Paul is a leading silk with over 30 years’ experience in both Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury Litigation as junior counsel and in silk.
Described as ‘top drawer silk with a real desire to fight and win the difficult case’ Paul is regularly recognised for his ‘pragmatic advice and excellent client manner’. His cross examination and negotiating skills are described as ‘formidable’, his knowledge ‘encyclopaedic’ and he is a favourite of instructing solicitors due to his ‘genuine commitment to clients’.
Paul has extensive experience of cases involving brain injury as a result of hypoxia either during surgery, birth or as a result of a failure of diagnosis.
Examples of instructions during the last three years include:
- Surgery to the inner ear to correct pre-existing problem resulting in leak of CSF with severe consequences.
- Surgical treatment for epilepsy to wrong area of the brain worsening the claimant’s condition.
- Failure to diagnose worsening condition after surgery to the brain with consequent catastrophic results.
- Failure to recognise signs of meningitis during visit to GP’s surgery.
- Failure at hospital to recognise signs of serious respiratory distress in an infant: pharyngeal abscess resulting in hypoxia and catastrophic brain damage.
Recommendations
“His cross-examination is an art form.” “Paul is tactically great.” “Paul is an experienced litigator.”
Chambers UK 2023 - Clinical Negligence
“Paul is very efficient, hugely experienced and gets right to the heart of a case.”
Legal 500 2023 - Clinical Negligence
“A very experienced silk who is knowledgeable in a wide range of matters. He is analytical and considered in his advice and excellent with medical experts. He gets to the crux of the issue quickly and tackles problems head on.” “He is very good at finding the key point of evidence.”
Chambers UK 2022 - Clinical Negligence
“Paul is particularly adept at getting right to the heart of the case, clients and opponents appreciate the directness of his approach.”
Legal 500 2022 - Clinical Negligence
“A very experienced silk who is very knowledgeable, analytical and considered in his advice. He is excellent with medical experts and tackles problems head-on.”
Chambers UK 2021 - Clinical Negligence
Notable Cases
FRE v Imperial College Health Care Trust
2018
Failure to act on fetal distress and proceed to caesarean section: cerebral palsy
MP v University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
2018
Infant with respiratory distress. Failure at hospital to recognise severity of condition. Pharyngeal abscess leading to hypoxia and catastrophic injury.
RB v Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Trust
2017
Patient in psychiatric hospital secure ward. Risk of suicide. Failure to supervise. Patient left hospital and electrocuted on nearby electricity pylon. Catastrophic brain injury.
Jehan v Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust
2017
Wrongful birth, failure to advise of high risk of severely disabled baby. Damages agreed: 2.745m.
B-HL v The Ministry for Health and Social Services
2016
Jersey. Fetal hypoxia during delivery. Very severely disabled baby. Cerebral Palsy.
B-M v Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust
2015
Claimant’s aorta severed during surgery to treat an ectopic pregnancy resulting in hypotension and severe brain damage. Lump sum 2m, periodical payments for care (index linked): 220,000, periodical payments for other recurring costs (index linked): 16,500.
HAX v Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust
2015
Neonatal test for congenital hypothyroidism wrongly reported. Baby severely disabled from birth. Lump sum: 1.5m, periodical payments for loss of earnings from 2018 to aged 65 (index linked): 13,000, periodical payments for care and case management from 2018 for life (index linked) 143,000.
Evans v West Midlands Strategic Health Authority and Walsall Manor Hospital and NHS Trust
2009
Very young girl: failure to diagnose meningitis while in hospital and subsequent negligent surgery to excise dermal cyst. Brain damage: neuropathic bladder and bowels as well as hemiplegia. Issues on liability of community health physician failing to discover sinus at six week check up and thereafter diagnosis of meningitis after admission to hospital. Liability admitted for negligent surgery to deal with dermal cyst and eventually for failure to diagnose meningitis while an inpatient.
Appointments
Recorder
Part Time Judge of the First Tier Property Tribunal (Agricultural and Drainage)
Bencher of Inner Temple
Member of the Personal Injury Bar Association
Qualifications
LLB (Hons)
