Clearly we would not want anyone to be in a position where accident or clinical negligence has led to injury relating to brain conditions. If you are in this position, we want you to have the best advice from solicitors who are knowledgeable and experienced in this field.
We suggest you contact a number of experienced solicitors for an initial discussion before selecting a firm. Experience and a good track record are very important, as is finding someone you can trust, and can develop a good working relationship with. Accident or clinical negligence claims are hard emotionally, and can take many years. The most local firm may not always be the best option – clinical negligence is complex and there are relatively few specialists with good experience of this field.
In addition, the management of any compensation award may need the assistance of a professional Deputy appointed by the Court of Protection or may benefit from a Personal Injury Trust to protect any entitlement to benefits and other statutory funding such as direct payments – your local firm may be familiar with Deputyship and Trusts for the older clients, but the management of compensation awards for children requires specialist knowledge and expertise.
If you would like further information, please contact one or more of the following legal providers by clicking on the links below.
Bolt Burdon Kemp
Bolt Burdon Kemp (BBK) is a leading national law firm for serious injury compensation claims.
We have a dedicated Child Brain Injury Team who only act for children and young people who have suffered a brain injury through an accident or clinical negligence. We secured one of the biggest compensation settlements ever achieved for a birth injury claim. Our team is made up of kind, compassionate and dedicated people who provide exceptional client care for our clients and their families. Our specialism in this area means that we have in-depth knowledge and experience of the complex and evolving needs of a child with a brain injury.
How we can help
We offer a national service and will meet you at a time and place that’s convenient to you, including at your home.
During our meeting we will listen to you to understand what happened and the impact on you and your family. We will explain how we can help and will answer your questions about funding legal costs and the process. There will be no cost for the meeting and no obligation or pressure to instruct us; we will go at your pace.
From the start, and throughout the legal journey, we will provide:
- Practical support through our Early Support Services which is designed to reduce any immediate pressures regarding finances, housing, employment or immigration, for example.
- Advice and guidance to ensure your child’s education needs are met including securing an adequate Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
- Exceptional legal advice clearly, transparently, and honestly, keeping you informed, empowered and supported throughout the process. You can read more about what to expect from working with us and our approach here.
We are committed to seeking funding from the Defendant at the earliest opportunity for rehabilitation, equipment, accommodation and care. We will obtain the compensation your child deserves to ensure they achieve their full potential and enjoy the best quality of life possible. We strive to deliver peace of mind for you, as a parent, knowing your child’s complex lifelong needs will be met and that they will be protected should anything happen to you.
Early Notification Scheme
We offer a free legal clinic to support parents who have been referred to The NHS Early Notification Scheme (ENS). For more information, please visit our webpage or read one of our blogs. If you would like to book an appointment at our clinic, please contact us at [email protected].
What people say about us
Our reputation for excellence is recognised by the most prestigious awards and standards in the legal profession. We undergo rigorous external audits and maintain consistently high rankings in both Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500, two of the leading independent benchmarks for legal excellence.
Here are some independent testimonials given to The Legal 500 :
- ‘A first class law firm, which always has its clients as their first priority.’
- ‘They stood out as caring and empathetic and didn't overwhelm us with lawyer terminology and helped us throughout the process.’
- “Claudia Hillemand is an exceptional lawyer. Regardless of the demands on her time, she is always highly responsive and invested in getting the very best outcomes for her clients.”
- “Caroline Klage is absolutely superb. In my mind, she is the best solicitor in the country dealing with birth brain injury claims. I have never worked with anyone more passionate and devoted to their clients and her experience within the specialist field is second to none”
Here are some of the independent testimonials given to the Chambers & Partners team:
- "They are thorough and conscientious. They explained things clearly, kept me informed and nothing appeared too much trouble."
- "The whole team have been brilliant, quick, professional and thorough."
- “Claudia is totally unflappable and takes the law in her stride.” "She has amazing client care skills and a fantastic grasp of the medical issues."
- “Caroline is excellent and really approachable” and “Caroline is a brilliant solicitor.”
Contact us
If you would like to talk to us, please get in touch as follows:
Claudia Hillemand is head of our Child Brain Injury team. She is an accredited member on the Law Society Clinical Negligence Panel, the Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA) Specialist Clinical Negligence Panel and she is a Special Educational Needs Advisor (IPSEA Level 1).
Caroline Klage is head of our Brain Injury Division which includes our Adult Brain Injury team as well as our Child Brain Injury team. She is an accredited member of the specialist Law Society Clinical Negligence Panel and is a qualified Special Educational Needs Advisor (IPSEA Level 1).
