Our team of contributors are all members of the clinical negligence department at Outer Temple Chambers.
To find out more about any of member please contact Paul Barton on +44(0) 207 427 4907 or email paul.barton@outertemple.com.
Paul is a Practice Director at Outer Temple Chambers with responsibility of the clinical negligence department, assisted by a team of experienced Practice Managers. He keeps a strong hand in the day-to-day running of the department including practice development, diary management and fee negotiations. Paul has a high profile at talks and seminars up and down the country. He is a member of PEOPIL (Pan-European Organisation of Personal Injury Lawyers), and in March 2019 Paul was on the committee which successfully brought together lawyers from all over Europe for a two-day conference in Manchester.
For any enquiries about our team of contributors to this blog please contact Paul on +44(0) 207 427 4907 or email paul.barton@outertemple.com
Sarah acts in complex liability and causation disputes arising out of clinical negligence. She is regularly instructed on behalf of NHS-Resolution in a full range of claims including birth injury, surgical claims, cauda equina, brain injuries and fatal claims. She is experienced in handling multi-disciplinary expert cases and has acted successfully in claims raising issues of informed consent following the Montgomery decision. Sarah has been instructed in quantum cases in excess of £10m and appears regularly in settlement negotiations and mediations arising out of clinical negligence disputes. She regularly gives training and lectures on clinical negligence issues, including on the impact of developments in the law of informed consent in clinical practice for both clinicians and legal representatives of both claimants and defendants.
James is widely recognised in the field of clinical negligence, acting both for claimants and for defendants. James has recently acted on both sides in cases involving allegations of negligence in the fields of general surgery – failure to staple after bowel removal, failure to treat abscess leading to septicaemia and death, spinal surgery, orthopaedics, foot and back and knee surgery and failure to diagnose surgical error leading to leg amputation. Besides clinical issues, he has recently successfully acted for a patient in a consent case where the patient was not told of a late switch of clinician and in a Montgomery case in which failure to explain treatment options is alleged.
James is ranked by Chambers & Partners.
Matthew practises in the fields of clinical negligence, personal injury and sport. In the field of clinical negligence he has acted for claimants and defendants in a wide variety of high value claims. He prioritises the management of cases in a sensitive and inclusive manner. He has been instructed in high profile cases including those with significant liability and quantum issues, in excess of £10 million. Matthew has appeared in the “Spotlight Table” for industrial disease in Chambers & Partners.
Eliot specialises exclusively in the fields of clinical negligence and personal injury (domestic and international). His clinical negligence practice is wide ranging, representing both claimants and defendants, the NHSLA, MPS and MDU. He regularly appears in contested trials. Recent examples have been trials in the specialisms of haematology, accident and emergency medicine, cardiology, general surgery, vascular surgery, spinal surgery, orthopaedic surgery and ophthalmology.
He is ranked by Chambers & Partners and by Legal 500.
Jonathan has experience of a wide range of clinical negligence cases, acting on behalf of claimants, the NHSLA, and medical defence organisations. He is frequently instructed in cases involving complex liability issues and high value quantum, including claims arising from birth injury resulting in cerebral palsy and from other neurological injury. He has extensive experience of multi-party litigation, having acted in the claims arising out of the misdiagnosis and mistreatment of epilepsy at Leicester Royal Infirmary during the 1990s and was closely involved in the successful ADR process for those claims. He is a contributing editor of APIL’s Clinical Negligence co-writing the chapter on causation. He is a part-time judge in the Mental Health Tribunal.
He is ranked by Chambers & Partners and by Legal 500 in both Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury.
Rachel has over 20 years experience undertaking clinical negligence cases. During this time she has been involved in cases covering nearly all areas of clinical specialism. Rachel undertakes work in the Coroner’s court, CICA and has litigated a civil jury trial. In recent years she has gained considerable expertise litigating high value birth injury, neurological and spinal injury claims. She is instructed on behalf of Claimants and by the NHS Resolution, MDU and MPS. She is dedicated to achieving the best result for her clients in a wholly compassionate manner.
She is ranked by Chambers & Partners and by Legal 500.
Louis is sports lawyer with a successful and established practice in this area but also with a keen interest in negligence cases. Louis acts in clinical negligence cases involving delayed and missed diagnosis, implantation errors, lack of consent and non-performance of clinical obligations for both physicians and veterinarians and their patients. He is regularly instructed in complicated and high value claims in JSM and Mediation.
He is a hugely experienced advocate, greatly enjoys his work and is tireless in his pursuit of his client’s objectives. He accepts instructions on a Direct Access basis in appropriate cases.
Louis is ranked as a leading sports junior in Chambers & Partners and Legal 500.
Harriet has specialised in clinical negligence for over 20 years. She undertakes a full range of clinical negligence work for both claimants and defendants. She acts as a junior in high-value brain and spinal injury cases, but mainly represents clients as sole Counsel in a range of mid to high value cases, instructed by leading firms. Harriet’s work encompasses a whole range of medical issues, from surgical negligence and delayed diagnoses to birth and spinal injuries. Her recent experience includes Erb’s palsy cases, claims arising from negligent psychiatric care, Fatal Accident Act cases and negligence in surgery and obstetrics.
She is ranked by Legal 500.
