Sharon Lam, Hudgell Solicitors
Highly-experienced clinical negligence specialist Sharon Lam says Hudgell Solicitors’ complete commitment to securing the best results for clients was a key factor in her decision to join its London-based team.
With 20 years’ experience in the sector, Sharon has a track record of securing seven-figure damages settlements for her clients, supporting those with paralysis, brain injury, amputation, cerebral palsy, and many more serious conditions as a result of negligent treatment.
Her previous work has also seen her act for a group of 30 patients and their families in claims against a hospital trust and surgeons following negligent treatment leading to catastrophic injury and deaths.
Hudgell Solicitors’ chief executive Amanda Stevens has hailed her appointment as a further example of the firm ‘securing the best legal talent’.
And speaking about her decision to join Hudgell Solicitors, Sharon says she has been delighted to join a firm which is working on many high-value cases, and providing industry-leading support for people who suffer life-changing injuries from negligent medical care.
“Given my background and the kind of cases Hudgells are representing on, I feel this is a very good fit for both parties,” she said.
“I am passionate about ensuring people who suffer as a result of clinical negligence have the support they fully deserve through legal representation, from the damages they receive to compensate for their injuries to benefitting from dedicated care plans and home adaptations which are made to make life more comfortable.
“I’ve also always passionately believed that as lawyers we play a crucial role in our work in helping healthcare professionals to learn and improve.
“We ask the questions that need to be asked, investigate where perhaps admissions of errors are not forthcoming, and uncover details which are crucial to firstly help our clients get answers, but also ensure future care can be improved. I see our role as important in helping the NHS improve.”
Hudgells’ client care was a big factor in joining firm
Sharon, who has recently been appointed as a Deputy District Judge, says she has admired Hudgells’ continued commitment to ensuring clients walk away with the best possible damages settlements, despite increasing squeezes on their own margins when taking on cases.
The firm remains committed to the highest standards of client care and to not passing on any hidden costs to clients – thereby protecting the final damages settlements agreed on behalf of clients.
“I’ve admired Hudgell Solicitors approach because it truly is a firm which is committed to securing the best possible results for its clients; it is completely committed to them,” she said.
“The reality is that all law firms which run clinical negligence cases on a no-win no fee basis have to look at all cases and consider the commercial risk of taking them on, especially in the current climate.
“In many cases, the full costs incurred of taking on a case and seeing it through to a successful conclusion are not recoverable from the defendant, and often that hidden cost is passed on to the client and taken out of their damages settlement.
“I really like the fact that Hudgell Solicitors don’t do this. A maximum cap on the amount to be deducted from damages secured is agreed at the outset of the case with a client and, no matter what happens from that point, it is not increased. Clients therefore have certainty rather than surprises about what their minimum recovery will look like if the claim is successful.
“It demonstrates that the firm really does care for its clients as it is protecting their interests and their damages from the outset.
“Legal reforms and law changes have made access to justice even more difficult for people in recent years, but Hudgells continues to go that extra mile to ensure firstly that its legal expertise is available, and then by ensuring its clients walk away with as much financial, physical and emotional long-term support as possible.
“It means the people the firm represents emerge from their legal case with the best possible settlement, which has of course been awarded to reflect their future needs.”
Despite the many changes and reforms around injury claims in recent years, Sharon believes the role of the lawyer has not changed.
“Clients still need us to understand them, their background and how what has happened has impacted on their lives,” Sharon said.
“I always try and remember that whilst for us contacting a coroner, making a complaint to a hospital trust, or even considering a settlement offer is every day stuff, to our clients it is usually something they have never dealt with before, and can be a daunting experience.
“We are here to listen, understand and help. That will always be our role.”
Amanda Stevens, chief executive of Hudgell Solicitors, said: “We are thrilled to have been able to attract an experienced solicitor with Sharon’s expertise and understanding of complex, high-value cases to the firm.
“The recently published Legal 500 guide recognised that as a firm we are achieving impressive results for our clients and increasingly are attracting great legal talent from other firms , and Sharon is certainly a significant addition to our London team in that regard.
“Sharon too is a Legal 500 recognised solicitor and has a superb record of successful clinical negligence work, delivering outstanding results for many people who have suffered life-changing illnesses and injuries.
“Her impressive work has also led to full investigation which has revealed serious failings at a trust impacting on the treatment and health of many patients.”
