Peter leads the Medical Negligence Serious Injury department, which now boasts some of our most knowledgeable, dedicated and hardworking team members.

Peter is dedicated to supporting victims of catastrophic medical negligence injuries and endeavours to provide a clear and coherent approach to claims. He recognises the effects serious injuries can have and therefore ensures his customers’ need for support is met. Peter also has a vast amount of experience working with customers who have been injured abroad and is able to act under international law to provide the best outcomes.

Christian is Head of Medical Negligence at Patient Claim Line and has specialised in clinical negligence claims since qualifying in 1998; having dealt with a wide variety of claims throughout his career. He is also featured in the Legal 500 as a recommended claimant solicitor in the North West.

Christian qualified as a solicitor in 1998, specialising in clinical negligence. From 2010 onward he has had a particular interest in gynaecological and urogynaecological claims, having represented 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. The development of this area involved pursuing claims under a unique ADR protocol with the NHS and also looking to develop the current thinking on the valuation of compensation for complex urinary symptoms. He has successfully recovered hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation on behalf of my clients.

Christian was also involved in setting up and chairing a Claimant Support Group for those involved in the Rowland litigation, which provided a discussion forum for the many women who were left isolated and damaged by negligent gynaecological treatment. He now co-ordinates the firm’s mesh claims and has delivered training and commented extensively on the medico-legal implications of urogynaecological / mesh complications. He is a member of APIL, Liverpool Law Society and Legal 500 recommended.

Francesca Paul is an Associate, Senior Solicitor and Team Leader within the Clinical Negligence Department.  She is one of the driving Solicitors in the Group Litigation Team dealing with this niche and specialist area of work that Fletchers undertakes.   

Francesca previously worked in Nottingham, dealing with Group Action work.  She now works at Fletchers, bringing with her those years of experience heading up a team of 10 people.  Francesca is involved in the early identification of potential new Group Litigation Work and analyses information from the collective pool of new enquiries into the business, of which there are hundreds per week looking for hot spots or recurrent issues which might suggest a potential pool of Claimants.   

One of the highlights for Francesca and her team is that they have successfully recovered over a million pounds in compensation for clients who have received treatment from a single orthopaedic surgeon who was operating in the Colchester area.  Her role requires a specific set of skills, patience and a forensic approach to detail whilst being able to see the wider picture.   

Francesca has previously acted for a claimant in a case that reached the Supreme Court in the case of NA v Nottinghamshire County Council. 

Sion is a team leader and senior solicitor with many years’ experience in dealing with a wide range of medical specialisms and different types of injuries. He is an experienced medical negligence solicitor and manages a team of lawyers within our department.

Sion joined Fletchers in 2018 as a Team Leader in the Medical Negligence Department. Throughout his 24 year legal career, he has specialised in conducting medical negligence claims on behalf of Claimants, previously working for other highly ranked leading firms in the field.

He has undertaken claims covering the full spectrum of medical specialisms, clinical settings, categories of defendant and types of negligent medical care and treatment.
These include high value and complex maximum severity cases, such as those involving limb amputations and permanent neurological injuries.

Sion is experienced at representing bereaved families at inquests and has a particular interest in fatal accident claims.

Notable Cases

JI v Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Trust: £1.25m recovered for client left paraplegic after spinal anaesthesia.

RS v Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: £150,000 recovered for client in respect of a failure to recognise complications after a kidney transplant, where her father was the donor.

JN v MA: £100,000 recovered for a client who suffered 2 years persistent pain and disability after knee replacement surgery undertaken as a private patient.

CS v Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust: £400,000 recovered for a child who sustained Erb’s palsy during her delivery.

WO’C (Deceased) v Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; £450,000 recovered for the family of the deceased who died as a result of a delay in diagnosing a brain tumour.

Maya is a Solicitor with 17 years’ experience acting exclusively for injured claimants, with a sole focus on medical negligence work since 2015.  She deals with a wide range of complex, high value and often life-changing cases including birth injuries, delay in diagnosis of cancer and other conditions, surgical errors, spinal/orthopaedic injuries, amputations and fatal accident claims. 

Client feedback 

“I would like to thank you so much for the support you have shown me. You gave me hope with compassion and professionalism”.

“Maya helped through a stressful situation with good communications, and I was kept well up to date with each stage of the claim.”

“Maya is a determined and focused litigator who identifies the key points in a case at an early stage and sets the claim up for success.  She is excellent with clients (many of whom require special attention having been the victims of clinical negligence and suffered serious injuries).  She keeps them wholly involved in the twists and turns of litigation which can become complex, so that they feel ownership of the process and the outcome.” 

Accreditations 

“Maya Patel is very able and competent, especially with complex claims” – Legal 500, 2020

Maya Patel has a “great deal of experience in dealing with the most serious and complicated of cases and brings this to bear in her forensic analysis of difficult cases” – Legal 500, 2019

Kate is a Clinical Negligence Solicitor with over a decade of civil litigation experience.

Having joined the business in 2016 as a Solicitor/Specialist Litigator in the Medical Negligence Department, she was quickly recognised, both internally and externally, for her solid performance, high technical skills in civil litigation and excellent customer care. Thereafter, she joined Serious Injury Clinical Negligence Team specialising in high value amputation cases, brain and spinal injuries, but also ophthalmic, paediatric, colorectal, neurological and neurosurgical matters; orthopaedic, obstetrics and gynaecological, and complex fatal incidents.

Kate’s Team is a designated Team to deal with amputation cases. She has 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 a multiple nominee for the Lawyer of the Year Award.

In addition, she was ranked in the Legal 500 as one of only three Medical Negligence Lawyers in the North West in the Rising Star category in 2019 and retained her status since.

Client feedback

“My case handler Kate was brilliant! I could not be happier with how hard she and others from Fletchers fought for me to have the best outcome. Although I know I have hard days ahead I can finally move on with my life and make plans. Thank you. Oh, I honestly can’t thank you and the whole team enough! You’ve been absolutely amazing! I’ll miss our catch ups ”

“The way my case has been handled and the way I have been treated deserve a higher score than 10/10.”

“I wanted to say a big Thank You for everything you have done for me. I wanted to let you know that I was happy with you as my solicitor.  I just wanted to let you know that I appreciated all our talks. You really did help me in some very dark times. I’ll always think of you as my saviour”

“My solicitor Kate has been excellent and has kept me informed of the progress of my case at all times. I feel very happy with Kate and the empathic way she has dealt with me.”

“If Kate had got this case from the start, would have been over a long time ago, she has been fantastic”

“I would like to thank you and all the team at Fletchers for the way that you have dealt with my claim and the empathy shown. I cannot speak highly enough if the service I received. My case was dealt with in an efficient way from all members of the team. A special thank you to Kate for her quick responses to queries and her empathy.”

“Once again thank you for all your hard work settling my claim. Fantastic service. I was kept fully up to date with my case at all times whether it was by phone or email. Will definitely recommend.”

