Legal Panel
Our Legal Panel
We are always looking for ways we can help support families who have been touched by H.I.E. Most of us, at some point, will need legal advice. Whether it’s about buying or selling a house, employment law, medical / clinical negligence, Deputyships, Wills, family or relationships, it’s important that the advice sought is from a reputable organisation.
Our Legal Panel is a new initiative, launched in August 2023, and is here to signpost to organisations to help you make an informed decision if you are looking for advice. The six organisations below have gone through the Peeps’ due diligence process and offer a free initial consultation. Whilst they are not the only organisations able to offer advice, they may be a starting point for you.
We also now have, at the request of families, a closed Facebook group where legal matters can be discussed in a safe environment with peers. Please get in touch if you would like more information.
Irwin Mitchell
“We’re proud to support Peeps.
If your child lives with a disability or has suffered from a serious injury or illness, the emotional and physical impact can be life changing. We’re here to help you access the best medical care, rehabilitation and support.
We‘ve supported families for many years. We understand how concerned you may be about the level of care and support your child has or is receiving and can offer help and advice every step of the way. All families should have access to the right legal support to ensure their child’s needs are addressed.
Our expert legal and financial teams can offer guidance and advice on a wide range of areas including:
- Medical negligence
- Education and Healthcare plans
- Deputyships and Trusts
- Family law
- Future planning including financial assessments.
We also have dedicated Support & Rehabilitation Coordinators (SRCs) to provide additional support to all of our clients. Our SRCs provide links to local support networks and offer practical day-to-day advice for you and your family.
We always offer free initial advice and will talk through your legal options so you can make an informed choice about how you wish to move forward.
As a national firm, we have a network of offices based across the country. We’ll always visit you at a place of your choice.
You can find out more about how we can support you and your family online or visit here.”
Contact details
Jennifer Cawthorne, Partner, Email: jennifer.cawthorne@irwinmitchell.com
Telephone: 0800 023 2233
JMW Solicitors
“For more than 25 years JMW has been helping children and families affected by brain injuries, such as HIE, to access the specialist care, housing and equipment they require. We are a full-service law firm with specialist solicitors in a number of areas including medical negligence, family law, employment matters, conveyancing, Court of Protection and wills, trusts and probate.
Our specialist brain and birth injury solicitors secure significant compensation packages that give children and families a lifetime of financial security and relief, enabling them to have precious time together. We can offer both no win, no fee agreements and legal aid funding for appropriate cases, and can provide a free and confidential assessment of your circumstances to advise you on the best course of action.
The medical negligence team is known as one of the best in the legal industry and this is recognised by the leading independent legal guides Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500.
We investigate cases carefully and are skilled at securing a successful outcome. Our aim is always to ensure children can live as independently as possible, with the right care and assistance, which can include cutting edge technology and equipment.
The support we provide to children and families doesn’t end when the financial assistance is secured. For those who have experienced a brain injury we have solicitors who provide lifelong help to ensure funds are available whenever a need arises.
We are closely involved with different charities who provide additional support to our clients, which along with Peeps HIE, include the Child Brain Injury Trust, the National Bobath Centre for Cerebral Palsy and bibic.
JMW are committed to assisting families affected by brain injury and would be happy to discuss any queries you may have.”
Contact details
Jodie Miller, Partner, Email: peeps@jmw.co.uk, Telephone: 0161 669 0811
Bolt Burdon Kemp LLP
“Bolt Burdon Kemp (BBK) is a leading specialist solicitors’ practice, focussed on securing compensation for clients who have been seriously injured at the hands of another. We provide a national service and are committed to changing people’s lives – and the law – for the better.
BBK’s reputation for excellence is recognised by the most prestigious awards and standards in the legal profession. We undergo rigorous external audits and maintain consistently high rankings in both Chambers and the Legal 500, two of the leading independent benchmarks for legal excellence.
BBK’s Child Brain Injury Team, lead by Claudia Hillemand, is a strong team full of kind, compassionate and dedicated individuals driven to achieve outstanding results and provide exceptional client care. We understand the immense and unique challenges families face when a child is affected by Hypoxic Ischaemic Encephalopathy (HIE) and the worries and concerns that you, as a parent, have about your child’s future. From the start, and throughout the legal journey, we work collaboratively with you to:
- Provide specialist rehabilitation for your child at an early stage when it has the greatest potential to make a difference. We seek early interim payments of compensation to fund equipment, adaptations to your home and professional care for your child.
- Advise and support you, as qualified IPSEA advisers, to ensure your child’s educational needs are met.
- Give you exceptional legal and practical advice clearly, transparently, and honestly, keeping you informed, empowered and supported throughout the process.
