Medical negligence solicitor
How I make it work: My husband, Daniel, is an incredible help (and a good cook), plus I couldn’t manage my horse without the amazing Owl House Stables
WORK HORSE balance
The partner at Girlings Personal Injury Claims Solicitors makes clients’ lives a little easier by relieving the financial burden negligence has caused, while riding her cob provides respite from the stresses of the job
My job…
I’m a medical negligence solicitor and partner at Girlings Personal Injury Claims Solicitors and I act for patients and their families if they have been injured or have died as a result of negligence by a doctor or hospital. My work ranges from missed broken bones and cancer diagnoses to negligently caused brain injuries and deaths.
In the morning I might be working on a case involving a 45-year-old carpenter who broke his elbow playing football and whose delayed surgery thwarted the opportunity to achieve the best result. In the afternoon perhaps I’ll look at a case involving a 38-year-old man who died at home of a pulmonary embolism (PE) after double knee surgery and the surgeon’s decision not to recommend blood thinners or stockings to prevent deep vein thrombosis and PE, despite national guidance stating otherwise.
Other cases include hospital negligence causing a severe brain injury, and failings in mental health care which have led to suicide attempts or someone taking their own life.
In addition, I’m a partner and shareholder in my firm, and so I get involved in the business side, which I enjoy. I also take some of my successful cases to the media to raise awareness. I’ve been on BBC South East Today and the Victoria Derbyshire show.
How I got here…
I gained a law degree at the University of Kent, and then attended law school (the legal practice course) in London, which I did part time over two years as my eldest daughter, Elliana, was a baby at the time. I became a single mum when she was two while still studying to become a solicitor, so I did various jobs, including teaching law at a further education college and becoming a chief examiner for the Institute for Legal Executives to make ends meet. There were times when I struggled and didn’t know how to make enough money to pay my rent, but I tried to stay motivated that one day I would become a solicitor and would be able to give my daughter a better life. I met my current husband, Daniel, when Elliana was five and we had our now seven-year-old daughter, Isabelle.
My horses…
I bought my lightweight cob Zara in September 2021 at the age of four. I knew nothing about horses and a