“ If I was able to meet each and everyone of the team, who cared and in many ways ‘protected’ me, I would hug them. They became ‘friends and family’. Thank you so very much”

“Thank you for your email you put a smile on my face this is great news. Thank you for all your help and hard work I understand it has been a hard job and I appreciate everything that you have done and being understanding in my case. You have been helpful and kept me updated in the process and progress with this matter”

Notable Cases

Post 4th degree tear incontinence case of CJ -v- Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust (2022) [£800,000.00]

Settled liability 65/35 for a minor EB -v- Dr Marshall (2022)

LB v ROYAL FREE LONDON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST (2021)

EDWARDS  v DR SPILL (2020) [£826,000]

RA -v  KING’S COLLEGE HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST (2020) [£400,000]

Kouakou -v Dr Agarwal (2020) [£700,000.00]

BRITTAN v UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF LEICESTER NHS TRUST (2019)

FG v BOLTON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST (2019)

MORGANS v SOUTHPORT AND ORMSKIRK HOSPITAL NHS TRUST (2019)

KNJB v AIREDALE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST (2018)

SANDBACH v EAST CHESHIRE NHS TRUST (2019)

S v EAST KENT HOSPITALS UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST (2019)

SMITH v SHERWOOD FOREST HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST (2018)

ESSERY v UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF LEICESTER NHS TRUST (2018)

BEECROFT v ROYAL BERKSHIRE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST (2018)

SAMINA ZAIDI v LEWISHAM AND GREENWICH NHS TRUST (2018)

Published Cases

LB v ROYAL FREE LONDON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST (2021)

The claimant, a sixty-three-year-old woman, received £250,000 total damages after her cervical cancer remained undiagnosed and untreated for two years when a cervical smear in 2015 was incorrectly reported as normal. As a result the claimant’s tumour became surgically inoperable and she needed chemoradiation treatment which would otherwise have been avoided. That treatment led to ongoing bowel issues, severe discomfort and had a limiting effect on her mobility, her general functioning and activities.

EDWARDS  v DR SPILL (2020) [£826,000]

The claimant, a 48-year-old woman, received £826,015 total damages for the delay in referral for further investigation of her eyes in June 2014. She underwent several unsuccessful eye operations and suffered an overall reduction in her vision from 15% to 80%.

RA -v  KING’S COLLEGE HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST (2020) [£400,000]

The claimant, a fifty-one-year-old woman, received £400,000 total damages following the continued prescribing of high dose steroid medication for a period of two years following an erroneous diagnosis of Crohn’s disease. The long-term consequences included a prolonged period of immune and adrenal suppression and development of Iatrogenic Cushing’s Syndrome and secondary Adrenal Insufficiency, which was likely to be permanent.

Kouakou -v Dr Agarwal (2020) [£700,000.00]

The claimant, a 53-year-old man, received £700,000 total damages for the injuries to his left eye he sustained as a result of the delay in the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma in July 2015. He suffered optic nerve damage to the left eye and lost 80-90% of the left eye visual field, with a poor long-term visual prognosis.

SINCLAIR v CITY HOSPITALS SUNDERLAND NHS FOUNDATION TRUST (2020) [ £350,000]

The claimant, a 27-year-old old woman, received £350,000 total damages for the injuries she sustained following negligent treatment for a closed comminuted fracture of the radial head in June and July 2015, although causation and injury were denied. She was left with a stiff elbow with 75 degrees fixed flexion deformity, requiring total elbow replacement within 10 years and repeated revision surgery thereafter and was unable to carry out personal care requiring bi-manual function.

MS v SHERWOOD FOREST HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST (2020)

The claimant, a 41-year-old man, received £140,000 total damages for the physical and psychological injuries that he sustained following a failure to diagnose septic arthritis in his knee in May 2015 although liability was denied. He suffered damage to the articular cartilage, post-traumatic stress disorder and severe adjustment disorder, had limited mobility and would require arthroplasty before the age of 50.

Amy is a well-respected Team Leader at Fletchers with over 15 years’ experience dealing with personal injury; specialising in clinical negligence since 2014.

She has a particular interest in deceased / preventable death claims, stillbirths, traumatic births, orthopaedic injuries, psychiatric injuries and group action work.

Amy’s caseload specialises in claims valued up to around £200,000. She is extremely passionate about how every Claimant, no matter how big or small their claim is, should have the access to legal representation having suffered clinical negligence.

Client Feedback

“Thanks so much for all your efforts on this. You’ve always taken time to explain everything to me. I’d definitely recommend Fletchers.”

“Very happy with how I’ve been looked after, Amy was so easy to get on with, explained everything.”

“My case handler (Amy) aways gave me good advice, and went over and above to make sure I was happy, but then again, all your staff have extremely helpful.  I cannot fault the service you have provided me.”

Notable Cases

(1) SC, (2) AC, (3) KC v (1) County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (2) South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: A deceased / preventable death claim of a 69 year old involving a delayed diagnosis of lung cancer. Achieved settlement for just short of £88,000.

X v Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust: A disputed stillbirth case including psychiatric injury. Achieved settlement for £30,500.

Iain is a senior solicitor and team leader, managing a team of lawyers and handling his own cases. He and his team specialise in catastrophic clinical negligence cases and he has recovered tens of millions of pounds in compensation for clients.  

Iain is predominantly instructed in claims exceeding £1million, usually in relation to brain injury, spinal cord injury and amputations. He practices almost exclusively in the High Court and is a solicitor-advocate. Iain has obtained many multi-million-pound settlements, either by way of a lump sum and/or annual payments. He consistently achieves significant settlements on exceptionally complex claims.     

Highlights of recently settled cases  

JH v Dr D – 2021 – £1,625,000.00 for a 61-year-old female who suffered a spinal stroke during back surgery in 2016 when her blood pressure was allowed to remain too low during the operation. Liability was disputed in full in an extremely complex case and the matter settled 2 weeks before a 5-day liability Trial was due to begin. 

SF v Barnsley Hospital – 2021 – £600,000.00 for a 67-year-old female for the hip and sciatic nerve injuries that she sustained following a fall when recovering from a hip replacement procedure in January 2015. She suffered an acetabular fracture, sciatic nerve injury and foot drop. 

BXF v Dartford Hospital – 2020 – £1,075,000.00 for a 16-year-old boy, for the Volkmann’s ischaemic contracture he suffered in the left arm and hand after receiving negligent medical treatment 10 years before the initial instructions were received. He suffered pain in the arm, had limited functional use and a wasted appearance of the hand. 

RL v County Durham NHS – 2020 – £1,000,000.00 for a 27-year-old female who suffered liver cirrhosis following a delay of two years in the identification of a gene mutation and polycythemia vera disorder. She developed Budd-Chari syndrome, her liver was permanently damaged, and her life expectancy was reduced by approximately 10 years. 

DB v WSH NHS – 2019 – £1,000,000.00 for a 49-year-old male, requiring an above knee amputation to the right leg after presenting at hospital with acute limb ischaemia in May 2014. Liability was disputed.  

