Mr Charles Atkins > Gordons Partnership 2020 Limited > Guildford, England > Lawyer Profile

Gordons Partnership 2020 Limited
EDGEBOROUGH HOUSE
UPPER EDGEBOROUGH ROAD
GUILDFORD
GU1 2BJ
England

Work Department

Healthcare.

Charles was a partner at two leading national defendant healthcare firms for 10 years based in London before joining Gordons Partnership in 2007. He worked on and led teams in the defence of clinical negligence claims, regulatory and disciplinary matters on behalf of healthcare practitioners and NHS bodies and represented clients at inquests. His clients included Medical Defence Organisations, private hospital groups and their insurers, individuals and NHS bodies. In 2007 Charles set up and established our Healthcare department. He now leads a team of lawyers in our Guildford office dealing with claims, regulatory and disciplinary matters, inquests, criminal allegations, contract disputes on behalf of healthcare practitioners and recently, the addition of a team specialising in the representation of care providers. The team has grown significantly in size during that time to become one of the largest defendant healthcare practices in the South East.

His expertise is in defending healthcare clinicians on behalf of a leading Medical Defence Organisation in claims of clinical negligence, disciplinary proceedings and disputes between clinicians and their contract holders. He also undertakes regulatory work on behalf of practitioners before the General Medical Council, General Dental Council, General Pharmaceutical Council and other regulatory bodies. In addition, he provides advice and representation at inquests along with statutory criminal prosecutions and other healthcare advisory services. He regularly advises in some of the highest value and complex claims with particular expertise in spinal, brain and vascular cases leading to amputation.

The healthcare team provides high quality, pragmatic and commercial advice on a wide range of disputes to organisations and individuals. He is proud of the achievements of the team which has been recognised in the Legal 500 as being ranked as a Tier 1 Clinical Negligence defendant firm. Charles is also a recognised leader in the field of defendant healthcare work and has been described in another Legal Directory (Chambers) as being a “sound practitioner with a deep knowledge of this area of law” with “a wealth of experience defending healthcare professionals”. 

Position

Partner and Head of Department since joining Gordons in 2007.  Work undertaken includes defending claims of clinical negligence, representing clients at Inquests and Inquiries and representing professionals before their Regulatory bodies.

Career

Articled at Walker Martineau, London 1989-1991.  LeBrasseurs (and successor practices including Radcliffes Le Brasseur) 1991-2005 also in London; Partner from 1996.  Partner at Bevan Brittain, London 2005-2006.

Languages

English

Memberships

Law Society and Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers

Education

1988 BA Hons in Law and Accountancy; 1988/89 Chester Law School (Law Society Finals)

Lawyer Rankings

South East > Insurance > Clinical negligence: defendant

(Leading individuals)

Charles AtkinsGordons Partnership 2020 Limited

Gordons Partnership 2020 Limited comes recommended as ‘a really high quality team doing complex and high value clinical negligence work for the biggest players in the defendant market’ and advises on a plethora of catastrophic injury cases. Two lawyers jointly head up the Guildford-based team: spinal and brain injury expert Charles Atkins leads in conjunction with Iain Pickering, who is vastly experienced on high value claims which typically involve catastrophic injuries and multi-party litigation. Alison Harden is similarly well-versed in clinical negligence defence, having acted on behalf of the NHS and leading medical defence organisations. Suzie McCluney  and Carla Applegate  are fellow key contacts within the department.

London > Dispute resolution > Professional discipline

The epitome of excellence and professional experience‘, Gordons Partnership 2020 Limited is consistently mandated by medical defence organisations on high-profile matters, particularly in relation to doctors, dentists, nurses and pharmacists. Richard Creamer is a highly experienced regulatory practitioner; Charles Atkins acts for doctors and dentists in professional conduct matters; Iain Pickering represents doctors, nurses and midwives before their professional bodies; and recently-promoted partner Susan Hunneyball has significant experience in advising healthcare and social care clients. Within the associate pool, Lily Rose Lloyd is ‘always on top of the brief‘, while Brendan Costello also acts in healthcare disciplinary matters.