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Executive

  • Sharon Allison - Chair
    Sharon Allison is Head of Medical Injury at Ashtons Legal and has extensive experience in all claims arising from medical injury events but specialises in catastrophic birth injury, brain injury and spinal injury claims. Sharon is a Fellow of APIL and a panel member of AvMA. Sharon spent a significant part of her early career building expertise in inquest representation, which is now a large part of her team's medical practice. She developed particular expertise in mental health and patient safety. She still spends time with national/regional stakeholders to collaboratively work together on streamlining the litigation process and putting grieving families at the heart of the process.
  • Rankeshwar Batta - Treasurer
    Rankeshwar Batta, Head of Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury at Anthony Collins, specialises in complex claims which usually have a catastrophic injury element. He is recommended in the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners UK directories and is described as an “elite” lawyer. He has been involved in extremely high-value complex claims which have resulted in multi-million-pound settlements or awards ranging from brain/spinal injury to orthopaedic injuries. He has been involved in cases that have proceeded to the Court of Appeal and therefore tested legal principles and applications. He is on the Law Society Personal Injury Panel, the Law Society Clinical Negligence Panel and the AvMA Clinical Negligence Panel.
  • Jodi Newton - Secretary
    Jodi Newton qualified in 2001 and is a Partner in the Clinical Negligence Department at Osbornes Law. She specialises in birth injury, brain injury, misdiagnosis, and inquests. Jodi is a panel member of AvMA and is accredited under the Law Society’s Clinical Negligence scheme. Jodi is dedicated to supporting campaigns for improvements to maternity services and for parity in access to healthcare services for adults with Cerebral Palsy. ​ Jodi was recognised in the Legal 500 2021 and in Chambers 2021 as an “Associate to Watch” and recommended for "Her persistence, perspicacity, determination and efficiency are simply outstanding, as are her legal, analytical and negotiating skills."
  • Lisa Jordan
    Lisa is Regional Managing Partner for Birmingham and Head of the National Medical Negligence team at Irwin Mitchell LLP which is the largest team of specialist medical lawyers in the country. She is based at IM’s Birmingham office. She is a member of SCIL, a Law Society Clinical Negligence panel member and specialises in birth injury cases with 24 years of experience working as a Claimant Clinical Negligence lawyer.
  • Emma Wray
    Emma Wray, partner in the Clinical Negligence team at Hodge Jones and Allen, is a former nurse who specialised in coronary/intensive care. After completing a law degree and masters in Medical Law and Ethics she qualified as a solicitor in 2009. Emma works exclusively in clinical negligence and has experience in all areas of this speciality, including high-value complex catastrophic brain and spinal injury. She is committed to providing access to justice and is equally dedicated to her clients with more modest claims which are often just as complex to investigate. She is on the Law Society clinical negligence panel and has been a member of SCIL since its inauguration, and has followed and supported its work closely.
  • Anthony Mitty
    Anthony Mitty qualified in 1992. He is a partner at Gadsby Wicks working exclusively in the field of clinical negligence. He has considerable experience in management and a proven track record of success in securing compensation across a broad range of cases, including those of maximum severity.
  • Navdeep Kainth
    Navdeep is a Partner at Moosa-Duke Solicitors, a niche firm specialising in clinical negligence. Navdeep’s experience includes advising individuals who have suffered life changing injuries from gynaecological errors, loss of loved ones and representing families at inquests, amputations and delays in treating and diagnosing cancer. Navdeep’s specialisms include: Acting for individuals who have been affected by delays in diagnosing and treating Cauda Equina Syndrome. Navdeep has extensive experience in these complex cases and over the years has successfully negotiated high value settlements to help clients rebuild their lives. Acting for individuals and families who have suffered baby loss and maternal injuries as a result of receiving substandard maternity and neonatal care. Navdeep joined the Executive Committee of SCIL in January 2023.
  • Trevor Ward
    Trevor is an incredibly respected and knowledgeable solicitor with over 35 years’ experience, dealing with complex, catastrophic clinical negligence cases. Throughout his illustrious career, Trevor has recovered multi-millionpound damages on behalf of clients in various areas of practice over the years. Trevor is the current Chief Assessor for the Law Society’s Clinical Negligence Panel and has been for the last 3 years, and prior to that had been an assessor for the panel since inception in 1994. He works directly with many of the UK’s leading Counsel and experts. Trevor’s caseload ranges from cases valued at over a £100,000 to over £20 million, seeing him act on birth injury mediations and achieve many lifechanging settlements for vulnerable individuals and their families.
  • Beth Heath - Co-opted Exec Member
    Beth Heath is Head of the Clinical Negligence team and a Partner at Lanyon Bowdler. Beth specialises in high value, complex cases which include birth injuries, maternal deaths, other fatal cases and delays in diagnosis. Beth is one of the lead solicitors in The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust maternity scandal. In November 2022, Beth was awarded Clinical Negligence Lawyer of the Year at the PI Awards. She is also ranked as a Leading Individual in Legal 500. panel.
  • Lydia Brindley
    Lydia Brindley, a Director at Graystons, has worked exclusively in clinical negligence since qualifying in 2011. Her practice covers a broad spectrum of clinical negligence work to include delay in diagnosis; fatal; paediatric; orthopaedic and brain injury cases. She is accredited by the Law Society for Clinical Negligence and in 2023 became a member of the AvMA clinical negligence panel.
  • Martha O'Toole - Co-opted Exec Member
    Martha qualified as a Clinical Negligence Solicitor in 2021 and has worked at Taylor Emmet since 2016. She studied LL.B Law and the LPC at the University of Sheffield, where she obtained a First and Distinction respectively. She runs her own varied caseload and acts for clients who have been harmed as a result of substandard clinical and medical care by GPs, hospitals, dentists, care homes, opticians and other healthcare providers. She is motivated by obtaining answers for her clients and achieving the very best outcomes for them. In addition to being an Exec Member of SCIL, Martha is on the Yorkshire Union of Law Societies and volunteers on the legal helpline for Action Against Medical Accidents. Formerly, she was on the Sheffield and District Junior Lawyers Division, Access to Justice Foundation Yorkshire, Sheffield Legal Hackers and mentorship programmes of Aspiring Solicitors and the University of Law. At work, she sits on Taylor Emmet’s Charity Committee, DE&I Network and Green Initiatives Committee. Outside of work, she enjoys running, baking and running around after her new puppy
  • Lynda Reynolds - Vice Chair
    Lynda Reynolds is a Partner in the Hugh James clinical negligence team and is head of the Inquest Team. She specialises in complex clinical negligence inquests and has acted for many families who have suffered neonatal deaths. She also has a broad caseload of head injury, spinal injury, sepsis, maternal injury and surgical claims. Lynda is an APIL accredited senior litigator and Fatal Accident specialist. Lynda has always lobbied for access to justice for families that are going through the inquest process and is a passionate believer that all families should have access to specialist representation when the state has representation.
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