More information
You may be worried that a negligence claim will affect your child’s treatment but please be reassured that the NHS has a duty to provide treatment which cannot be denied because of a claim. We are happy to discuss these concerns with you, but in the meantime we hope this blog will help reassure you.
We are always campaigning to improve the care patients receive, and to try and reduce negligence. We support Martha’s Law and are calling for a national Maternity review and an end to the postcode lottery for maternity care. You can read more about our Manifesto for Injured People here.
CL Medilaw
We work with families to provide support, answers and the compensation you deserve. We are a different type of law firm, committed to putting you first and fighting your corner at every stage.
You and your family will need support with the challenges and pressures that living with a brain injury can bring. We are dedicated to “changing lives” so much so that we have included it in our name - it’s what the ‘CL’ stands for in CL Medilaw.
Our aim is to make legal matters as straight forward as possible with the early provision of support. Rehabilitation, care, better accommodation, specialist aids and equipment, as well as regular therapy and treatment are some of ways a successful claim can change your family’s life in the future.
As well as compensation we can advise you on educational needs, the court of protection and act as a professional deputy.
We act for clients all over England and Wales and no matter where you live, our specialist brain injury solicitors can travel to you.
Whether you have never sought legal advice before, or need a second opinion like Ryan where other solicitors have been unable to help, contact us. If you have a claim, we will prove it for you.
“The team at CL Medilaw have always been there to answer my questions and give support. Their relationship with my daughter is brilliant and because of the work they’ve done we can now look forward to her future making sure she has support to achieve her dreams.”
AvMA, APIL and Law Society accredited.
Laura Cook
[email protected] | 0345 2410 154 | www.clmedilaw.co.uk
Fletchers Solicitors
As one of the UK’s most respected and trusted law firms, we specialise in medical negligence and personal injury and have supported individuals, and their families, with life-changing injuries for over 30 years.
Ranked among the leading lawyers in medical negligence and personal injury in the UK, our team pride themselves on being by your side, every step of the way.
We understand the life-altering impact a brain injury can have; on your child and on your whole family.
We promise to guide you through the process every step of the way, to enable you to move forward.
How we support you:
- Our award-winning medical negligence and birth injury teams with unrivalled knowledge in brain injury claims including cerebral palsy, acquired brain injury, complications during pregnancy or childbirth and birth trauma amongst others
- We have access to leading UK-based case managers who can be appointed to support your child’s rehabilitation and prioritise your child’s needs
- We will fight for interim payments to be released in order to secure the best possible medical and therapeutic care
- Our in-house Court of Protection team are on-hand to assist with life planning and financial management for anyone who doesn’t have the capacity to make these decisions themselves
- We have a vast network of relationships with specialists who will help to secure your child’s future in terms of accommodation, care and support, education, specialist equipment and finances.
Fletchers Solicitors is recognised for its medical negligence across the UK’s leading legal directories, noted for its ‘brilliant team’ in the Legal 500 and achieving prestigious Band 1 status in Chambers & Partners, with leading individuals named across the firm.
Trevor Ward
Trevor is an incredibly respected and knowledgeable solicitor with almost 40 years’ experience, dealing with complex, catastrophic clinical negligence cases. Throughout his illustrious career, he has recovered millions pounds in damages.
Ranked as a Star Individual in the Legal 500 rankings, Trevor is the Chief Assessor for the Law Society’s Clinical Negligence Panel. He is a member and former Chair of FOCIS (Forum of Complex Injury Solicitors) and a fellow of APIL (Association of Personal Injury Lawyers). Trevor is an Executive Committee Member of the Society of Clinical Injury Lawyers (SCIL) and is a specialist panel member for Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA).
Feedback
“"Little did I realise when I searched online for someone to take on my case, that I had found the very best.”
Contact
Contact Trevor today for a free, informal, and no-obligation discussion about your situation or if you have concerns about the treatment or care you or your child has received.
Trevor Ward, Partner and Head of Birth Injury Unit
[email protected] | 0161 804 6089 | www.fletcherssolicitors.co.uk
Leigh Day
Choosing a lawyer to help you with a medical negligence claim can come at a worrying and stressful time. We are here to help reassure you that you are speaking to a team of specialist and skilled team of experts.
Leigh Day is a claimant-only law firm known for our commitment to patient safety. Our medical negligence team helps those who have been injured as a result of substandard care by medical professionals. This can include claims arising from birth injuries, cerebral palsy, stillbirth and wrongful birth.
Many of our lawyers have medical backgrounds and have been instrumental in the development of the law in medical negligence cases and in achieving some of the highest-value settlements for our clients.
We are recognised as specialists in medical negligence and ranked tier 1 by the two foremost legal directories, Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500.