BM v County Durham NHS – 2019 – £1,275,000.00 for a 65-year-old female for negligent knee replacement surgery resulting in an above knee amputation.  

RCH v United Lincolnshire NHS – 2019 – £570,000.00 for the estate of a deceased man following his avoidable death from a treatable heart condition.  

MS v CB – 2019 – £420,000.00 for a 58-year-old female for the delay in diagnosing and treating a back injury she suffered following an operation in March 2015. She suffered foot drop and ongoing pain. 

JXP (a protected party) – 2018 – £9,862,000.00 for a 44-year-old female who suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage following a delay in providing surgical treatment of a brain aneurysm before its rupture. 

DXW v BTH NHS – 2018 – £7,250,000.00 for a 20-year-old male rendered paraplegic at T3 level following failures in the A&E department to properly immobilise an unstable thoracic fracture.  

RXW v X, Y & Z – 2018 – £2,500,000.00 for a 46-year-old male that suffered a left sided stroke causing significant neurological disability following alleged failure to correctly diagnose and treat a number of TIAs. Liability was denied by 3 Defendants.  

M v Essex NHS – 2018 – £342,000.00 for a 44-year-old female for alleged failures to prevent exacerbated cauda equina syndrome. Liability was denied. 

Testimonials 

Previous Legal 500 testimonials include:  

“Pragmatic and knowledgeable… a solid, safe pair of hands… a strong negotiator”. 

Client feedback: 

“Iain and Nina have been wonderful. The whole team from start to finish have given me a first-class service. I have already recommended them to others, and I will continue to do so.” 

“I can’t thank you enough for what you have done for me and my family. Your knowledge and skill is remarkable but your care and kindness means so much to me. I can remember my first meeting with Iain seems such a long time ago, but your compassion has never altered. You are all very special people. Please keep in touch, you have become more like family than solicitors.” 

Accreditations  

• Association of Personal Injury Lawyers – Accredited Senior Litigator 
• Member of the Law Society’s specialist Clinical Negligence Panel Accreditation scheme 
• Chambers and Partners ranked solicitor, Band 2, Liverpool & surrounds
• Solicitor-Advocate (Higher Rights of Audience civil proceedings) 
• Solicitor (Grade A) 

Trevor is an incredibly respected and knowledgeable solicitor with over 35 years’ experience, dealing with complex, catastrophic clinical negligence cases. Throughout his illustrious career, Trevor has recovered multi-million-pound damages on behalf of clients in various areas of practice over the years.  

Trevor is the current Chief Assessor for the Law Society’s Clinical Negligence Panel and has been for the last 3 years, and prior to that had been an assessor for the panel since inception in 1994. He works directly with many of the UK’s leading Counsel and experts.  

Trevor’s caseload ranges from cases valued at over a £100,000 to over £20 million, seeing him act on birth injury mediations and achieve many lifechanging settlements for vulnerable individuals and their families. 

Client Feedback 

“Little did I realise when I searched online for someone to take on my case, that I had found the very best.” 

“He has an unrivalled depth and breadth of experience in clinical negligence work.” 

“His assessment of cases is scrupulous and his judgement on both merits and evidence is first-class.” 

Chambers Guide:

Star Individual 2016 “He is very good and innovative. He sees things others don’t see.He is on his own level. He does some very intellectually challenging cases.”

“Universally regarded as a leading light in the clinical negligence arena’

Star individual 2019

Star individual 2021 Trevor Ward “has an unrivalled depth and breadth of experience in clinical negligence’ “his assessment of cases is scrupulous and his judgement on both merits and evidence is first-class.”

Star individual 2022 “Trevor Ward is at the top of his game. He has so much experience and knows how to deal with every situation that arises.”

“He’s the doyen of clinical negligence.”

“He’s a shrewd operator.”

Notable Cases 

ABX v Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust: Acting on behalf of a family involving a birth injury case which began in 2012. The case is ongoing and trial is listed for 2023.  

ABX v Bristol & Weston at University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: A highly complex birth injury case, acting for a family. Achieved settlement approval for £15M following High Court mediation.  

Accreditations 

• Trevor was present at the formation of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) over twenty years ago and the Society of Clinical Injury Lawyers (SCIL) 
• A ‘Fellow of APIL’ and an active participant in SCIL meetings for Fletchers  
• Chief Assessor for the Law Society’s Clinical Negligence Panel  

• Specialist panel member for Action Against Medical Accidents (AVMA) 
• A continuing member and former Chair of FOCIS (Forum of Complex Injury Solicitors) 

Parbeen is a Specialist Litigator within our Medical Negligence Department, with vast experience in advising clients on a wide range of medical negligence claims after having sustained catastrophic injuries.  

Parbeen specialises in all types of birth injury claims and has developed a distinct interest and sub-speciality in women’s health. As a respected and dedicated legal professional, Parbeen is also a keen supporter of ‘Tommys’; a pregnancy and baby loss charity that funds research into stillbirth, premature birth and miscarriage. 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. 

Client Feedback 

“Parbeen has impressed me with her industrious attention to detail, perseverance, analysis and client skills. She is immensely personable and a pleasure to work with.” 

“When it comes to complex, life changing and particularly sensitive injuries, Parbeen has outstanding aptitude.” 

“I have found every member of staff to be polite and professional at every stage, particularly Parbeen Alamgir who’s levels of service in particular have stood out for me. I am so grateful for the support l have received, especially on my lowest days. I would highly recommend Fletchers solicitors.” 

Notable Cases 

Anonymised case: Acting on behalf of her birth injury client who sustained hypoxic injury at birth leading to neurodevelopmental problems. Achieved a pre-trial settlement of £1.5 million lump sum plus PPO.  

Anonymised case: Acting on behalf of her client who sustained ACL, MCL and PCL tears requiring repair and revisionary surgeries. Achieved a settlement of £100,000.  

Anonymised case: Acted on behalf of her diabetic client who underwent above knee amputation following mismanagement of an ulcer on his foot. Achieved a settlement of £250,000. 

Accreditations  

Working Towards an accreditation by APIL as a Litigator

Leanne is a Specialist Litigator 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. 

Client Feedback 

“Leanne was friendly and very approachable, my husband and I always felt we were in very capable hands. Leanne was not only thorough but also compassionate throughout, her support whilst completing our statements was very welcoming and it helped ease any upset and pressures.” 

“Based on my experience, if anyone is considering pursing compensation for their child having cerebral palsy as a result of a birth injury then I would not hesitate to recommend Leanne.” 

Notable Cases 

HS v Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust: Acting on behalf of her client following a maternal infection during labour which crossed the blood-brain barrier causing injury to the baby.  

LW v Cwm Taff Local University Health Board: Acting for her client after a medical professionals failed to recognise a baby was in distress.  

SH v Cwm Taff Local University Health Board: Acting on behalf of her client due to failure in recognising that mother had a torn uterus during labour causing a hypoxic injury to baby.  

