Hannah specialises in healthcare regulatory law and criminal law, and in her new role at Hempsons will be representing dental professionals in regulatory proceedings, as well as other healthcare practitioners. Hannah’s previous experience as an in-house prosecutor will be valuable to Hempsons’ defence work and will allow her to give pragmatic advice to dental clients whilst achieving the best outcomes for them.
Hannah was called to the Bar in 2007, and qualified as a barrister in 2008. Working within the Fitness to Practise Directorate of the NMC, Hannah presented cases before the NMC Practice Committees and represented the regulatory body at the High Court in applications and statutory appeals.
Hannah has worked on a number of prominent cases in recent years, including one involving two nurses at a Foundation Trust that was facing misconduct allegations relating to the care provided to an elderly patient. In addition, she presented a case involving the death of a mother that was contributed to by failings in midwifery care at a hospital in the South East of England. Hannah also has experience in criminal defence work and previously managed her own law practice representing clients before Crown and Magistrates Courts.
Hannah said of her new role: “I am delighted to join a leading health and social care law firm which represents clients across England. Hempsons has a great reputation and the team combines a diverse range of skills and knowledge to create a very strong, core offering. I believe my experience will compliment these skills for the greater benefit of the firm’s clients.”
Partner and head of the regulatory team at Hempsons, Chris Morris, said of Hannah’s recent appointment, “As well as being a go-to law firm for healthcare professionals and dental practitioners, we are also a desired place of work for legal professionals such as Hannah. Her skills, expertise and experience will further enhance our team and the services we offer clients and will bring a new dynamic. A number of our team members are dual qualified as either medical or dental practitioners and barristers and solicitors. As Hannah is a barrister, this will add further to our skill set and we are delighted to have her on board.”
Hempsons recently brought successful Judicial Review proceedings for the British Dental Association (BDA) against the General Dental Council (GDC), the regulator for dentists and dental care professionals. In a landmark judgement given by the High Court on December 18, the GDC was found to have acted unlawfully in a consultation and the BDA was awarded costs. The Hempsons team, led by Chris Morris, acted as the legal team for the BDA.