National law firm Weightmans has continued its rapid expansion of its healthcare offering, welcoming three expert lawyers to the team.
Chris Dexter is a Partner representing primary care practitioners in claims of varying severity and complexity. He has a background of working for medical and dental defence organisations and health insurers where treatment has been provided by healthcare individuals in a GP, dental or prison setting requiring an empathetic approach to claims management.
Chris joins Weightmans from BLM (now Clyde and Co) where he was practice group lead for clinical negligence. In his new role, Chris will help develop Weightmans' market leading primary care claims team with the specialist skills required in working for individuals facing claims in clinical negligence. He is listed in leading UK legal directory Legal 500 as Next Generation Partner and an outstanding solicitor, and is based in Manchester.
Jill Weston joins the firm's Healthcare Regulatory team as Partner. Joining from Mills & Reeve where she was Principal Associate, Jill has over 20 years' experience in the Health and Care sector, having started her career defending claims for the NHSLA (now NHSR) and moving to an advisory position.
In the last 15 years Jill's practice has expanded to cover inquests, information governance (including Data Protection and Freedom of Information issues), judicial review, human rights, mental health law, the law of post mortems, responsibility for commissioning, consent, capacity issues, Court of Protection work and Serious Medical Treatment applications. She specialises in the law relating to NHS Continuing Healthcare and associated issues like Children and Young People's Continuing Care and Personal Health Budgets.
Saira Ali has joined the firm's Employment, Pensions and Immigration Department as a Partner. An employment law expert, Saira specialises in advising organisations within the healthcare sector. She provides operational and strategic advice on all areas of contentious and non-contentious employment law, including day to day employee relations issues, disciplinary and grievance procedures, concerns about doctors and Maintaining High Professional Standards in the NHS (MHPS), TUPE/business reorganisation, redundancy, discrimination, contracts, policies and procedures and settlement agreements.
A seasoned litigator, Saira deals with cases in the Employment Tribunal, Employment Appeal Tribunal and High Court. She is an experienced investigator, conducting independent investigations into disciplinary and grievance matters. She also delivers training on a wide range of employee relations issues. Saira has been recognised in Legal 500 as a "Next Generation Partner" and is a trustee of the Pankhurst Trust, incorporating Manchester Women's Aid. She is based in Manchester.
Earlier this year, Weightmans merged with RadcliffesLeBrasseur, creating a leading UK practice in health and care.
Partner and Head of Weightmans' national healthcare team Richard Jolly said:
"The health and care sector is continuously transforming, and it's crucial that as advisors we help our clients lead the way in this transformation, working across the sector to seize opportunities and face challenges head on. Chris, Jill and Saira are all incredibly talented experts in their fields, with a commitment to excellent client service at the heart of everything they do. They are fantastic additions to the team and we are delighted to have them on board."
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