CW v Cwm Taff Local University Health Board: Acting on behalf of her client when there was a failure to recognise a baby was in distress during labour, Resulted in a hypoxic injury. 

Accreditations  

Featured as an Assistant Solicitor in the Legal 500 in 2020 

Peter is a Solicitor who specialises in medical negligence. He first joined the team in 2015 as a fee earner, and soon moved on to a trainee solicitor role in personal injury. During this time, Peter also worked across many medical negligence cases, before qualifying as a solicitor in 2019. 

Peter has a passion to positively influence his client’s lives, using his legal expertise built over a number of years. Outside of the office, Peter has founded and manages an inclusive local football team, with the purpose of promoting men’s mental health through football. 

Highlights of recently settled cases 

C v B 2019: Acting for client who suffered multiple injuries, including a fractured shoulder, following a road traffic accident whilst client was out cycling. Achieved settlement of £25,000. 

K v CICA 2019: Acting for client who was victim of historic sexual abuse. Represented client at tribunal to obtain settlement in excess of £20,000. 

KSJ v C 2020: Acting for client who suffered cardiac arrest on the operating table after incorrect medication was accidentally injected into client instead of anaesthesia medication. Achieved settlement for over £20,000. 

R v T 2020: Acting for client who suffered a severe laceration to his right arm when a lift door closed on him whilst on holiday in Greece. Secured settlement of over £10,000 for client. 

S v M 2020: Acting for client who suffered a broken ankle whilst working after tripping over a loose piece of wiring. Client unable to return to work for over 12 months, achieved settlement for over £50,000. 

W v A: Acting for client who was involved in a severe head on road traffic collision. Unusually, the Defendant was the local highway as the accident occurred due to traffic light error, after 12 months of rigorous investigation. The Client sustained serious multiple injuries, both physical and psychological, the claim settled for over £150,000. 

M v U 2022: Acting for client who was subject to an excessive 3 day delay in undergoing an emergency laparotomy for widespread faecal peritonitis due to 3 separate colonic perforations. Our client was left without urgent intervention over the festive period. Achieved settlement in the sum of £12,500. 

Testimonials 

“I would like to thank Peter Daly and all the team. After nearly 3 years of waiting, we now have the outcome we hoped we’d get – mainly with thanks to Peter doing his homework and bringing some evidence forward to the decisions panel.” – Successfully represented client at Tribunal in Glasgow re a CICA matter after client was assaulted, sustaining severe injuries.  

“The most amazing solicitor ever. I can’t thank Peter Daly enough, he is fantastic, he is so kind and friendly. He has given me hope in life…I just can’t thank him enough! I would recommend this solicitor 100% he has made my life feel so much better and he had hope in me. Peter Daly you are amazing please keep up your amazing work and make other people’s lives amazing just like you did with mine. Thank you for everything you have done!”  - Successfully secured compensation for client after client suffered cardiac arrest on operating table

Michael Gray is a Partner, Senior Solicitor & Team Leader in our Medical Negligence Department. With over 15 years experience, Michael is highly regarded in the field due to his thorough 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, who can sometimes be sad to part on conclusion of their claim. 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.”. Michael and his team work on some of the most complex cases for our seriously injured clients, many of which take many years to resolve.

Client Feedback

“Michael Gray is an outstanding solicitor: knowledgeable, a good communicator, hardworking and displays very good judgement in difficult cases.”

“Michael Gray is a very bright lawyer, sees through a case very well and understands the challenges and the strong points”

Notable Settled Cases

Accreditations

• Key member of the newly formed Clinical Negligence Panel, 2022

Fiona joined Fletchers in 2015 and has over 15 years of experience in personal injury and medical negligence claims. As a team leader, she is dedicated to supporting and advising her team and the clients she acts for.

Notable Settled Cases

Secured £12,500 in compensation for a 77-year-old man who experienced three unnecessary cycles of chemotherapy when a hospital failed to appropriately diagnose a return of prostate cancer.

As one of the heads of our medical negligence department, Tim supports our overall leadership by managing skilled solicitors across the business. He specialises in claims involving orthopaedic injury & loss of fertility.

John has worked in the law since 1989, starting as a junior clerk and has dealt with virtually every type of litigation (and non-litigation) over the years, presently specialising in complex clinical negligence cases. Using only the best barristers and experts, his caseload typically involves cases valued over £100,000 but takes a special interest, regardless of value, in the more difficult and complex cases and actively encourages Defendant Trusts and their solicitors to engage in ADR, undertaking his first successful mediation 15 years ago. Former voluntary pro-bono legal adviser to Age Concern in Southport.

Client feedback

“John’s letter of claim in your case was the best I have ever seen in a clinical negligence case and a model of clarity, despite the huge complexity” – Counsel

“Many thanks for your guidance over the last few years, and your continued efforts to get answers about Mum’s condition, diagnosis and care”.

“John has forgotten more than most solicitors will ever know” – Counsel

Accreditations

APIL membership

Veronique has been working in the legal field since 2018 and her career started in conveyancing and private client. She currently part of our medical negligence team. Veronique has always had an interest in medical law since her university days and having parents that work in the NHS – Surgeon and Nurse.

Charlie Hayward is a Trainee Solicitor working in our catastrophic clinical negligence team. He has over 7 years’ experience working in serious injury and clinical negligence practice and litigation and is mainly instructed in cases involving spinal cord injury, brain injury, birth injury, loss of vision and delays in diagnosis of cancer. He actively assists senior lawyers in multi-million pound claims. Charlie takes a forensic approach to matters and has a keen eye for detail. He prides himself on his ability to communicate clearly, and in his ability to build strong relationships with clients, experts and other lawyers.

Charlie has been with us since 2016 starting on our Trailblazer Solicitor Apprenticeship scheme. He has progressed through the firm working in a range of roles including as a Paralegal, Assistant Litigation Executive and Litigation Executive, and is now on the verge of qualification as a Solicitor.

Charlie is currently completing a Masters Degree (LLM) in Advanced Criminal Litigation, Advanced Dispute Resolution and Advanced Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury. He has experience volunteering in the criminal justice system, and is responsible for the safeguarding and welfare of children at a large grassroots football club in Merseyside.

Daniel is an incredibly respected and knowledgeable Chartered Legal Executive with over 8 years’ experience, dealing with complex and catastrophic clinical negligence cases.

Daniel’s case load ranges from cases valued at over £100,000 to over £5,000,000.00.

Daniel’s special interest lies in dealing with cases such as brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injury and amputation. Daniel prides himself in excellent client care in order to make the litigation journey as easy for his clients as possible. Daniel likes to meet his clients at various stages of the case.

