Birth Injuries – Clinical Negligence Mini Series

Dr. David Sharpe KC

Dr David Sharpe KC specialises in sport, clinical negligence, professional negligence, serious personal injury, construction, inquests & inquiries and property law. David practices within all areas of England & Wales and works for claimants and defendants.

He practiced as a doctor to Consultant level in Emergency Medicine (and is a Fellow of both the Royal College of Surgeons and Royal College of Physicians) prior to qualifying as a Barrister and retains an exceptional knowledge of scientific, medical and technical matters relevant to his current legal practice.

David is also admitted to the Inner Bar in a number of other jurisdictions, has developed expertise of jurisdictional issues and has built a strong international aspect to his practice. He regularly receives instructions from overseas.

He has fully embraced ADR and is a qualified arbitrator and mediator. As such he is equally happy to act either as arbitrator/mediator or as counsel in such proceedings.

John-Paul Swoboda KC

John-Paul specialises in Personal Injury, Asbestos Litigation, Clinical Negligence, International injury litigation (including aviation), Indemnity and insurance, Professional Negligence, Group litigation and Sports. He undertakes high value work appearing in the High Court and Appellate Courts. He enjoys working as part of a team. He won the Legal 500 Personal Injury Junior of the Year Award in 2023. John-Paul was elected joint Deputy Head of Chambers in July 2024. He took silk in 2025.

In relation to asbestos claims, he is instructed by most, if not all, well-regarded claimant firms with an established asbestos team. He is ranked in Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500. Recent reported cases include:

• Johnstone v Fawcett’s Garage (Newbury) [2025]  PIQR P15 (Court of Appeal)
• Keegan v Independent Insurance Co Ltd [2022] EWHC 1992 (QB);
• Brooks v Zurich Insurance Plc [2022] EWHC 1170 (QB);
• Witham v Steve Hill Ltd [2021] EWCA Civ 1312 (led by Steven Snowden KC);
• Gregory v H J Haynes Ltd [2020] EWHC 911 (Ch);
• Helm v Kenyon & Sons Ltd v Somewatch Ltd [2019] EWHC 1108 (QB);
• Cary v Vauxhall Motors Ltd [2019] EWHC 238 (QB);
• Mark v Universal Coatings and Services Ltd v Barrier Ltd [2018] EWHC 3206 (QB);
• Stacey v Triplex Safety Glass Company Ltd [2017] EWHC 1945 (QB).

His private international law expertise spans jurisdiction (pre and post-Brexit), applicable law (pre and post-Brexit), forum non conveniens cases and service out of the jurisdiction in both injury and non-injury commercial work. John-Paul also has expertise in Aviation, having worked on cases arising from air disasters. He regularly appears in Package Holidays claims, Admiralty matters, Athens and Montreal Convention cases and clinical negligence cases with a foreign element. As a result of his Spanish language skills, John-Paul is often instructed in Spanish cases and has appeared as an expert in English law in the Spanish Courts. Recent reported cases include: Chouza v Martins & Ors [2021] EWHC 1669 (QB) (Spanish law); Haggerty-Garton v ICI [2021] EWHC 2924 (QB) (Scots law); Maddison v TUI [2023] EWHC (to be heard by the Court of Appeal). John-Paul is ranked in the Legal 500 for Travel Law including Jurisdictional issues.

John-Paul’s clinical negligence work is high value work often relating to birth injury, brain injury, spinal injury, amputation, other catastrophic outcomes and fatalities. He receives instructions from most ranked firms. He is ranked in the directories for his clinical negligence work. He enjoys the medical and scientific aspects of such litigation and works closely with his instructing solicitors and experts.

He undertakes all personal injury work including EL, PL and RTA cases. Reported cases include Irani v Duchon [2019] EWCA Civ 1846.

John-Paul has expertise and experience in professional negligence claims acting for claimants and defendants. He is often instructed in relation to claims relating to solicitors and barristers and also has experience of many other professions. He successfully represented the Claimant in the Court of Appeal in Witcomb v Keith Park Solicitors [2023] PNLR 20.

He practices Sports Law where he is able to bring his extensive Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence knowledge to bear on such matters. He also has expertise in respect of non-injury Sports work of a contractual or regulatory nature. He has received instructions relating to those in the English Premier League, for professional jockeys and for other professional sports people.

John-Paul has expertise and litigation experience in indemnity and insurance work. In respect of motor indemnity, he has a broad range of experience and expertise in cases which involve consideration where the insurer may fall within the liability tree (from contractual, hybrid, RTA, Article 75 or MIB). He has expertise in respect of issues arising under the Insurance Act 2015, and the Third Parties (Rights against insurers) Act 2010.

