For over 25 years Jamie has been at the forefront of fighting for justice. He has represented thousands of people who have been injured, discriminated against and treated unfairly. He is particularly proud of the work he has been able to do on behalf of the victims of major incidents, and for the families of those who have lost their lives because of the actions of others. He has pursued claims across all different sectors and has acted for a number of high profile members of the sporting and entertainment sectors, as well as the victims of corporate negligence and fraud.
Jamie particularly enjoys representing Trade Unions and dealing with ‘head office’ matters on behalf of General Secretaries and their senior teams.
He manages all key client relationships for Pattinson & Brewer and sits as a member of the firm’s Management Board.
Jamie has written many articles and worked to support high profile campaigns, including seeking justice for asbestos victims, maintaining proper health & safety standards, the erosion of workplace rights, and in support of the victims of various mis-selling scandals.
As an active campaigner, Jamie has represented his Trade Union and the Labour Party nationally. He has worked and tutored abroad including in the Middle East, the Americas and Eastern Europe, and he has had the privilege of working with former US President Jimmy Carter as well as a number of international and domestic Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers. He is a former Labour Party Parliamentary candidate.
Jamie and his wife have two sons. He is a regular at Elland Road, having followed the ups and downs of Leeds United FC since he was a boy. He used to be a half decent squash player, but his love of good food, wine, and Tetley’s bitter, has ended any dream of playing competitively.
Jane Radcliffe is Managing Partner and Head of Pattinson & Brewer’s York office.
A recognised expert in claimant medical accident, and personal injury work, she has a strong commitment to a claimant practice. Jane fights passionately on behalf of all her clients regardless of their type of injury. She recognises that a “minor” injury resulting in two weeks off work can result in as much financial devastation for a low paid worker as six months for someone on full sick pay so “You need to fight their corner just as hard.”
Jane has a long personal history acting on behalf of clinical negligence victims, with an emphasis on actions for children, and the Legal 500 acknowledges her ‘excellent reputation’ in the clinical negligence field.
Under Jane’s guidance Pattinson & Brewer’s York Office continues to build on a solid reputation for claimant clinical negligence work in the North of England. She is particularly sensitive to the needs of claimants in actions for clinical negligence who already feel badly let down by professionals by the time they meet a solicitor.
She continues to act for claimants (including claims for injuries of the utmost severity and psychiatric injury) and advises on settlements, many in excess of £1 million, Court of Protection matters, structured settlements and cases arising overseas.
Notable cases are:-
- Norman -v- Ali & Aziz (CA) – Interpretation of the MIB Uninsured Drivers Agreement and limitation periods for Monk v. Warbey breach of statutory duty claims.
- -v- North Yorkshire Health Authority – £3.25 million for claimant suffering cerebral palsy as a result of birth injury.
- Rhodes -v- Walton – £1m for child injured in a near drowning incident. Claim brought against individual acting in loco parentis.
Frances McCarthy is head of the Personal Injury Department and the senior partner. She acts exclusively for Claimants; specialising in workplace accidents and occupational disease claims. She also has extensive experience handling injuries of maximum severity, fatalities, asbestos-related claims, clinical negligence cases and other areas of personal injury. Frances has represented victims in most of the major disasters in recent years.
Frances is recognised as a leader in her field in both the Legal 500 and Chambers directories and acknowledged by peers as “robust and tough, but sensible – a fighter and knowledgeable with it.” She is highly respected by those she works with and, during her career, Frances has managed successful appeals to the European Court of Justice on the question of equal treatment in matters of social security.
Further independent recognition of Frances’s work has also come from two leading international rating services – Super Lawyers, a listing published by Thomson Reuters and Best Lawyers, the eldest peer reviewed listing published in over 65 countries around the world. Their selection processes include independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.
She is a joint editor of Jordans’ new Personal Injury book, a contributor to the ‘Brown Book’Civil Procedure Rules and former editorial board member of the ‘Journal for Personal Injury Law’. (JPIL). Experienced trainer of other legal professionals, regular lecturer, broadcaster and active campaigner for law reform which retains access to justice for injured people.
Frances is a member of the working party set up by Lord Woolf for pre-action protocols. She is a past President of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL), a former member of the Civil Justice Council; an accredited senior fellow of APIL and a member of Unions 21committee.
Frances and her husband, a journalist, have three boys and she believes this makes her an expert on all matters sporting. She is a keen supporter of Munster in particular and Irish Rugby in general.
Client Comments:
“I wanted to personally thank you for taking over my case and dealing with it in such a friendly and professional manner. It was always a pleasure talking with you…” – Miss W
“… I would like to take this time to thank you for your continued commitment and support over the years. I myself would not have got this far without your continuing fighting for what I was clearly owed” – Mrs S
“…I am really pleased with the services provided by Frances McCarthy. She kept me updated regularly and was always very fair and professional. She took time to explain the legal situation…” – Miss L
Find out more about Frances McCarthy here:
Gary Lightwood is the Managing Partner of Pattinson & Brewer Bristol office. During his career he has specialised in personal injury litigation, clinical negligence and family law. As a personal injury expert he is engaged in all areas of serious accident, disease and injury law and clinical negligence claims and has been an accredited member of the Law Society Personal Injury Panel and of APIL. Gary also heads the firm’s specialist motorcycle claims unit. As a Family law specialist Gary deals with the range of matrimonial, family and Child care services.
Gary has worked closely with and represented Police Federation and Trade Union members and private clients for over 20 years. He believes strongly in the work that he does, representing only claimants in his personal injury work and in the right of accident victims to have legal representation, usually against larger organisations, whether their claim is small or large.
Gary is a member of the Bristol Medico-Legal Society, the Bristol Court User Committee and is the Immediate Past President of the Bristol Law Society