Notable Settled cases

NG v Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust £465,000 compensation settlement following death of 55 year old married female caused by admitted failures by the Defendant Trust to correctly interpret a biopsy in April 2015 as showing atypical glandular epithelium requiring further investigations. It was admitted that had the diagnosis of atypical epithelium cells suggestive of adenocarcinoma of the cervix was made in April 2015, the Deceased would have been referred for colposcopy and would have undergone a LLETZ or cone biopsy… the diagnosis would have been adenocarcinoma of the cervix (stage 1b1 tumour) She would have undergone a radical hysterectomy and would likely have avoided chemo-radiotherapy.

On the balance of probabilities, it was admitted that the delay in diagnosis led to the prognosis deteriorating. It was further admitted that if the diagnosis had been made in April 2015, the Deceased would have had a reduced risk of her terminal diagnosis.

RC v Barking v Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust £200,000 compensation following negligent treatment provided by his Consultant Vascular Surgeons. As a consequence of the Defendant’s alleged negligent treatment the Claimant has now suffered sacral pressure sores and bilateral above knee amputations.

Client Feedback

“Brilliant service from the onset. Very dedicated, empathetic and realists. Highly recommend Fletchers to anyone who has suffered from any breach of duty and negligence.”

“I cannot fault any of the service I received from Fletchers and Daniel has been 2nd to none at every opportunity given to explain things in a more detailed term he has been totally understanding of my situation and I cannot thank him enough.”

“We are dealing with Daniel who is very professional, and very informative.”

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone of Fletcher’s colleagues that worked on the case and for always having our best interests at heart, working endless nights, sitting endless meetings and just always being there for us at anytime.

Special thank you to both of you guys Iain and Daniel, we could not have done this without you both. The love, care and support you have given us over the last 6 years will never be forgotten, in fact I feel you are part of the family now!”

“On behalf of myself and my mother I would just like to thank you for your patience, competence and professionalism throughout the process. It wasn’t an area we where familiar with but you made the task easy to understand and manageable.

I don’t think we could have asked for a better legal team than yourself and the rest of the staff that helped with the case at fletchers.”

Kim is a Solicitor within the Medical Negligence department and has been with the firm since June 2014. She gained her training contract and qualified at the firm.

Kim is a Solicitor, who has her own case load and helps supervise a team. No day is the same Kim, given the varied case loads that she has and she is always keen to learn and developing new skills.

Notable Case

Settled a case for an elderly lady, who lacked capacity, so dealt with the case whilst liaising with her Litigation Friend (the lady’s daughter) in doing so, she built up an excellent relationship with her. The case was in relation to a fall in hospital, resulting in an operation and an accelerated need to go into a nursing home, which she never left. She died the same day that the damages were confirmed would be sent to the Court registry office.

The case recently settled with the elderly lady receiving £42,500 in compensation.

Matt is an Associate and Solicitor within our Clinical Negligence Department. Having qualified in 2005, Matt has specialised solely in Clinical Negligence for over a decade, covering the full remit of clinical negligence matters.

As part of his role, Matt currently leads a small team who, as well as having their own caseload, support the Clinical Negligence Department by providing case planning and supervisory support in more difficult matters.

Matt usually handles claims of the utmost severity, including brain injuries suffered at birth, strokes, fatal claims and all other catastrophic injuries, and has settled claims of a value fully capitalised in excess of £20m.

A long-term member of APIL, Matt has been recognised by the Law Society and has previously been named as a Key Lawyer in the Legal 500. 

Notable Cases

• Achieved a JSM settlement in excess of £250,000
• Conducted of Cerebral Palsy and stroke claims with damages worth in excess of £1million
• Multiple six and seven figure settlements at JSM and mediation achieved

Having joined Patient Claim Line in 2017, Bilal is a Clinical Negligence Solicitor with extensive experience in the medical negligence field. He has recently qualified as an internationally and nationally accredited mediator, recognised by the Civil Mediation Council, International Mediation Institute and Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Bilal has been recognised for his excellent client work, having received the ‘Customer Award’ at our annual awards evening.

Having had continuous exposure to medical negligence claims throughout his career, Bilal has developed a large skillset, enabling him to bring matters to time-efficient, amicable solutions. Bilal completes a formal assessment of each case and strategically plans the progression of the case, ensuring all cases within his team run smoothly and that our customers receive the justice they deserve.

Bilal was also the recipient of the Customer Feedback Champion award in 2019.

Nermeen is a Litigation Executive at Patient Claim Line. Having graduated from Manchester University, Nermeen went on to complete her LPC at BPP.

Nermeen liaises with medical experts to obtain evidence for client cases and supports solicitors with their caseloads. She provides assistance on a vast range of cases, from fractures to high value cancer cases.

Since joining PCL, Nermeen has contributed to our annual Ramadan initiative, sharing her own experiences, from fasting to praying, and the reason why all Muslims across the globe celebrate. You can watch a video of about her day-to-day life during Ramadan here.

Sinead joined Patient Claim Line in October 2015, having qualified as a solicitor in April 2010. Sinead leads a team of six, placing a huge emphasis on building strong relationships both with her colleagues and her customers.

Hannah joined our Medical Negligence Department in February 2017, managing with a wide-ranging caseload with a particular interest in fatal claims.

Now, as a Senior Solicitor, Hannah supervises and develops junior members of her team and takes immense pride in delivering excellent client care and establishing a rapport with her clients to provide support throughout the claims process.

Above all, Hannah stands tall as a brilliant example of compassion and professionalism, inspiring many around her to strive for the highest standards of excellence.

Notable Cases

HN (a minor) v University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, 2019: Acting on behalf of her client following a delay in diagnosing Sacral Agenesis. Achieved a settlement of £250,000.

VP [deceased] v Sundridge Developments Ltd, 2019: Acting for her client after a femur fracture so severe that the deceased was bed bound and passed away within 12 months. Achieved a settlement of £40,000 for the estate of deceased.

KL v Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, 2018: Acting on behalf of her client who experienced grade 3-4 pressure ulcers which healed but left client with scarring. As a result of client’s scarring, she suffered moderate depression and PTSD. Achieved a settlement of £85,000.

Sophie is a Litigation Executive with 8 years medical negligence experience. She acts on behalf of clients and runs a complex, varied caseload of claims worth over £100,000. Sophie handles a wide range of claims including Obstetrics / Gynaecology claims, Cancer claims, Orthopaedic claims, surgical claims, delay in diagnosis claims etc.

She is dedicated to achieving the best outcome for her clients, getting the answers that they deserve and supporting them throughout their claim. It is important to her to build a relationship of trust with her clients, to ensure that they feel listened to and understood, and to hold their hand every step of the way.

Notable Settled cases

SR -v- Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Sophie recently settled this claim for £275,000. This claim related to a negligently performed knee replacement surgery which resulted in her client requiring a revision knee replacement and suffer ongoing pain, suffering, loss of amenity, reduced function and reduced mobility. Her client had to take early retirement from her role as a medical secretary within the NHS as a result of the negligence. It is likely that the client will require a further revision knee replacement in the future as a result of the Defendant’s negligence.

