Mary Duncan

Partner and head of department

Acts for insurers in professional negligence disputes arising out of personal injury claims.  She specialises in handling substantial high value cases, and has particular expertise in clinical negligence, fatal accidents and brain injury cases.  

Mary’s significant cases include:  

• Defence of £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.  
• Defence of £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.  
• Considerable involvement in the TAG litigation on behalf of the vetting solicitors.  This 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 Henmans in 1985.  She has been a partner since 1989.  Mary is accredited by the Law Society as a specialist personal injury lawyer and is a member of the Oxford Medico-Legal Society.   Mary is described in the 2009 edition of Legal 500 as “impressive” and “widely acknowledged as an expert in brain injury cases”.  She is joint author of Fatal Accident Claims, author of a chapter in Trauma Care, A team Approach, joint author of Health & Safety at Work Essentials and Professional Negligence, A Second Bite at the Cherry?

Paul Chadder

Partner

Acts for insurers defending professional negligence disputes arising out of personal injury claims.  Paul’s notable cases include:  

• Under-settlement claim arising from a tripping incident for £300,000, which settled at mediation for £40,000.  
• Claim arising from a failed stress at work claim for £360,000, which settled at mediation for £50,000.  

Paul also specialises in employers’ liability claims, involving industrial disease, Health & Safety Executive prosecutions and public liability matters.  Paul trained at Henmans and qualified in 1998.  He was made an Associate in 2004 and Partner in 2008.  Paul is a member of the Law Society specialist Personal Injury Accreditation Scheme and the Reading Chartered Insurance Institute.  He is also a member of the Oxford Medico-Legal Society.

Jane Lightfoot

Associate

Acts for insurers in professional negligence disputes against solicitors arising out of personal injury claims and in medical malpractice claims.  

Jane has dealt with defending a broad range of claims, including:  

• Claims arising out of alleged negligent cosmetic treatment and chiropractic treatment.  
• Alleged under-settlement claim for over £150,000 arising from a construction claim, which settled at mediation for £72,000.  
• Claim brought by dependant spouse for alleged negligent advice provided to her deceased husband in relation to his claim for asbestos-related illness, pleaded at over £250,000 and settled for £50,000.  

Jane also deals with all types of personal injury claims, including road traffic accident, employers’ liability and public liability matters.  

Jane trained at Henmans and qualified in 2003.  She was made an Associate in 2009.  Jane is a member of the Law Society specialist Personal Injury Accreditation Scheme and the Reading Chartered Insurance Institute.  She is also a member of the Oxford Medico-Legal Society.

Joanne Eden

Solicitor

Joanne acts for insurers in professional negligence disputes arising out of personal injury claims and medical malpractice claims.

Joanne has assisted partners with a range of claims, including:  

• Defence of a professional negligence claim against solicitors arising from failure to progress a brain injury claim resulting in strike out.
• Defence of a professional negligence claim against solicitors who lost evidence allegedly vital to the claim of a minor who suffered injury after falling from an allegedly defective bicycle.
• Defence of a claim arising out of alleged negligent hair transplant surgery.

Joanne also handles all types of personal injury claims including accidents at work, public liability matters and road traffic accidents. She specialises in employer’s liability claims and she has considerable experience in dealing with disease claims.  She has also been involved in defending HSE prosecutions.  

Joanne trained at Everatt & Co qualifying in 2006.  She joined Henmans in May 2006. She 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.