Claire Horton

Career

I am a medical negligence lawyer in the Manchester clinical negligence team, with over 33 years' experience of successfully concluding the cases of my clients, who are often catastrophically injured.

I have settled numerous significant cases, achieving substantial compensation, including in particular many relating to birth injury. This has often required the application of unique solutions to ensure that the lifelong needs of my clients can be fully met.

I have achieved excellent and hard fought successes in many highly complex and ‘difficult to win’ cases. I work with many clients who are unable to manage their affairs and am skilled at working with teams of experts, case managers, treating therapists and Court of Protection Deputies to achieve the best results for my clients. I have achieved ranking in Chambers Directory for more than 10 years and am currently ranked in Band 1.

I have also been highly been ranked in the Legal 500 Directory for many years, and am currently ranked in the category of Leading Individuals.

I have achieved substantial levels of compensation in a wide variety of high value cases including delayed cancer diagnosis, failure to prevent stroke, failure to provide Vitamin K to a new-born baby and the delayed diagnosis of brain tumours. I have a particular interest in cases relating oxygen deprivation at birth causing both cerebral palsy and none-cerebral palsy (atypical) injury and injuries caused in the neonatal period.

I continue to secure many high value final settlements, often in the £15 million to £30 million bracket (lifelong capitalised equivalent) ensuring that the accommodation, therapy and care needs of the respective clients will always be met. I have achieved numerous liability settlements in difficult cases and have then carried out the work necessary to ensure that they will also settle for or be awarded high levels of compensation.

I have established case law, which allows compensation for a statistical reduction in years of life expectation. I have also obtained compensation for the majority of lifelong care, rather than the additional care only, where the negligently caused injury was to a person who would already have required some care due to an underlying non-negligently caused condition.

Professional Memberships

I have been a long term member of the specialist clinical negligence panels of Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA) and the Law Society which both require excellent standards in their panellists. I am designated as a Senior Litigator in the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL).