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I am an Associate in the Medical Negligence and Child Abuse team in Birmingham. I have worked for Irwin Mitchell since 2010 when I started as a trainee.
I grew up in the West Midlands and studied law at Cardiff University before completing my Legal Practice Course at the College of Law in Birmingham.
I act for clients in medical negligence cases against NHS Trusts, private practitioners and general practitioners (GPs). I run my own varied case load which includes fatalities, failures to diagnose serious conditions, negligent orthopaedic treatment/surgery, and negligent urological treatment/surgery.
I specialise in cases where suicide and injuries arising from attempted suicide could have been avoided with the appropriate care from mental health professionals. I am also able to help families through the Inquest process at the Coroner’s Court.
In addition to medical negligence cases, I also deal with cases where individuals have suffered sexual, physical and emotional abuse by members of religious organisations and where social services have failed to remove children earlier from their natural homes.
The most rewarding aspect of my role comes at the beginning of a case when a client first learns that I may be able to assist them with a case going forward. Often our clients’ concerns have not been listened to by the professionals involved in their care and then again through the later complaint processes. This means that I am often the first person who has properly listened to their concerns.
Irwin Mitchell really cares about finding the answers for their clients and fortunately we have some of the most talented clinical negligence and child abuse lawyers in the country to ensure that this happens.
I am a keen singer and thespian, and have played many lead roles in a number of theatres across the West Midlands. I also enjoy playing the guitar, song-writing, and am an avid supporter of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club.
“We see a lot of cases, like this one, throughout the country in our day to day work. The experiences of many of our clients have had a huge impact on the rest of their lives, with many struggling with the psychological effects of what they went through. “What the guilty verdicts in this case show is that if you suffered abuse at school by a member of staff, then please do be brave and come forward because you will be believed and the authorities will take action. “It can sometimes be the case that the pupil always sees themselves as the pupil and fears that the person in authority will be believed above them, but this is not the case."
“We work with many survivors of abuse and we understand how harrowing it often is to talk about what happened particularly in an industry such as football. “Abuse survivors often suffer in silence and we welcome the bravery of the three footballers who have revealed what happened to them as children. “Hopefully their bravery and courage will see further footballers who have been abused as a child by their coaches or managers to share their stories to raise awareness that these traumatic incidents can happen behind the closed doors of the sporting industry. “The awareness in the media may also encourage young sportsmen and women who find themselves in a similar situation of abuse at present to stand up to stop what is happening to them.”
“Sadly many of our clients have suffered abuse at the hands of people in powerful positions and they need specialist help and support to overcome their ordeals. “Abusers in this situation also often have many victims and it can be incredibly difficult for them to come forward as they may have a mistrust of authority. "Abuse can have a massive impact on the lives of survivors and we have heard first-hand accounts about relationship breakdowns, trust issues and even attempted suicide due to the lasting effects of their trauma. "Although the Jimmy Savile case brought abuse into the spotlight, it is important to remember that not all abuse is carried out by celebrities and that it is often people in a position of trust or power that seek to take advantage of their situation. It is crucial that survivors of abuse are able to get specialist help so that they can try to come to terms with their ordeal. “Hopefully now that Mr Richards has been found guilty it will send out the message to his victims and other survivors of abuse that they will be listened to and that there is expert help out there for them.”
“It’s worrying to see these findings and to have to consider the very real prospect that hundreds of mental health deaths have not been properly investigated. “Through the job we do supporting families and survivors of mental health problems and charities that work to prevent tragedies, it is clear how important it is to understand what happened and to learn from it. “There have been high-profile cases in recent years in which people in care and their families have been failed by the mental health service, often leading to severe injuries and in many cases, tragic fatalities. “Whilst we welcome the on-going review into this by the Care Quality Commission, today’s reports raises serious questions as to whether vital inquests into deaths are not taking place and that is unacceptable. “Not only do families deserve closure after the death of a loved one, it’s vital to understand exactly what happened to ensure that nothing could have been done to prevent a tragedy taking place and to try stop it reoccurring in the future. “The appropriate resources and standards must be in place across the NHS to ensure that anyone who dies whilst being detained under the Mental Health Act is reported to a coroner, so a thorough investigation can then take place.”
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