AC -v- St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

She recently settled this claim for £120,000. This claim related to a delay in diagnosing and treating her client’s meniscus tear, which he sustained whilst playing football. By the time the client’s meniscus tear was diagnosed and operated on, the meniscus was no longer repairable, and the only option was to undergo a meniscectomy. Sophie’s client is likely to have to undergo meniscal allograft surgery in the future as a result of the negligence. The client was 16 at the time of the injury / negligence, he was an avid football player and an aspiring Police officer. As a result of the negligence, her client was no longer able to play football and was unable to join the Police force. He therefore suffered a loss of earnings and loss of Police pension.

BS -v- University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

Sophie settled this claim for £140,000. This claim related to a perforation of her client’s bowel and the failure to identify and repair the perforation at the time of the laparotomy, as well as the negligent removal of a section of the client’s colon. As a result of the negligence, they underwent 6 further, avoidable surgical procedures, an avoidable permanent stoma, an avoidable colectomy and formation of an end ileostomy, an avoidable failed abdominal wall, an avoidable open rectal stump, the avoidable need for VAC therapy, avoidable scarring, an avoidable extended hospital admission (including admission to ITU) and the avoidable need for rehabilitation.

LL -v- Dr Endicott

She settled this claim for £57,000. This claim related to inadequate investigation, treatment and management of her client’s pre-existing periodontal disease and negligent ill-fitting bridgework. These failures caused peri-implant disease (an inflammatory condition affecting the gums), chronic infection and bone loss, which led toto the avoidable removal of 4 implant fixtures, which if adequately managed, were likely to have lasted for the remainder of her lifetime. As a result of the negligence, Sophie’s client experienced pain, suffering and loss of amenity and now requires extensive remedial dental treatment, which will result in further pain and suffering. The treatment will also involve bone grafting and an implant-supported maxillary overdenture.

SC -v- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Sophie settled this claim for £47,500. This claim related to a failure to perform appropriate observations following her client’s coronary angiogram. Sophie’s client suffered compartment syndrome and an avoidable fasciotomy. He underwent an avoidable blood transfusion, two further avoidable procedures including a skin graft, which was taken from my client’s right thigh.  Her client was left with a significantly disfiguring scar on his forearm. This claim was fully denied.

Client feedback

“My case handler Sophie has provided me with exceptional service and has handled my case with a great deal of compassion and sensitivity. From the beginning until now, she has maintained a clear path for communication and has updated me every step of the way, which for me as a client has been reassuring. She has always approached me in a kind and professional manor, explaining thoroughly details that I may not understand. With this case has brought a level of discomfort however Sophie has reduced this and made it easier to go through, therefore I would recommend Fletchers Solicitors to anyone who has gone through similar experience to myself.”

“Our whole experience with Fletchers Solicitors has been excellent. Sophie has been absolutely amazing from beginning to end. Her work on our case has been faultless. She kept us updated at every stage. If we didn’t understand anything she broke it down for us and was always open to questions through email or phone. She has always been very helpful and professional and always had our best interests at heart. We cannot thank her enough for her efforts. Our case has now concluded successfully and we are happy with the outcome. We have absolutely no doubts about recommending this team to anyone and thank Fletchers Solicitors for their help and support.”

“[A previous legal] experience leads me to explain how refreshing it was when you (Sophie) handled my claim. When I first contacted Fletchers, I didn’t really hold out much hope. Like a lot of people, I thought it was just luck of the draw thing, I’d be just a number, going from case handler to case handler. When I first spoke to Sophie, I felt that she was completely behind me one 100%. The patience she showed me during every stage was wonderful. I always felt in safe hands, Sophie is highly knowledgeable and competent.  She seemed to really care and were so approachable.”

“I contacted Fletchers Group feeling helpless! I’d had 4 dental implants on a full denture fitted, only to discover that all 4 implants had become infected, and likely had been infected for some time. They had to be removed! I was fitted with a temporary set of dentures ” to just answer the front door” as the dentist said. I didn’t receive any help from the dentist, they were very sorry but…just try one of those No win, No fee places! That was it! I didn’t really believe that they’d help, thought it was a money-making scheme. So, I contacted Fletchers, and I thank my lucky stars every day that I did. Sophie McGarry gave me hope and restored my faith in fairness. She took my hand and guided me through what was a legal maze to me, with kindness, support and a wealth of knowledge. I always felt in safe hands and Sophie, she was so supportive and approachable, especially through the tougher times. I had regular updates on exactly what was happening throughout the claim. Sophie McGarry won the claim on my behalf, and I can’t thank her enough. Fletchers Group are truly outstanding in my opinion. Thank you all so much. It’s a true account of an exceptional young lady, in my opinion.”

“Fletchers have done an incredible job representing me and got the very best outcome in the circumstances. Sophie was approachable, understanding, empathetic and reliable. Her knowledge and experience was evident throughout the process and I always felt in very safe hands. Thank you for your hard work and support, I would recommend Fletchers to anyone in a similar situation to me”.

Client Feedback

“Sophie was outstanding from start to finish and a real credit to the company can’t speak more highly of her.”

“Sophie has been absolutely exceptional in everything that she has done on my case so far. Brilliant communication”.

“Sophie has been absolutely fantastic and is an absolute asset to Fletchers. Thank you!”

“Since our case has been passed to Sophie, I cannot fault the service we have received. Sophie is committed to getting the best possible outcome for us and has kept us well informed at every stage”.

Jorel is a long-standing member of our Executive Support team, who has been working at Patient Claim Line since 2014.

Katy 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.

Notable Settled Cases

Client Feedback

Gemma joined Patient Claim Line in March 2015 and works as a catastrophic injury solicitor on high value and complex cases with clients who have suffered injuries including traumatic brain injury, amputation, paraplegia, complex orthopaedic, nerve damage and fatalities. She works closely with the in-house Court of Protection Team representing clients who lack capacity and require a deputy.

Gemma is involved with her client’s life when they are at their most vulnerable developing trusted relationships with clients and their families. Gemma’s personality puts her clients at ease and her skills and experiences reassure them that they are in safe hands. Alongside her legal role, Gemma has been active in assisting several charities including Headway Central Lancashire, Spinal Injuries Association, and the Brain Charity. She also believes in supporting those entering the legal profession and provides mentoring.

Client Feedback

Notable Cases

XXX and XXXY v Adil Tutla [2021]

A settlement of £6.5 million was achieved relating to a young man who had sustained a significant brain injury.

NC v Royal Mail Group Limited

A settlement comprising of a £1.75 million lump sum with additional lifelong annual payments following a spinal cord injury.

Publications & Accreditations

• Personal Injury Awards Young Achiever of the Year 2021
• Assisted on XXX and XXXY v Adil Tutla [2021] which was nominated for ‘Case of the Year’ at Personal Injury Awards 2021
• Fletcher Solicitors ‘Junior Lawyer of the Year’ 2018

Andrew is an experienced solicitor with over 20 years post-qualification experience, working in personal injury and clinical negligence.  He has experience of dealing with a wide variety of clinical negligence matters and has progressed claims from initial instructions right through to Trial hearings at Court.

