Biography
I am a Legal Director in the London office in the Medical Negligence department, representing individuals who have suffered injury as a result of a medical accident. I qualified as a solicitor in 2004, joining Irwin Mitchell in 2007; I was promoted to Associate in 2009 and to Senior Associate in 2017.
I'm accredited as a Senior Litigator by the Association Of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) and have been acknowledged in the Legal 500, as well as Chambers & Partners.
What Inspired You To Get Into Law?
I have always had a firm belief in access to justice and I wanted a career where I could make a real difference to people’s lives and where no two days would be the same!
What Is The Most Rewarding Aspect Of Your Role?
Through the work that I do, I am able to highlight failings in medical care and issues of patient safety so that lessons can be learnt. By achieving significant financial settlements for my clients, I enable them to have the best quality of life and financial security possible following a life changing injury. There is nothing more rewarding than helping individuals to rebuild their lives and restore their hopes for the future in this way.
What Do You Like About Working At Irwin Mitchell?
In my specialist field as a clinical negligence practitioner, I am proud to be part of a firm that is considered to be one of the leading firms in this field. The firm is innovative, progressive and forward thinking, enabling me to achieve the best results for my clients.
What Do You Do Away From The Office?
Spending time with my family and friends is very important to me, together with exploring different parts of the world and forever trying to achieve a new personal best in my local park run on a Saturday morning!
Testimonials
"Irwin Mitchell have been excellent in terms of their communication, explanation and transparency in a very complex case. Their expert knowledge, attention to detail and personal approach to our case has been nothing short of outstanding. They have selected very skilled expert witnesses and barristers who have not only provided incredible insight, but also explained every step of the legal processes with a detailed, understandable language.
Our direct communication with Rebecca Cherry, our Solicitor has been commendable, and she, along with Auriana Griffiths, has provided us with the confidence and reassurance that our case was being progressed with the utmost professionalism and dedication. With a successful outcome achieved for our family in our case, we have nothing but absolute admiration for Irwin Mitchell and I would strongly recommend their service to any family or individual that have had the unfortunate experience of coming to terms with any life changing incident" - 5* Trustpilot review
"The claim that Irwin Mitchell have been battling on my behalf has been a very difficult and sensitive battle. Although not yet completed, I have to say that my solicitor, Rebecca cherry, has made the journey a lot easier to handle. The communication and dedication has been amazing and I have felt so supported by her and the team. I can't thank them all enough for what they are doing for me and my family. - 5* Trustpilot review
"Rebecca and the team worked on our case for 8 years and were wonderful throughout. Highly professional and experienced. Can't thank them enough." - 5* Trustpilot review
Cases Of Note:
- SW -v- Abertawe Bro Morgannwg – SW suffered pressure sores while hospitalised for a spinal cord injury following a road traffic collision in which she was rendered paraplegic. She went on to develop skin marking and skin breakdown, as well as frank sores and ulceration. As a result of the failure to treat the pressure sores SW endured a prolonged admission to a spinal unit and achieved an unsatisfactory outcome to spinal rehabilitation in terms of self-care, mobility and transfers, bowel and bladder management, pain management, spasm activity and psychological adjustment to disability. This led to a much increased need for care and equipment as compared to the average mid-thoracic paraplegic woman in her early thirties without a history of pressure sores. Her ongoing skin vulnerability necessitated the need for hoisted transfers and hence a care package similar to that of a tetraplegic rather than a paraplegic. An award of £1 million was recovered in an out of Court settlement.
- SB -v- Mr Robert Parker & Ors – The Claimant developed neck pain following an RTA which radiated to her shoulders, down her back and into her left arm. Her symptoms deteriorated and she underwent a total cervical disc replacement operation at the level of C5/6 at Croydon University Hospital carried out by Mr Marsh, Consultant Spinal Orthopaedic Surgeon, following which she developed quadriparesis and has been left with permanent C6 tetraplegia. A settlement to the value of just under £6 million was achieved.
- Richardson-Rudd -v- Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – The claimant suffers from spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy arising from a delay in diagnosis and treatment of Strep B infection and Meningitis at birth. The Hospital failed to diagnose her condition which would have been prevented if Martha’s mother had been given antibiotics during labour. As a result Martha has cerebral palsy, severe brain damage and requires around the clock care. The claim was settled out of Court for just under £8.2 million.
- Rebecca achieved a settlement of £8.5 million for a woman left paraplegic after developing a spinal infection following a neurosurgical procedure.
- GR -v- Mr Reissis – In this case, the claimant underwent cervical facet joint injections in June 2006. The surgery was performed on a private basis at a local hospital. The surgeon mistakenly inserted the needle directly into GR’s spinal cord, leaving her disabled and unable to return to work. A significant settlement was recovered.
- JKL -v- Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust – The claimant suffers from severe cerebral palsy as a result of the mismanagement of his mother’s labour. He will remain dependant on carers for the rest of his life for all activities of daily living. Two large interim payments were obtained before the case had concluded to fund a care package, case manager and to enable the claimant to move to more suitable accommodation. The Court approved a final settlement reached between the parties out of Court in the sum of £7.4 million.
- CDE -v- University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – The claimant sustained injury at birth resulting in the development of severe bilateral spastic cerebral palsy, visual impairment and epilepsy. An out of Court settlement of £7.7 million was secured for the claimant to cover the costs to meet his future needs including a 24-hour-care package, suitable accommodation, aids and equipment and physiotherapy amongst others.
- KT -v- Dr Malpass – Settlement recovered on behalf of the family of a 23-year-old who tragically died following a significant delay in diagnosis of a malignant melanoma, despite presenting to his GP on numerous occasions concerned about a mole on his back. Had he been referred urgently to a Dermatologist or Plastic Surgeon shortly after first presenting to his GP, his melanoma would have been cured and he would have had a normal life expectancy.
- SD -v- Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust – Failure to recognise an abnormality upon examination of a CTG trace led to Angel, one of SD’s twin boys, being delivered stillborn. The Claimant received an award of damages following a successful out of Court settlement.
- GH -v- St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust – Following an admission of liability a settlement of £2.75 million was recovered for GH to compensate her for the spinal cord injury sustained when she underwent a laminectomy at St George’s Hospital to remove a thoracic disc. GH was left with impaired sensation below T7 resulting in significantly impaired mobility and the requirement for an electric wheelchair over longer distances.
- BCD -v- Spire Healthcare Limited – Substantial settlement recovered for patient suffering tetraplegia at the level of C4/5 following surgery to remove a spinal tumour and decompress the spinal cord resulting in spinal infection due to post operative cerebrospinal fluid leak.
