Lisa Nabou

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I cut through complex issues, get straight to the heart of the case and resolve it in the quickest way for my client, mindful of the enormous stress and toll it can take on them personally, their business and families. I am refreshingly down to earth in my approach and a real problem solver with a unique human touch.

Lisa has over two decades of experience in advising healthcare organisations and professionals in a range of matters across different jurisdictions.

As an experienced lawyer, Lisa always protects the legal and reputational interests of healthcare professionals, NHS Trusts/hospitals and private clinics, pharmaceutical and indemnity/insurance companies. Lisa provides strategic and risk assessment advice on a broad range of legal matters including:

  • Clinical negligence claims often with multiple experts and case managers/capacity issues, catastrophic injuries and multi defendants. Includes claims over £5million such as cerebral palsy birth injury, subarachnoid haemorrhage, many spinal cases and cauda equina, meningitis, deafness, blindness claims, psychiatric injury claims and fatality claims.
  • Criminal investigations arising from healthcare treatment including gross manslaughter, fraud, harassment and sexual assault
  • Defending complaints before various regulatory bodies including General Medical Council, Nursing Midwifery Council and the Health and Care Professions Council. Proven track record of halting serious cases especially at the Rule 4 stage of the Medical Council investigation.
  • Inquests, includes drafting statements and carrying out advocacy in many Coroner’s Courts (also, separately, provides training to healthcare professionals on Inquest procedure/strategy).
  • Care Quality Commission matters including complaint handling.
  • Complaint handling for health providers/companies including internal investigations, interviewing staff members and preparing investigation reports with recommendations on strategy to resolve complaints.
  • Drafting consent packs/forms and advisory leaflets for a range of private clinics especially aesthetic clinics, prepares tailored advice on risk assessment and aims for informal resolution of complaints before matters escalate. Also prepares settlement agreements.
  • Bespoke training for companies to address specific risks arising in their organisation – can be group training or one: one to improve patient safety and reduce complaints/claims

In addition to acting as solicitor. Lisa was appointed as Deputy District Judge in 2019 and regularly sits in civil matters, often dealing with interlocutory contested applications, CCMCs and fast track trials.

Since 2017, Lisa has regularly trained (via Bond Solon) hundreds of professionals to become expert witnesses in civil, criminal and family court matters. Lisa prepares witnesses (factual and expert) on courtroom skills, especially cross examination ahead of trials and also trains on inquests, consent, legal tests for clinical negligence and healthcare records.

In addition to the above roles, Lisa has been appointed as reserve legal panel member for the Solicitor’s Disciplinary Tribunal.

 

Notable Cases

Successfully defended a GP in the landmark House of Lords case of Thompson v Bradford which defined the foreseeability test in clinical negligence claims. This was a tragic case where the Defendant GP authorised the clinic’s nurse to administer the (live) polio vaccine in a 6 week old baby who had a boil on his bottom. The child went on to develop vaccine induced paralytic polio, with extensive cognitive and physical impairment. The House of Lords ultimately upheld the defence – the risk of paralytic polio was not reasonably foreseeable and therefore there was no breach of the duty of care.

Successfully defended an obstetrician and gynaecologist who was prosecuted for gross manslaughter for the death of a 21 year old undergoing breast augmentation in his clinic under local anaesthetic. Issues arose over xylocaine overdose/toxicity and resuscitation technique. In addition to the high profile prosecution, Lisa swiftly settled the civil claim for negligence (via early mediation), handled the Inquest and concurrent Medical Council proceedings which lasted a number of years.

Represented the Head of Healthcare in a female prison unit where multiple prisoners committed suicide in a short space of time. Resulted in high profile and long running /multiple jury inquests and concurrent claims, requiring sensitive handling.

Pre action settlement of a high value claim following the suicide of a high earning barrister following his premature discharge from a psychiatric unit. Sensitive handling was required as it transpired from our investigations that the barrister was having an affair with his instructing solicitor and had initiated divorce proceedings, complicating the financial dependency claim for the bereaved wife.

Successful settled, via mediation, a multi million pound claim against an ophthalmologist for blindness of a female banker following steroid injections. Successfully defended the subsequent Medical Council proceedings.

Defended a plastic surgeon before Medical Council for his alleged misconduct in an employment tribunal matter involving whistleblowing and harassment – extensive documents and complex issues arose.

Practice Areas

Dispute Resolution Insurance Life Sciences & Healthcare

Client Feedback

“I have had the pleasure of working with Lisa on a number of complex, high value medical malpractice claims in Hong Kong. An incisive, razor-sharp brain coupled with relentless energy led to continuously impressive outcomes…” Nigel Taylor, insurance client.

“I have had the pleasure of instructing and working with Lisa for 10 years for regulatory clinical negligence cases both here in the UK and in HK. She is a pragmatic and clear thinking lawyer who achieves excellent results. Her advice is always sound and she is cognisant to the challenges in complex clinical and professional matters. She manages and supports her clients professionally and empathetically”  Pallavi Bradshaw, former client at Medical Protection Society.

“She is a first class lawyer and exceptional litigator – astute, tactically sound, creative in her analysis of her own client’s case and in the deconstruction of her opponent’s case, with excellent judgment, an eye for detail and a formidable negotiator…” Gerry Boyle KC

“Lisa’s enthusiastic and attentive nature made it a pleasure to work with her. She is prompt to respond to queries and meticulous in her approach” Ronnie Tan, former client at Medical Protection Society.

“A lawyer with a true human touch that puts you and your needs first, making sure everything is done perfectly so that you can rest easy. She made sure everything was done smoothly, my worries handled and the case sorted. What more can you wish for?” A doctor in the aesthetic field facing a consent claim.