Emmalene Bushnell has been a Partner since April 2015. She specialises in clinical negligence work, acting exclusively for claimants for the last 19 years. Her expertise lies in complex medical and serious injury cases. Legal 500 ranks her as a leading individual for “claims involving cerebral palsy and brain injury”. She is very approachable and deals with her clients sensitively.
“Leigh Day have proven to us that they are not just a law firm, they are a law firm that cares about making a difference. They support us, and other parents like us, in gaining answers and justice.” - client of Emmalene.
Emmalene holds Law Society Clinical Negligence Panel membership and APIL Senior Litigator membership. She is joint Co-ordinator of APIL’s Clinical Negligence Special Interest Group and is a member of the Forum of Complex Injury Solicitors (FOCIS).
Emmalene Bushnell, Partner
[email protected] | 020 7650 1262 | www.leighday.co.uk
Irwin Mitchell
As the largest dedicated medical negligence law firm across England and Wales our specialist team has decades of experience in cases involving complications during pregnancy and childbirth including birth injury.
Through our work, we understand that if your child lives with a disability or has suffered from a serious injury or illness, the emotional and physical impact can be life changing. We’re here to help you and can offer guidance during this difficult time.
We've supported families over many years, and we understand how concerned you may be about the level of care and support your child will have or is currently receiving. We believe all families should have access to the right legal and financial support to ensure their individual child's needs are addressed - we can offer help and advice every step of the way.
Our specialist lawyers will guide you through your legal options which may include making a claim and putting you in touch with healthcare and rehabilitation specialists. Our solicitors can also advise you and your family if you’re going through a complaint or the NHS Early Notification Scheme in England or the Putting Thing’s Right complaint process in Wales.
Specialist areas we can help with include:
- Medical negligence, including birth trauma and birth injury
- Education and healthcare plans
- Employment law
- Deputyships and Trusts
- Wills and estate planning, for example naming guardians in your Will
- Family law
- Welfare benefits guidance and advice
- Future planning including financial assessments.
Find out more about how we’ve helped our client, Zach: Zach's Story | Irwin Mitchell
Irwin Mitchell is recognised as a top-tier firm in the independent legal directories, Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 with leading individuals named across our offices. We’re also longstanding panel members of AvMA (Action against Medical Accidents) and we have several established charity relationships and support many campaigns focused on patient and maternity safety.
You can contact us at any time for a free informal chat about your situation or any concerns you may have about treatment and care you or your family have received.
Eleri Davies – Senior Associate
[email protected] | 029 2097 2200 | Medical Negligence Solicitors In Cardiff | Irwin Mitchell
Fieldfisher
At Fieldfisher, we are passionate about providing the best service and support to every family we work with.
The medical negligence team is expert in running high-value birth and brain injury cases, achieving maximum settlement to fund rehabilitation, care, therapies and education for the rest of a child’s life.
Our clients and their families always come first and we guide them through every step of the legal process with empathy and respect.
Our work is about rebuilding lives and ensuring children receive the care and support to live their best possible lives. We work towards early admissions of liability to secure interim payments to put in place the right support as quickly as possible.
We offer a one-stop service with our added experience in SEN and Court of Protection matters. We regularly take on cases other firms have turned down because of their value and complexity. We are prepared to fight ground-breaking cases.
Fieldfisher is widely known as a stand-out practice and we are recognised as top tier in Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 in medical negligence, and are panel members of AvMA and APIL.
We also pride ourselves on giving back and over the past year we have thoroughly enjoyed our time supporting Cerebra in various fundraising events, including teaming up with our client Harry and his brother, Tommy in the epic Superheroes Tri at Dorney lake.
"Fieldfisher has been exceptional from start to finish… they're in a league of their own. I truly feel my son has had the best legal team around him throughout this process. I'm so thankful to have found them... [The team] involved in the case have been top quality, the best of the best, and conducted themselves honourably, respectably and fairly. Alongside their professionalism, they have also been personable, sensitive, and enjoyable to interact with during the worst and most tragic circumstances of our lives. They have my eternal gratitude for securing some justice for my son.' – Harry's mother
If you would like to get in touch, please contact:
- Louise Astill: [email protected] | 0330 460 6147
- Caron Heyes: [email protected] | 0330 460 6743
- Iona Meeres-Young: [email protected] | 0330 460 6769
Or visit our website at: Child Brain Injury Medical Negligence Claims | No Win No Fee Solicitors | Fieldfisher.
While Cerebra cannot make recommendations, and is not responsible for the work of these firms, the firms listed are supporters of Cerebra insofar as they have shown an understanding of our ethos and have been financially generous to the charity in donating to us to support our work.