As one of the Heads of our Medical Negligence Team he is part of our leadership team, supporting and supervising our skilled teams in the progression of their cases.

Natalie is a Solicitor within our Medical Negligence Department, specialising in birth injury cases. Natalie specialises in cerebral palsy cases, and cases involving birth injury concerning neurological injuries. She also specialises and has significant experience in cases involving psychological distress for the mother following birth injuries or traumatic births.

Natalie is extremely passionate about birth injury work, as a member of her family suffered cerebral palsy because of clinical negligence. She is driven by a passion to succeed and obtain the best possible result for her clients and their families, during what can be prolonged and complex cases.

Client Feedback

Notable Cases

Ami Dollery is a Clinical Negligence Chartered Legal Executive with 14 years’ legal experience. She joined Fletchers in 2013 and since then has been recognised for her exceptional performance and client care, consistently progressing in the firm as a result. Ami works in one of our four specialist catastrophic injury teams under Team Leader Julie Garner.

Her skills and commitment have been recognised with her being appointed as an Associate in the firm. She works as a senior lawyer in one of four of the specialist high-value, catastrophic injury teams in the clinical negligence department.

Client Feedback

Notable Cases

Jennifer is a Solicitor who specialises in Medical Negligence. Jennifer has worked in Medical Negligence across the North of England and joined the Manchester office in 2018. Jennifer has a recognition of the suffering that customers have already been through and the support that they may need through their claim and prides herself on giving the very best customer service.  Jennifer works in team 14 and has a wide range of experience, particularly in delayed diagnosis of cancer claims, shoulder and eye injuries.

Outside of the office Jennifer is a Trustee of Warrington Youth Rowing, a charity which currently works with children receiving pupil premium in over 20 schools across Cheshire and Merseyside. The charity aims to help the participants to develop a wide range of life skills such as time keeping, team work and commitment as well as improving their self-confidence.

Highlights of recently settled cases

C v Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board – 2020 – £90,000.00 for a 76 year old who suffered with a gastric ulcer which was not monitored. They lost the opportunity for an early diagnosis of gastric cancer which would have been curative and were only able to receive palliative chemotherapy. Their life expectancy was reduced by five years.

AO (deceased) v Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust -2020 – £90,000.00 for a 77 year old who suffered a deterioration of their cardiac function when they were lost to cardiac follow up. Their deterioration during this time lead to their premature death in 2018.

H v United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust -2021 – £300,000.00 for a 62 year old who suffered negligent treatment leaving them with only 5% vision in their left eye which caused depression and their premature retirement from their job as a carer.

W v St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust -2022 – £137,000.00 for a 47 year old for the poor management of their skin cancer which metastasised. Their life expectancy was estimated to be less than 12 months beyond settlement.

R v Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board -2022 – £34,000.00 for a 84 year old who suffered subsidence of their total hip replacement and a grade 3 pressure sore which continued to cause pain at settlement. Causation was disputed

Client Feedback

“Jennifer was Fantastic, she deserves a medal!

“From beginning to end if I ever needed to call her, she was there.  Sometimes I called her and I got upset about losing my husband- she understood and was so lovely to me.  I’ve already recommended Fletchers to my friends.  Thank you so much”

“My agent Jennifer has been a godsend!! She has been the main person that I have had contact with, she has been reassuring, understanding and compassionate. She has answered all my questions and she asked me questions I didn’t even think of! I’ve been very happy with the service so far as my case is ongoing. Jennifer is a credit to your company, thank you”.

“Thank you for everything you have done. You have been nothing but outstanding and a credit to the practice! Thank you once again”.  

“The level of communication has been excellent. I have been dealing with Jennifer Argent who has been phenomenal. I would highly recommend Fletchers”.

“Jennifer has been extremely patient with me. Despite the long and stressful nature of this case, she’s always there to keep me up-to-date and answer any questions I have. Outstanding”

“Jennifer has been lovely and amazing and explain everything in a way that was easy for me to understand”

“My case handler Jennifer Argent has been fantastic throughout, my case has not been simple and has ended up being quite drawn out but Jennifer worked diligently and got the best outcome.”

“Made me feel at ease at all times especially when listening to my story of what happened and always feel the best is being done. Thank you very much, would highly recommend

“Jennifer is a first class solicitor all round”

“Jennifer Argent was amazing, she really connected with how I felt, what happened and made me feel reassured all the way through. She kept me fully updated with where we were and what happens next. She did an amazing job and I will always ben thankful for all the help and work that was put in. I would definitely recommend should anyone need to consult in them and a massive thanks again to all involved”

Georgia is one of our Directors of Medical Negligence and has an impressive wealth of knowledge. She has over 15 years of legal experience and is responsible for overseeing the whole medical negligence team.

Georgia prides herself on the development of her team and aims to ensure that everyone in the department shares the same passion, tenacity and drive to get the best possible result for the injured patient.

Georgia is in charge of the day to day operational running of our largest medical negligence department, working hard to ensure a self-sustainable future for the team. Georgia is heavily involved in developing Fletchers’ nationwide reputation as medical negligence experts, alongside ensuring that all of our cases are dealt with the utmost efficiency and professionalism.

Adrian joined us in December 2011 as Head of Serious Injury, leading the department through a period of significant growth, whilst working with customers following catastrophic and life changing events.

In his time at Fletchers, Adrian has seen the serious department grow significantly. Not only has it won many major cases under his tenure but also some major awards too, one example being Outstanding Case of the Year at the Personal Injury Awards in 2012. Adrian has recently been named as one of the Top 10 Leading Individuals in the North West for Personal Injury by the Legal 500 for the second consecutive year, and was described as ‘brilliant for spinal injury work and an established heavyweight in the claimant personal injury world’.

In spring 2017, Adrian was appointed our Chief Legal Officer and oversees all of our legal teams, ensuring our customers are always at the heart of everything we do.

Adrian has recently been named one of the Top 10 Leading Individuals in the North West for Personal Injury by the Legal 500 for the second year running. He was described as being ‘a real leading light in high value personal injury litigation.’

Alison is Head of Medical Negligence Serious Injury and is based in our Southport office.

She has over 15 years’ experience in personal injury and medical negligence.  Alison assists with the overall running of the Department and oversees several of the Medical Negligence teams, dealing with a variety of cases from the first call right the way through to Trial.

She currently oversees 4 teams all dealing with catastrophic injuries caused to clients as a result of medical negligence. Her teams specialise in catastrophic spinal, brain and birth injuries in addition to amputation cases.

Emma is a team leader and a senior solicitor at PCL; she leads a team of junior and senior lawyers. As the senior solicitor within her team, Emma is accountable for the progression of cases to the point of settlement or issue. She completes formal assessments of each case and strategically plans the progression of the case, ensuring all cases within her team run smoothly and our customers receive the justice they deserve.

