad range of cases throughout his career with a particular focus on complex spinal and brain injury. He is interested in obtaining answers for patients and in achieving full value outcomes in difficult cases. Alongside his many years of legal experience, Nick has also been recognised for a number of years as a leading specialist in Chambers UK and the Legal 500 directories.

Partner Kashmir is a medical negligence solicitor who has a wealth of experience in the field. Her experience speaks for itself, having previously been a Partner and joint national lead for clinical negligence at a national law firm, where she also ran the local team. Kashmir won the accolade of ‘Partner of the Year’ at the Birmingham Law Society Awards 2018, beating off competition from several big name firms, in part in recognition of her work on behalf of patients injured by rogue breast surgeon Mr Ian Paterson. She was also won ‘Clinical Negligence Lawyer of the Year’ at the national Eclipse Proclaim Personal Injury Awards in November 2018. Again, along with other considerations, her campaign to expose Ian Paterson’s criminal behaviour and deliver justice to those he injured impressed the judges who unanimously agreed to award her this prestigious title. She has been a member of the Law Society’s specialist clinical panel since 2004, having specialised in clinical negligence since 1996. Most of her clients have suffered significant and serious injuries and her extensive experience results in multi million pound settlements. These cases include children and young adults who have suffered brain injury at the time of or shortly after birth. In addition she has worked on a range of complex cases including birth injuries, amputations, spinal cord, head injuries and fatalities, securing significant compensation.

Partner & Head of Birth Injury Unit Trevor is an incredibly respected and knowledgeable solicitor with almost 40 years’ experience, dealing with complex, catastrophic clinical negligence cases. Throughout his illustrious career, he has recovered multi-million pounds in damages. Trevor is the current Chief Assessor for the Law Society’s Clinical Negligence Panels. Prior to this, Trevor had also been an assessor for the panel since it’s inception in 1994. In addition, he is also a member and the former Chair of FOCIS (Forum of Complex Injury Solicitors) and a fellow of APIL (Association of Personal Injury Lawyers). Trevor has lead on many notable cases, including the PTSD group action against the Ministry of Defence and the Thompstone group of cases on the indexation of periodical payment orders. In his role, he works directly with many of the UK’s leading Counsel and experts. Trevor’s caseload ranges from cases valued at over £100,000 to over £23 million, cases that have seen him act in birth injury mediations and achieve many lifechanging settlements for vulnerable individuals and their families. In addition to his individual achievements, Trevor and his team won Case of the Year award at the Person Injury Awards in 2023 for a birth injury liability trial. Trevor was also present at the formation of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) over twenty years ago and the Society of Clinical Injury Lawyers (SCIL).

Principal Associate Pam is a medical negligence Principal Associate with over 18 years' experience in advising people who have suffered injury due to medical errors. Pam has experience in dealing with a wide range of cases, including orthopaedic injuries, gynaecological procedures resulting in fertility and urological issues, stillbirths, delays in diagnosis and claims involving babies and children. Pam has a passion for improving patient care and in the management of their needs after life changing injuries. She has a sibling with cerebral palsy and has firsthand experience of the impact on the individual and their families, as well as a real understanding of what their needs are.

Principle Associate Dr James Wright is a Principal Associate in our medical negligence team. James obtained science based BSc (Hons) and PhD degrees before studying law and qualifying as a solicitor in 2002. James acts solely for patients and their families and has had experience of dealing with all aspects of medical negligence claims since 2000; and has specialised solely in this field since 2003. In addition to his legal career, James is also an experienced public speaker and has lectured to both scientific and legal audiences. As well as this, he has published articles on topics of general medico-legal interest and has had some of his successfully concluded medical negligence cases reported in publications such as Clinical Risk and PI Focus. James is a member of the AvMA Clinical Negligence Panel, the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, The Northamptonshire Law Society, The Birmingham Law Society, The Leicestershire Medico-Legal Society, The Nottinghamshire Medico-Legal Society; and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine.