Personal Injury
Tara is regularly instructed by leading trade union PI firms to advise on paper, in conference and to conduct applications, case management hearings, and trials.
Her employers’ liability practice is wide ranging encompassing accidents at work, RSI claims, deafness and other industrial disease claims. In addition to undertaking all types of multi-track employers’ liability claims, her areas of work also include Occupiers’ Liability Act, Highways Act, Animals Act and road traffic accident claims. Tara has a particular interest in accidents abroad requiring consideration of European law and jurisdictional issues.
Tara has a particular interest in road traffic accidents involving claims against the MIB. Tara is co-author of MIB claims: Practice and Procedure under the 1999 Agreement. In addition to County Court and High Court appearances, she is often instructed to appear before the CICAP and to represent families’ interests at Coroner’s Inquests.
Clinical Negligence
Tara has experience of a wide range of clinical negligence work involving misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis and mistreatment, and encompassing many different medical disciplines.
Family
Tara’s practice specialises in cases involving children, both public law and private law. She is instructed by local authorities, parents and extended family members and on behalf of children’s guardians. She frequently appears in the High Court in serious cases, typically involving allegations of non-accidental injury, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect and domestic violence. She has considerable experience in calling and cross examining professional witnesses including psychologists and psychiatrists, both child and adult.
Tara represented the Local Authority in the reported case of Re W (Care proceedings: Leave to Apply) [2005] 2 FLR 468, which defined the test to be applied when considering whether a non automatic respondent should be joined as a party to care proceedings.
Police Disputes
Tara is instructed to advise and represent the police in many different applications and hearings, including applications in relation to sexual offenders and anti social behaviour orders and in relation to civil actions against the police. She has a particular interest in Public Interest Immunity and disclosure applications involving the police in the civil, family and criminal courts.
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Cases
Bejenka (2009); High Court claim brought (and successfully settled) within the jurisdicition of England and Wales involving a seriously injured Polish national, resident in England. The Claimant patient was injured in a road traffic accident in Poland. The case involved complex jurisditional issues which were without precedent.
Re S (2009); fact finding hearing which lasted for more than a month, in relation to a baby poisoned by salt, which involved four perpetrators, three of whom were represented by QC's.
Re W (Care Proceedings: Leave to Apply) [2005] 2 FLR 468. Defined the test to be applied when considering whether a non automatic respondent should be joined as a party to care proceedings.
Re K (2008) instructed by the police in a disclosure application in which the police were investigating the death of a baby whilst in the care of his parnets. The care proceedings, which were before the High Court concerned an older sibling.
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