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Judith Leach

Barrister

T: 01865 268 609 (DDI)
T: 01865 792 300
E: judith.leach@roydswithyking.com

If you are having difficulty getting in touch with your contact then you can email enquiries@roydswithyking.com or call 0800 923 2073

Judith is an associate in the Oxford Medical Negligence team and is also a qualified barrister. She has over 15 years experience of successfully handling complex medical negligence cases. Before taking up a career in the law, Judith was an intensive care sister and also qualified and practiced as a midwife. She maintains her general nursing registration.

About Judith

Judith has worked as in-house Counsel to a large NHS Trust which gives her unique insight into negligence compensation claims and a tactical advantage in pursuing them. As a trained barrister, Judith acts as advocate and represents families at inquest hearings. She is a trained mediator and also teaches on a variety of medico-legal topics.

Clients praise her attention to client care, typified by comments such as “our thanks doesn’t cover what you did for us Judith”, “I drew great strength from you” and “I will never forget what you did for me”. The Legal 500 UK noted her as an “excellent” lawyer.

Judith’s particular areas of medical negligence expertise include:

adult brain injury claims, particularly stroke
cerebral palsy and birth injury claims
complex surgical injury cases
neurological cases, in both adults and children
nursing claims
injury as a result of cardiology/cardiac surgery
vascular surgery
pulmonary embolism.

Memberships :

Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL)
APIL Special Interest Groups: brain injury, spinal cord injury
Inquest Charity Lawyers Group (INQUEST)
Oxford Medico-Legal Society
Association for Victims of Medical Accidents (AvMA)
Personal Injury Bar Association (PIBA)
Royal College of Nursing (RCN)
Professional Negligence Bar Association (PNBA).

The way I look at things, we can all make mistakes but unfortunately in the world of medicine and nursing, some mistakes can have devastating consequences. People need to be able to rebuild their lives, so I get great satisfaction from obtaining the best possible damages settlement for them. Having worked as an intensive care sister and as a midwife, I also strive to ensure that there are changes in practices so that similar injuries are prevented in the future. I’m proud that one of my cases is now used as a teaching aid by a large NHS Trust with this in mind.

Judith Leach

Related articles

Opinion [4]

Sudden Cardiac Death in young adults – red flags and prevention

19 February 2020

Judith Leach takes a look at the issue of Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) in young people, including red flags and how it can be prevented.

The Dr Bawa-Garba case – will Jeremy Hunt’s recommendations improve patient safety?

12 June 2018

Judith Leach, barrister in our medical negligence team who also trained as an intensive care nursing practitioner and midwife, takes a look at Jeremy Hunt’s recommendations released yesterday in light of the Dr Bawa-Garba case.

Do we really need a defibrillator in the office?

28 October 2016

Statistically 5% of all sudden cardiac arrests (SCA) will occur in the workplace, equivalent to approximately 100 a week in the UK alone.

Buyer beware: Why you should choose your clinical negligence solicitor carefully

2 March 2015

As you may or may not be already aware, there has recently been an overhaul of funding particularly in relation to personal injury and clinical negligence claims. This was following the review by Lord Jackson. This has arguably created further risks which you should be aware when looking for a solicitor to deal with your medical negligence claim.

See more articles in Opinion

News [2]

Court finds NHS Trust negligent in stroke case

17 May 2017

Judith Leach, barrister in our Medical Negligence team, successfully brought a case against Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, representing client Julie Robinson. The Court found that the Trust’s negligence resulted in an avoidable stroke which left Mrs. Robinson severely disabled.

Withy King helps widower to sue NHS for failure to diagnose wife’s stroke

18 June 2015

Our Medical Negligence team is helping an Oxfordshire widower to sue a hospital trust for failing to diagnose and treat a stroke which led to his wife’s untimely death at the age of 46. Judith Leach, a barrister in our Medical Negligence …

See more articles in News

Case Studies [2]