Thea Wilson

Named as a leading junior in the Legal 500, Thea specialises in Clinical Negligence, complex Personal Injury claims, and Inquests. She is an editor of Facts & Figures and is particularly adept at handling complex quantum calculations.

Thea has a wealth of experience in handling cases involving delayed diagnosis, pregnancy-related injuries, birth injuries (including hypoxic brain injuries), cardiac issues, spinal injuries, brain damage, psychiatric injury, chronic pain, and fatal accidents. With an eye for detail and a sympathetic manner, she is particularly skilled in advising vulnerable clients and explaining complex issues in straightforward terms.

Thea’s role as Assistant Coroner for Essex gives her significant insight and expertise in the inquest process. She regularly acts for interested parties at inquests, in particular in claims involving clinical negligence, road traffic accidents, and deaths in custody or mental health detention. She is happy to advise on all aspects of the coronial process.

Thea’s expert knowledge of the CPR stands her in good stead in acting for and advising solicitors on procedural matters in relation to applications and appeals, and in respect of costs. Thea is sought after in cases with a potential fraud element and in cases with insurance coverage issues.

Thea is regularly instructed by the NHS, trade union organisations, local authorities, leading insurers, and the Motor Insurers Bureau.

Thea has represented victims of sexual and physical abuse both in civil claims and before the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority Tribunal.

Thea is happy to accept cases on a CFA basis and is willing to consider Pro Bono instruction where appropriate.

Vanessa Cashman

Vanessa specialises in clinical negligence. She acts predominantly for claimants and her practice encompasses a huge range of medical specialties. She has particular expertise in birth and obstetric injuries, spinal injury and brain injury. Vanessa is Joint Head of our Clinical Negligence Team.

Vanessa is ranked for clinical negligence in both the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners. She is known for her warmth and sensitivity and her extensive medical knowledge.

She also has considerable experience in personal injury and inquests.

Elizabeth Boulden

Elizabeth’s personal injury practice has particular specialisms in clinical negligence, inquests, employers’ liability, international & travel and non-asbestos industrial disease. She is ranked in the Legal 500 for clinical negligence.

She frequently represents parties in trials, CCMCs, application hearings and inquests. Elizabeth also has a busy paperwork practice advising and drafting pleadings. She is comfortable acting as sole counsel in high value cases and with cases dealing with serious injuries such as brain injury.

Elizabeth regularly represents interested persons in inquest hearings, in particular those relating to circumstances of alleged clinical negligence in hospitals.

Prior to her legal studies, Elizabeth achieved 2 science Masters Degrees, with particular focus on virology, immunology, cancer biology and laboratory research.

Charley Turton

Charley is a specialist in complex personal injury and clinical negligence and is instructed in some of the largest group injury claims brought in the English courts. She is recognised in the directories for both personal injury and clinical negligence, where she is described as “brilliant”, a “rising star”, “a clear and confident advocate” and “a really intelligent barrister who thinks things through carefully”.

Charley’s practice spans sports law, aviation, abuse, and international injury. Charley is regularly instructed as sole counsel in complex, high-value litigation, frequently against opponents of significantly greater seniority. She also thrives as part of a team, particularly in the context of group litigation. Her past and ongoing instructions include:

• The Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder Litigation. Led by Michael Rawlinson KC, Charley acts for a large cohort of claimants alleging that Baby Powder was contaminated with asbestos and other harmful substances, and that talc used in the product was itself a cause of injury.
• Rugby Concussion Litigation. Led by William Audland KC, Charley acts for the Rugby Football League in high-profile head injury litigation brought by over 1,000 rugby league and union players and former players.
• Harrods Abuse Claims. Led by Michael Rawlinson KC, Charley acts for the survivors of sexual abuse perpetrated by former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed.
• LaMia Flight 2933 Air Accident. Led by Steven Thompson KC, Charley acts for injured passengers and families of deceased following the 2016 crash in Colombia.
• Inquest into the death of Adam Johnson. Led by William Audland KC, Charley acts for the bereaved family of the ice hockey player who died when his neck was cut by a skate during a 2023 match between Sheffield Steelers and Nottingham Panthers.
• Fundão Dam Collapse Litigation. Led by Harry Steinberg KC and Patrick Vincent KC, in 2018-19, Charley acted for the claimants in this action arising from Brazil’s worst ever environmental disaster.

Before coming to the Bar, Charley read English Literature at Merton College, Oxford, where she was awarded a ‘Blue’ for football. She still turns out for the occasional Friday night match.

In her free time, Charley is a keen traveller and, whenever possible, she plans her trips around opportunities to scuba dive.

Gerald Mason

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Kevin Ives

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