Law firm Russell-Cooke has announced the arrival of Bernadette McGhie as a consultant in its clinical negligence team. Bernadette joins the firm on 5 October 2020.
Prior to qualifying as a solicitor, Bernadette trained as a nurse, specialising in paediatrics. She worked in paediatric intensive care at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford before joining the nurse education team where she contributed to the development of the paediatric nursing degree.
While she handles the full gamut of clinical negligence cases, Bernadette has a particular expertise in paediatric brain injuries including cerebral palsy, meningitis and encephalitis as well as injury caused by medication given to pregnant mothers which can have devastating effects.
She is ranked in Band 1 for Clinical Negligence: the Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession 2020 in which she is described as “outstanding: empathetic, understanding and supportive."
The Russell-Cooke team includes specialist lawyers who are accredited members of panels including the Law Society Clinical Negligence Panel, Action Against Medical Accidents (AVMA) Panel and the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL).
The firm has a civil contract for clinical negligence awarded by the Legal Aid Agency,
Janice Gardner, partner in the personal injury and clinical negligence team, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Bernadette to Russell-Cooke. Her clinical background as well as her outstanding track record as a lawyer make her a real asset to the firm. Our clinical negligence practice is extremely busy and growing. We see Bernadette’s strengths as complementary to our existing expertise and her specialism, particularly in birth injury claims, will broaden and enhance our offering. We believe she will be a great asset to the team.”
Bernadette McGhie added:
“I am excited to be joining the excellent team at Russell-Cooke, especially at a time when the stakes are so high for patients. Their absolute focus on strong and empathetic client care, as well as their national reputation for excellence, are a winning combination for me and I very much look forward to working with them. "