Dan practises in personal injury and clinical negligence. He has particular expertise in cases with an international element, including claims raising conflicts of law and jurisdictional issues. He also has experience of acting in claims in other jurisdictions including in the Privy Council and in Jersey. He undertakes clinical negligence work for both claimants and defendants and receives regular instructions from NHS Trusts. He is an accredited mediator.
He is ranked by Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 for his personal injury work.
David qualified in medicine and practised as a junior doctor in both medicine and surgery prior to joining the Bar. He has since built a broad ranging, complex, clinical and dental negligence practice. He has advised in cases encompassing a range of specialisations and regularly advises in conference and in writing on all aspects of clinical negligence claims. He is adept at handling expert witnesses in conference and at Trial. David has gained considerable experience of acting at inquests in the Coroner’s Court for the families of people believed to have died as a result of clinical negligence.
He is recommended in Chambers & Partners.
Ben’s clinical negligence practice exclusively focuses on serious injury work, spanning across all areas of medicine. He has particular expertise in birth injury, adult brain injury; spinal injury cases and amputation cases. Ben goes to trial regularly; succeeding for claimants on liability, variously in amputation; spinal injury and urology cases in the past 24 months. Ben receives regular instructions from the major Medical Defence Organisations, with a particular expertise of representing medical practitioners at Inquests, and in civil proceedings.
He is ranked by Chambers & Partners and by Legal 500.
Robert specialises in clinical negligence where he has been ranked as a leading junior for several years. He acts for patients, Trusts, private providers and individual clinicians alike, in civil claims and at inquests. His practice spans the full clinical spectrum and he is regularly instructed in the most complex liability and quantum disputes. He is also a member of the Attorney-General’s B Panel, representing Government departments in clinical negligence and broader healthcare litigation. He is currently instructed for MOD in the Q Fever Litigation and DHSC in the Hormone Pregnancy Test Litigation. He is co-author the causation chapters of the APIL Clinical Negligence textbook and Personal Injury loose-leaf. Robert is ranked in Legal 500.
Will regularly advises and drafts pleadings for both Claimants and Defendants in cases involving a wide range of clinical disputes. In addition to being instructed as sole counsel, he has acted as a junior in more valuable and/or complex cases. He also appears at inquests, representing families and also NHS institutions, which has given him additional experience of questioning medical witnesses and advocacy in a health-care context.
He has experience of a wide range of clinical disputes, including negligent failures to diagnose conditions ranging from cancer and cauda equina syndrome to orthopaedic injuries, surgical negligence (including bowel perforations), and negligent failure to treat psychiatric patients leading to suicide.
Tom has specialised in clinical negligence since joining Chambers in 2011. He acts for claimants and defendants across a wide variety of areas, including delayed diagnoses of cancer, neurosurgery and spinal injury, injuries at birth, general surgery, orthopaedic surgery, and psychiatric injury. He also does high value personal injury work, with a particular focus on brain injury, spinal cord injury, and amputation claims. Tom has a niche sports law ‘cross-over’ clinical negligence practice, featuring sportspeople (both professionals and amateurs) whose careers have been ended following medical treatment
He is ranked by Chambers & Partners and Legal 500.
Imogen represents both claimants and defendants in her clinical negligence work. Recent work includes advising and drafting on negligent cosmetic orthodontic treatment, advising and drafting in an alleged negligent injury during a hysterectomy with complex issues of causation and representing the family of a vulnerable young adult who died as a result of aspiration pneumonia, whilst in respite care.
Olinga has a wide ranging clinical negligence practice and is recognised as a Rising Star by Legal 500 for his clinical negligence work where he is described as an ‘impressive junior’. He has experience of cases spanning a range of areas of clinical specialism. He advises, drafts pleadings and attends court hearings, including costs and case management and interim hearings. Olinga is highly numerate and is adept at drafting complex schedules of loss.
Before law, Olinga achieved a Double First in Physics and Philosophy as an undergraduate at Oxford University and a Masters in the Philosophy of Physics with distinction, graduating top of his year in all four years of study.
Patrick Tomison accepts instructions across all areas of work undertaken in chambers, including employment, commercial and chancery, pensions, clinical negligence, and personal injury, and public law. Patrick joined Outer Temple in September 2019 upon successful completion of his pupillage.
Prior to pupillage, Patrick worked in the Court of Appeal as the judicial assistant to Sir Ernest Ryder, the Senior President of Tribunals. He assisted the Senior President with appeals in a wide range of fields, including employment, clinical negligence, public law, commercial, and immigration.
Carin acts for both claimants and defendants. She has experience of claims brought under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976 and has been instructed to advise on liability and quantum in claims arising from various circumstances including contraction of MRSA on a ward, delayed diagnosis, failure to promptly treat an aneurysm (resulting in death), failure to properly consent patients for surgeries, misdiagnosis and falls in hospital.
She also acts in CCMCs and has experience of acting for parties at mediation.
Courtney joined Chambers as a tenant in 2020 following the successful completion of her pupillage. Courtney has experienced a wide range of matters related to personal injury and clinical negligence during pupillage. In particular, Courtney was exposed to claims involving the Athens Convention and claims brought under the Package Travel Regulations 1992. Courtney has also worked on infant approval settlements and criminal injuries compensation claim work.
She is a member of the Attorney General’s Junior Junior scheme.
