Mary Duncan, partner and head of personal injury
Specialises in handling substantial high value cases, and has particular expertise in clinical negligence, fatal accidents, and brain injury cases. She also deals with professional negligence disputes involving negligence claims arising out of personal injury actions.
Mary’s significant cases include:
- £10 million professional negligence claim arising from failure to serve a claim form in time in a substantial brain injury case. Settled for £1.6 million.
- £1.89 million professional negligence claim against solicitors arising from their negligent handling of a personal injury claim by a deep sea diver. Settled for £45,000
- Successful defence at trial of an allegation of under settlement of a clinical negligence brain injury claim.
- Until recently Mary has been working on the TAG litigation on behalf of the vetting solicitors. This has included organising the review and assessment of over 300 personal injury claims from a professional negligence perspective by the personal injury team, an extensive disclosure exercise and participation in negotiations.
Mary trained at Henmans and qualified as a solicitor in 1983. She spent two years at Greenwoods and rejoined us in 1985. She has been a partner since 1989.
Mary is accredited by the Solicitors' Regulation Authority as a personal injury specialist and is a member of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL) and Oxford's Medico-Legal Society. Chambers ranks her in its top tier for personal injury and in its 2008 edition described her as 'absolutely outstanding'. She is joint author of Fatal Accident Claims, author of a chapter in Trauma Care, A Team Approach, joint author of Health and Safety at Work Essentials and Professional Negligence, A Second Bite at the Cherry?
Handles all personal injury claims, specialising in employers liability and industrial injury cases. She also handles Health & Safety Executive prosecutions, public and product liability claims and has specialist expertise in medical malpractice, defending claims arising from cosmetic surgery and other non-NHS disciplines.
Penny’s recent significant cases include:
- Claim for £1 million plus against an air ambulance company for alleged negligent transfer of a paraplegic patient in Zanzibar. The claim was discontinued after an application was made to strike out the claim.
- Claim against fostering agency along with six other defendants, following death of foster child in care. The claim was eventually discontinued against her client.
- Claim against health and safety expert for inadequate inspection of children’s play equipment, following injury to a child. The claim was discontinued against her client.
Penny trained at Bond Pearce and qualified in 1998. She practised at Bond Pearce in Bristol before joining Henmans in 1999. She has been a partner since 2004.
Penny is accredited by the Solicitors' Regulation Authority as a personal injury specialist, and is a member of the Oxford Medico-Legal Society. The Chambers directory ranks Penny as a leader in the field of personal injury.
Penny frequently conducts seminars for insurers and other professional bodies. She is joint author of Health and Safety at Work Essentials and Professional Negligence, A Second Bite at the Cherry? She is editor of Trip and Slip: a guide to making personal injury claims.
Paul handles all types of personal injury claims, including road traffic accidents, employer’s liability, public liability and product liability matters.
Paul specialises in employer’s liability claims involving industrial disease. These include asbestos, VWF/HAVS and asthma type claims. Paul also handles Health & Safety Executive prosecutions and has considerable experience in public liability matters particularly highway claims.
Paul also acts for insurers dealing with solicitors’ professional negligence disputes involving negligence claims arising out of personal injury actions.
Paul’s significant cases include:
- Under-settlement claim arising from a tripping incident for £300,000 that settled at mediation for £40,000.
- Claim arising from a failed stress at work claim for £360,000 that settled at mediation for £50,000.
- Several mesothelioma claims for large motor manufacturers.
- Numerous successful defences at trial of public liability highway claims for a local authority.
Paul trained at Henmans and qualified in 1998. He was made an associate in 2004 and a partner in 2008.
Paul is accredited as a specialist personal injury lawyer by the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority, is a member of Oxford’s Medico-Legal Society and the Reading Chartered Insurance Institute.
Consultant
Advises on substantial personal injury claims including road traffic accidents, accidents at work, Health & Safety Executive prosecutions and public and product liability claims. He specialises in deafness and explosion cases and professional indemnity litigation, particularly professional negligence disputes involving solicitors.
He was responsible for creating a deafness claim scheme in the 1990s, a variation on the Iron Trades Scheme - settling over 350 cases. He has been involved in a further deafness scheme in 2004/2005. Anthony has numerous reported cases, including O'Brien v Wharton,and has handled a variety of substantial personal injury and fatal accident claims.
Anthony trained at Hextall Erskine and qualified in 1964. He spent ten years in the City before joining Henmans as a partner in 1967. He was senior partner for 28 years and was a deputy district judge of the High Court and County Court for eight years. He is a member of the Oxford Medico-Legal Society and the Forum of Insurance Lawyers.
Handles all personal injury claims, specialising in road traffic accidents, employers’ andpublic liability claims. He has particular expertise in claims involving the MIB.
Irvin worked for four years at Shoosmiths, specialising in personal injury. He joined Henmans in 1997 and was made an associate in 2002. Irvin has used his specialist experience to develop SolCase, the team’s bespoke case management system. He is a member of the Oxford Medico-Legal Society.
Heads the personal injury pre-litigation unit where he is responsible for motor, public liability and employer's liability claims investigation, interviewing witnesses and undertaking locus reports. He currently runs an Industrial Deafness scheme for a major insurer through which he has handled upwards of 3000 claims.
Dave was formerly technical claims manager of Eagle Star and has 30 years experience within the insurance industry. While at Eagle Star he handled motor, employers liability claims investigation, public liability and household claims at branch and head office level. He was responsible for setting and auditing service standards for service suppliers within the insurance industry. He is an Associate Member of the Chartered Insurance Institute and a Chartered Insurer.
Jane handles all personal injury claims arising out of motor, employer, public and product liability. She also acts for insurers on professional negligence disputes involving negligence claims arising out of personal injury actions.
Jane has dealt with and assisted partners with a broad range of claims.
- Successful defence at trial of a complex professional negligence claim brought by a litigant in person against her solicitors for alleged failure properly to conduct her personal injury claim.
- Successful resolution at mediation of a claim brought against solicitors following the striking out of the claimant’s personal injury claim.
- Several claims arising out of alleged negligent cosmetic surgery treatment.
Jane trained at Henmans and qualified in September 2003. She is a member of the Oxford Medico-Legal Society.
Joanne handles all types of personal injury claims including accidents at work, public liability matters and road traffic accidents. She currently specialises in employer’s liability claims and she has considerable experience in dealing with disease claims, in particular vibration white finger and carpel tunnel syndrome claims.
She has also been involved in defending HSE prosecutions and has assisted in professional negligence claims against solicitors arising out of personal injury cases.
Joanne has arranged and attended settlement meetings by way of alternative dispute resolution achieving timely economic results for her clients.
Joanne’s successes include:
- Numerous discontinuances and drop hands settlements achieved in claims for carpel tunnel syndrome and RSI
- Numerous successful appeals to the Compensation Recovery Unit
- Claim resulting from an accident at work allegedly causing a back injury claimed at £85,000 settled for £5,000.
Joanne trained at Everatt & Co qualifying in 2006. She joined Henmans in May 2006 as an assistant solicitor.
Joanne provides regular pro bono advice at the local Citizens Advice Bureau. She is a member of the Oxford Medico-legal Society, the BB&O Law Society and the Reading Chartered Insurance Institute.