- Obtain the compensation your child deserves to ensure that they achieve their full potential and enjoy the best quality of life possible.
- Ensure peace of mind for you, as a parent, knowing that your child’s complex lifelong needs will be met and that they will be protected should anything happen to you.”
Contact details
Claudia Hillemand,
Telephone: 020 7288 4843 Mobile: 07881 312496
Fieldfisher
“Fieldfisher is the premier destination practice for claimants in a wide array of legal fields. Our City-based and UK-wide practice has developed a huge wealth of experience over more than 30 years and combines technical excellence with a genuine understanding of every client’s needs. We are recognised as a top tier practice in Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 in medical negligence, and have several panel members of AvMA. We secured damages for our medical negligence clients in excess of £350 million for our clients in 2022.
We genuinely put our clients first and fight for the best possible outcome in every case. We are passionate about going the extra yard, and offer a personal and empathetic service.
Our claims tend to be complex, multi-million pound cases, often involving birth injury and brain injury. We don’t however decide which cases to take on based simply on value and pride ourselves on taking on cases other firms might have rejected because of their value/complexity/location. We are prepared to fight ground-breaking cases.
Our medical negligence solicitors have successfully concluded many high value birth injury cases. We are experts in achieving maximum awards to fund rehabilitation, care, support, therapies and education for the rest of a child’s life. We offer a one-stop service for clients with our added experience in SEN and Court of Protection matters. We also regularly accept transfers of cases from other firms.
Our cases are naturally never just about money. They are about rebuilding lives and ensuring that our clients have the care and support they need, for as long as they need it. We concentrate on seeking justice for our clients, and push for early admissions of liability and securing interim payments to ensure this support can be accessed as soon as possible.”
Contact details
Iona Meeres-Young, Partner, Head of Department Telephone: 0330 460 6769
Email: iona.meeres-young@fieldfisher.com
Jonathan Zimmern, Partner Telephone: 0330 460 6779
Email: jonathan.zimmern@fieldfisher.com
Jamie Green, Associate (Chartered Legal Executive), Telephone: 0330 460 6771
Email: jamie.green@fieldfisher.com
CL Medilaw
“We are specialist maternity and birth injury solicitors working with families, who have been affected by HIE during childbirth.
Our aim is to provide support, answers, and where indicated, to seek compensation for negligent medical care. We guide our families through a HSIB/MNSI or hospital investigation and advise on the outcome of this process. For older children, we can provide advice on the provision of support via an EHCP. We can also offer expert advice on court of protection issues, deputyship, employment, family law, trusts and probate and property.
We make the legal process as straight forward as possible. We are expert listeners, investigators and advocators for our clients, leaving no stone unturned. Wherever possible, we seek early provision of funding for treatment and therapies; aids and equipment; and care, when this is required. Together with family psychological therapy.
We work with charities and organisations all over the country, including Peeps HIE, to ensure that our families have the best support possible at an early stage.
CL Medilaw is a different type of law firm, committed to putting clients first. We are dedicated to “changing lives” so much so that we have included it in our name – it’s what the ‘CL’ stands for in CL Medilaw.
No matter where you live, our specialist solicitors can travel to you; we act for clients all over England and Wales.
Whether you have never sought legal advice before, or need a second opinion, contact us, for a free case review.AvMA, APIL and Law Society accredited.”
Contact details
Charlotte Moore, Email: charlotte.moore@clmedilaw.co.uk, Telephone 0345 2410 154
Kay Taylor, Email: kay.taylor@clmedilaw.co.uk, Telephone 0345 2410 154
Leigh Day
“We know how hard it can be for HIE families, like you, to find the time and energy to find good legal support who can understand your unique circumstances and “get it”. We want to work with Peeps HIE to ensure that you and other HIE families can easily access the legal support you need, from the right specialist lawyers.
Choosing a lawyer to help you can come at a worrying and stressful time. We want to reassure you that you will be speaking to a skilled team of experts. Leigh Day was recognised for our dedication to our clients and named the UK Law Firm of the Year in 2023 following extensive research and interviews conducted by a team of over 200 research analysts at Chambers Europe.
The firm’s ethos is to ensure that the ordinary person has just as good quality legal advice as our state bodies, insurers and multi-nationals. We only act on behalf of individuals, families and communities who have been injured, discriminated against or had their human rights abused. At our core, we are fiercely protective of everyone’s right to be treated with fairness and respect, and we are resolute in our pursuit of justice for our clients.Contact us for help with medical negligence, inquests, Court of Protection, human rights, personal injury and employment claims. If you aren’t sure, get in touch.”
Contact details
Telephone: 0203 727 7191
Email: cnenquiries@leighday.co.uk