Law for Orthopaedic Surgeons - Avoiding Jeopardy

Leila is ranked as a leading barrister in Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners for Clinical Negligence and Inquests and Inquiries. She represents both Claimants and Defendants which include private clients, public authorities and government departments. Leila has a special interest in coronial law and regularly acts for interested persons in high profile, media sensitive Article 2 jury inquests. She is Joint Head of the Inquests and Inquiries Team at Parklane Plowden Chambers.

Leila is appointed as an Assistant Coroner and as a Recorder in Crime and sits on a part-time basis in these roles alongside her practice as a barrister.  She has been appointed to the Attorney General’s Treasury Counsel Panel A since 2010. Leila was the President of the Leeds and District Medico-Legal Society from 2015-16 and 2018-20 and remains on the Society’s Committee. She is a lecturer on the Medical Ethics and Law Module at Leeds Institute of Medical Education at the University of Leeds.

Consultant Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgeon and Honorary Senior Lecturer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals since 2002, having completed surgical training in Bath and Bristol and following fellowship training in the Ilizarov method at the Ilizarov Scientific Centre in Kurgan, Russia.

My clinical practice includes the treatment of severe lower limb fractures and post-traumatic limb reconstruction including non-union, mal-union and deformity, limb length inequality, bone loss and amputation.

Current President Elect of the British Limb Reconstruction Society and Chair of the British Orthopaedic Association Medico-legal Committee.

In 2018 I was awarded the taught degree of Master of Laws with Distinction in medical law and ethics by De Montfort University Leicester.

My other interests include Nottingham Forest FC, Leeds Rhinos Rugby League Football Club, modern languages, old Gothic Hammer Horror films, Formula One motorsport and the castles of Northumberland.

Simon Gregg-Smith is a consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon at the Royal United Hospital in Bath. He specialises in shoulder surgery. He has always been interested in how we communicate with patients and the process of consent. He has run a medico-legal practice for more than 20 years and now does increasing numbers of cases of clinical negligence, acting as an expert both for the NHS and claimants. Over the last few years the number of cases involving allegations related to consent have risen significantly, probably because of the Montgomery case in 2015. He has just finished a term on the BOA medico-legal committee.

As a young paediatric cardiac surgeon giving evidence to the Bristol Inquiry prompted an interest in how the law interacts with clinical practice. This led to an LLM in Medical Law which in opened up a number of opportunities - as Faculty on the RCSEng "Legal Aspects of Surgical Practice" course; while I was on Council, co-authoring the College's "Good Surgical Practice" and "Consent" guidance following Montgomery; and later, appointment as Assistant Coroner (prior to the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 which stopped doctors being appointed as Coroners). 

Heidi Mounsey is a medicolegal consultant and provides advice and support with a variety of medicolegal matters, including claims, complaints, disciplinaries, and regulatory proceedings. She is a former anaesthetic registrar and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetists. She joined Medical Protection in 2016.

Mr. Sameer Singh qualified from Guys ad St Thomas Medical School and completed his Orthopaedic Training in London, Liverpool, New Zealand, and Australia. Clinical practice includes all aspects of upper Limb disorders and Trauma. He has been working as an expert witness since 2018 and completes 200 reports per year, Mr. Singh is keen to educate and mentor the future generation of expert witnesses in producing high-quality reports.

Mr Abeezar I Sarela is a consultant surgeon in The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, based at St James’s University Hospital. He was appointed in 2003. His practice encompasses surgery for cancer of the oesophagus and stomach, bariatric surgery, and surgery for benign disorders of the upper gastrointestinal tract. He is passionate about medical law. He was awarded a PhD degree from the School of Law, University of Leeds in March 2021. His research focuses on theories of justice for medical treatment and case law on medical negligence, particularly in respect of informed consent.