Leanne Woods

Clinical Negligence

Leanne has a wealth of experience in clinical negligence claims and undertakes a full range of work for both claimants and defendants. She conducts trials in the High Court and County Courts, and can also rely on her experience of questioning expert witnesses in inquests.

Recent examples of Leanne’s clinical negligence instructions are:

• Failures in privately funded fertility treatment
• Complex birth injuries
• Advising a private healthcare institution on vicarious liability and non delegable duties.
• Failures in A&E treatment leading to tetraplegia
• Brachial plexus injury arising from birth
• Failures in mental health care leading to self-inflicted death of a high earner

Leanne is recognised as a ‘Leading Junior’ by both Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500. Recent editorial includes:

• “Her sharp legal analysis, clear and persuasive advocacy and thorough understanding of complex medical issues makes her an invaluable asset to any team.” Chambers & Partners 2026
• “She is a very capable advocate with excellent attention to detail. She takes a measured, thorough and pragmatic approach and is always well prepared.” Chambers & Partners 2026
• “Leanne is an excellent barrister. She is very thorough and considered in her approach. She is excellent with clients.” Chambers & Partners 2026
• “She is extremely bright, commercially-minded, thorough, yet also down to earth and a pleasure to work with.” Chambers & Partners 2026
• “Tenacious and not afraid of tackling difficult issues.”  Legal 500 2026
• “Leanne is knowledgeable, pragmatic and approachable. She takes a very commercial approach in her work which is highly valuable to our clients.” Chambers & Partners 2025
• “Leanne is superb on inquests and in clinical negligence. She would be a go-to for me. She is such a fierce opponent and very contentious. She knows the case inside and out.” Chambers & Partners 2025
• “Leanne is reliable counsel in clinical negligence cases. She has the benefit of knowledge from claimant and defendant perspectives and is therefore very commercially aware.” Chambers & Partners 2025
• “Leanne is commercial in her advice and pragmatic in her approach.  She is a pleasure to work with – friendly, down to earth and extremely switched on.” Legal 500 2025

Selected Cases

• L v Optimax Clinics and V: Represented an ophthalmic surgeon in claim concerning corneal decompensation.
• S v NHS Trust: Acted for child who suffered a brachial plexus injury at birth.
• T v an NHS Trust: Represented claimant in high value catastrophic spinal cord injury which led to paraplegia.
• FS v a fertility clinic: Acted for claimant in an unusual claim arising from private IVF treatment.
• JW v an NHS Trust: Acted for claimant who suffered incomplete tetraplegia caused by the defendant’s admitted negligence (led by Henry Witcomb KC). The primary dispute was quantum and the matter settled for a very significant sum.
• WG v an NHS Trust: Represented claimant in a claim arising from failures in consent and performing spinal surgery. After a mediation the defendant accepted the claimant’s six figure settlement offer.
• Chadwick v Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospitals Trust: Successfully defended NHS Trust in a trial relating to wound dehiscence.
• DS v Ministry of Defence: JSM settlement for more than £500,000 in a claim arising out of an alleged failure to diagnose colon cancer.
• JC v an NHS Trust: Acted for claimant who suffered significant injury after the defendant’s failure to properly investigate and diagnose a sports injury. The claimant was a barrister and the damages included a tricky claim for loss of earnings. The matter was successfully settled at mediation.
• BG v Dr A: Acted for defendant in JSM settlement of high value claim for long term psychiatric injury arising out of over-prescription of benzodiazepines and failure to diagnose PTSD.
• Manzi v Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust [2016] EWHC 1101 (QB): Acted for claimant in claim arising out of retained products of conception.