She is responsible for overseeing the operational management of the office in Leeds , providing strategy and leadership, people management and technical support to this growing department. In addition to representing her clients, Emma has a wealth of experience in leading and developing a successful team of lawyers dealing with a wide range of Clinical Negligence claims.

Emma headed the Fletchers’s team at the Salford Dragon Boat race in 2018, raising almost £1000 for Big Change Manchester, which was used to help fund the Big Change services and ensure that those living on the streets or in temporary accommodation continue to receive the necessary support they need.

Kathryn is one of our Senior Solicitors and has over 11 years’ experience in the field, with both defendant and claimant claims.

She manages a team of junior and senior paralegals, ensuring cases are running smoothly throughout her team.

Sowmya is a Senior Solicitor and Team Leader at Patient Claim Line. Having qualified in 1993, Sowmya completed her initial training in a general practice law firm in Lancashire, before pursuing specialism in personal injury work after qualification, including working at firms in Manchester.

Sowmya has over 27 years’ experience with personal injury and litigation. Her work has included Claimant medical negligence claims, but also extensive Defendant medical and dental negligence claims experience, together with experience of dealing with high value personal injury claims.

Sowmya has experience with regulatory work related to medical professionals, including doctors’ fitness to practice and GMC hearings, and medical practitioners’ tribunal service hearings, including interim orders hearings. She has also represented parties at inquests and has experience of judicial review proceedings.

Having joined Patient Claim Line in 2015, Sowmya leads a team conducting a wide variety of medical negligence claims. She assesses medical negligence claims and creates a plan of action to ensure the case is handled efficiently. Sowmya has been recognised by for her involvement in the training and development of junior colleagues, having received two company awards for her contribution.

Julie is a Senior 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.

Julie has more than 25 years’ experience in the legal sector and has been a Claimant Specialist Clinical Negligence Solicitor for over 15 years. During her career, she has been appointed the Chairperson of Wirral Local Ethics Committee until its disbandment. She currently leads a team of nine Solicitors who handle maximum severity cases; including amputation, spinal and fatal injury claims. The team are the specialists in amputation claims, and she prides herself on being efficient and offering the best possible service to those who have suffered life-changing injuries.

She was employed in the NHS before entering law and has previously chaired a local research ethics committee.

Client Feedback

Accreditations

Currently working towards a Law Society Panel Membership

Michael has worked in the clinical negligence field since 2008. Prior to joining our legal team, he worked for the NHS in Northern Ireland; dealing with high value and complex cases, as well as public enquiries and coroner’s court investigations.

Michael is a well-respected lawyer with decades of legal experience. He thrives when investigating and winning medical negligence claims, dealing with a very diverse range of injuries. From orthopaedic injuries, ophthalmic injuries, surgical and organ injuries; to dental injuries and psychiatric claims – Michael has experience in them all.

Passionate about client care, Michael is focused on securing the best results for his clients.

Notable Cases

G W -v- Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust – Acting for the family of a man who passed away during negligent surgery, Michael secured £80,000 for his wife.

L S -v- Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – Michael managed to prove that the Defendant did not provide a ‘call bell’ to allow the client to call for assistance. We obtained telephone records to show that the client had to call the hospital from her bed; leading to a settlement in this case of negligent iron infusion.

Inquiry into Hyponatremia Related Deaths – Michael was involved with this Public Inquiry in Northern Ireland, assisting with the investigation. The Inquiry concluded with 96 recommendations for endemic changes, as well as disciplinary actions.

Client feedback

“Very helpful and professional. Thank you for everything.”

“Michael has been fantastic throughout. I really can’t fault anything.”

“If I could have given more than 10 out of 10, I most certainly would have. Excellent customer service. Kind, friendly and very, very professional. Many, many thanks.”

Publications & Accreditations

The red flag symptoms of sepsis in both adults and children

Bowel cancer: How often do you need to poo? ‘Needing’ to poo more is a red flag symptom

Red flags of blood cancer that hits 14,000 people a year

Darren is a solicitor with over 20 years experience in complex and high value personal injury and medical negligence claims. He only acts on behalf of injured people, those that represent them (for example, parents in the case of children and ‘Litigation Friends’ in cases where the injured person does not have the mental capacity to understand the litigation process) and their families in instances where the accident or medical mistake has resulted in death.

Prior to taking a mid-career sabbatical break, he was a member of the AvMA (Action against Medical Accidents) Specialist Clinical Negligence Panel (a nationally recognised accreditation of quality and experience). He is proud to be a member of our highly talented and successful Multi-Track / Serious Injury Clinical Negligence team.

Darren has expertise in all forms of medical negligence and accident claims including cerebral palsy and other birth injuries, foetal abnormality cases, brain injuries, high value orthopaedics, neurological injuries such as spinal injuries, delays in diagnosis of carcinoma, plastic surgery and psychiatric management. I act for infants, young people and adults.

Notable Settled Cases

Winning High Court liability trial against a GP in a catastrophic injury medical negligence case concerning the development of meningitis. Darren went on to settle the case for a lump sum approaching £3 million.

Negotiating a PPO settlement for an infant who suffered cerebral palsy, blindness and the almost complete absence of cognitive developmental ability as a consequence of the negligent delay in his delivery. In a case where life expectancy was significantly reduced, a lump sum of £770,000 with additional annual payments of £135,000, rising to £250,000, for life, was secured and approved by the High Court.

Saima qualified in 2005 and has over 12 years of experience as a solicitor and leads a team of junior and senior lawyer. Saima and her team have experience dealing with a wide variety of medical negligence claim types and as the senior solicitor and team leader, Saima is responsible for the progression of cases to the point of settlement or issue.

Rebecca is an Associate Solicitor who specialises in representing clients and their families in catastrophic and life changing clinical negligence claims. The majority of her case load is claims valued in excess of £500,000.

After graduating in Law in 2008 from Keele University, Becky completed her LPC and became a fully qualified Solicitor last year, specialising in Medical Negligence.

Rebecca has developed her skills and strengths dealing with complex issues including cases with withdrawal of indemnity in private practice, vicarious liability and delegable duties in medical services provided by out-sourced companies for the NHS and dealing with the death of Defendants prior to and post issuing Court proceedings.

Rebecca deals with a range of cases including fatal claims, orthopaedic claims including amputations and drop foot, avoidable and delay in diagnosis of cancer and spinal injuries. She has a particular interest in gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary cases. Rebecca’s current case load includes avoidable strokes, delay in diagnosis of antero-vascular fistulas, Fatal Accident claims, birth injuries including Erb’s palsy, above the knee amputations and complex cancer cases.

Rebecca prides herself in building lasting relationships with her clients and being the voice of the seriously injured when they need her the most.

Client Feedback

“Rebecca was absolutely amazing throughout the whole process. She dealt with the case with such empathy and understanding and I was kept up to date at all times. Thank you so much”

“I have to say that all of you were very professional and supportive during the long 6 years, with a special mention to Rebecca who was a rock at particularly difficult times”

Notable Cases