Medical Solicitors welcomes four new staff members

Since the beginning of 2021, we have welcomed a new solicitor and three litigation assistants on board as part of our expansion programme to support the increasing number of enquiries we are receiving for clinical negligence cases.

Two of the three litigation assistants will be supported through their examinations with the long-term goal to qualify as solicitors. They also have the added benefit of joining a team of experienced professionals who will be there to mentor them within this complex area of law which requires knowledge of both medicine and litigation.

Our managing director and senior solicitor, Caroline Moore, who started the firm in 2009, said: "Medical Solicitors has always been invested in giving back to the profession by helping young lawyers to qualify. The traditional training contract has become increasingly difficult over the years, owing to lack of availability resulting from the sheer volume of law students applying. This has created a lack of opportunity for many.

"The traditional route has never sat well with niche companies like Medical Solicitors. Therefore, we have offered alternative and more economical pathways to qualification. In 11 years of practice, we have supported three solicitors to qualification, with a further three now on this pathway. Supporting people to qualify is an absolute privilege."

So, who joins the team?

Lyndsey Taylor - Solicitor

Lyndsey is a qualified solicitor and joined the team in April. She will be based at our York branch which opened last October and is headed up by Sarah Johnson who Lyndsey worked with previously at another law firm. Lyndsey has worked in clinical negligence for ten years, first as a paralegal before qualifying as a solicitor in 2017. Initially she assisted a managing partner with his caseload of complex and high value cases, which subsequently led to her managing her own caseload including claims against GPs, psychiatric claims, orthopaedic claims, and failures to treat pressure sores.

Lyndsey also has experience on the other side of the medico-legal divide having previously worked for the NHS. After completing her post-graduate Legal Practice Course, she began her career compiling medical reports and MRI scan administration in the radiology department at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. This gave Lyndsey solid foundations of both medical knowledge and practical experience to help her transition to litigation.

On her appointment, Lyndsey said: “I am delighted to join the Medical Solicitors’ team. The firm has an excellent reputation in the field of clinical negligence. Now that I have joined, my aim is to continue to seek justice for my clients and to achieve the best possible outcome. I believe that many doctors are excellent at their jobs, but when not, they need to be held to account for their mistakes.”

Kelly Hunt - Litigation Assistant

Kelly joined the team in January to support the opening of the York office. She is relatively new to the industry, having spent three years as a paralegal in conveyancing, wills and probate before gaining a further year of experience in group litigation for personal injury claims.

Kelly currently works part-time while she completes her final year of studying for an LLB(Hons) Law degree from The Open University, with a view to the qualifying as a solicitor via the new Solicitors Qualifying Exams. In the little spare time she has between work, studying and raising two children, she also volunteers for Support Through Court, a charity which provides free assistance to people facing legal proceedings without representation.

Sue Garland - Litigation Assistant

Sue has worked in the legal sector for almost 30 years and joined Medical Solicitors in March as assistant to senior legal executive, Matthew Brown. Before specialising in claimant personal injury ten years ago, Sue worked in defendant clinical negligence supporting cases on behalf of NHS Trusts from which she gained excellent knowledge of the healthcare field. Her lengthy career has also seen Sue work for a large union supporting employers’ liability claims.

Chanel Watson - Litigation Assistant

Chanel  is set to join the team in June. She transfers from Medical Solicitors’ sister company, Order Order! where she currently works as a medical records analyst for the collation and chronology firm. Chanel joined Order Order! in 2019 having completed a master’s degree in Health Psychology. She took an interest in law following an assignment on the lasting effects – both physically and mentally – of prejudice and discrimination in medicine. She now joins the litigation team at Medical Solicitors with a view to pursuing a career as a solicitor.