Heidi Knight

“Her meticulous pleadings cover every detail of the case.”
The Legal 500

“Heidi is dedicated, meticulous, and her technical knowledge in the field of product liability claims is second to none. She builds an excellent rapport with clients and experts alike.”
Chambers & Partners

experience & expertise

Heidi is an experienced clinical negligence, product liability and personal injury specialist with a varied and substantial practice. She is highly ranked by both legal directories for her expertise in clinical negligence and product liability practice and is currently instructed in a number of complex clinical negligence claims involving large groups of Claimants and complex medical issues. Whilst she focuses on representing claimants, Heidi also represents a growing number of defence organisations. Both Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500 recommend Heidi as band one for product liability and she is known for being particularly skilled in cases involving defective medical devices. Her product liability practice is strengthened by her deep experience of clinical negligence cases. Recent directory editorial notes that Heidi is regarded as “formidable in court”.

Heidi also has an extensive inquest practice including inquests held in accordance with Article 2 involving suspected clinical failures or deaths in custody. She specialises in acting for the families of the deceased but also acts for doctors and healthcare trusts and has experience of cross examining medical experts in a wide variety of disciplines. She regularly advises and represents litigants in all Courts including the High Court, County Court and Coroners’ Court.

cases & work of note: Clinical Negligence

XYZ and others -v- (1) Secretary of State for Health (2) various NHS trusts
Claims related to contaminated blood supplied from 1970’s to early 1990’s.
Multiple -v- Dr Bobby Quereshi / London Eye Hospital
Cases involving operations where it is alleged a variety of eye implants were unnecessarily implanted and/or no informed consent was obtained.
Various against Roger Bainton
Claims for around 50 Claimants against maxillofacial surgeon – Roger Bainton and North Staffordshire NHS Trust. All include issues of consent and inappropriate or unnecessary surgery.
Karen Webb -v- (1) Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust (2) East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
Amputation case which arose as a result of failure to diagnose and adequately treat a diabetic foot ulcer.
Ashby -v- Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
Claim arising from the negligent prescription of carbamazepine which caused a life-threatening allergic reaction, Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis Syndrome and blindness.
Thompson -v- Royal Berkshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Complex delayed diagnosis of anorectal carcinoma case.
Bogodelny -v- Dr Robert Forman
Case concerning negligently undertaken IUI ovarian stimulation
Shannon Smith (Deceased) v Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust
A FAA claim arising from the death of a 15 year old asthmatic.
Salt v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
A High Court case involving the alleged negligent performance of gastric band surgery and a subsequent delay in the removal of the gastric band due to a post-surgical protracted gastric port site infection.

Cases & Work of note: Product Liability

Heidi has extensive experience of complex product liability cases, particularly class actions involving medical devices. She was a lead junior in a number of million-pound class actions against various manufacturers relating to metal on metal hip implants and resurfacings and has more recently extended her practice into advising and acting for Claimants injured as a result of clinical trials.

Heidi was also instructed as junior counsel in the Fetal Anticonvulsant Litigation where (alongside Christopher Johnston KC and James Berry) she represented over 100 claimants in a major group action relating to birth defects caused by exposure to the anti-epileptic drug Epilim during pregnancy. This was an exceptionally complex case requiring in-depth analysis of medical evidence in a variety of fields including clinical pharmacology, teratology, neuropsychology and both adult and infant epilepsy.

Other recent experience includes:
- claims relating to the manufacture and supply of Sorin 3T heater cooler units which were contaminated with Mycobacterium Chimaera (MC) resulting in various severity of injury and, in numerous cases, death;
- acting for a number of Claimants in cases involving injuries sustained as a result of participation in a randomized Phase II and Phase III clinical trials including a claim arising from participation in a clinical trial leading to the development of Guillain-Barre syndrome / Miller Fisher syndrome / Bickerstaff’s encephalitis;
- acted for the Claimant in the only known UK based fatal claim arising from the failure of a Riata implantable cardiac defibrillator;
- claims relating to the Essure contraceptive implant;
- acting in an advisory role in relation to the use of Phakic 6 intraocular lens; and
- acting for an infant Claimant in a claim against Advanced Bionics arising from a malfunctioning cochlear implant which was subject to medical recall.

recommendations

Heidi is highly recommended in both legal directories for clinical negligence and product liability. Chambers & Partners describes her as, “intellectually top-notch but has the ability to relate to clients, who immediately warm to her and trust that she will fight their corner.” She was shortlisted for the Clinical Negligence Junior of the Year Award at The Legal 500 UK Bar Awards 2023.

Other recent directory editorial includes:

very personable and fantastic with clients. Her preparation of cases is exceptional and she has great attention to detail. Heidi is very reliable and a safe pair of hands for any matter;
an absolute joy to work with and so skilled at what she does. Her preparation of cases and documents for pleadings is exemplary and she leaves no stone unturned;
excellent in managing the client, and at all stages of the case provides prompt, pragmatic and helpful advice;
Heidi’s major strength is her ability to crack complex information. She is so exceptionally diligently prepared and is just brilliant with the details;
an excellent team player but equally excellent leading from the front as sole counsel. She has a great eye for detail and is really great with clients;
Heidi has the ability to cut through to the heart of the issue and take a wider view of the litigation. Her client care is excellent, particularly in complex cases involving multiple experts;
a very professional, charismatic and hyper intelligent barrister. Exceptional with clients and always extremely prepared for any conferences;
she is compassionate and empathetic with clients;
Heidi has excellent attention to detail, and combines that with a lovely approach to clients;
an excellent advocate – always well-prepared and ready to fight for her clients;
has a brilliant approach to dealing with clients who have suffered some of the most catastrophic injuries;
she gives detailed and practical advice, and is formidable in court;
brilliant and very hardworking;
Heidi is an exceptional advocate – she is a force to be reckoned with in court and at JSM;
she left no stone unturned in getting the case going;
a workaholic, willing to put in a shift and do a lot;
precise and measured;
clients are reassured by her knowledge and straight to the point approach;
she’s very popular with solicitors and rightly so;
she’s very sharp, she won’t miss a trick and she goes above and beyond in her preparation;
Heidi is empathetic, highly intelligent, and has great judgement; “
she’s very calm and measured – lay clients like her because she explains complex matters in a clear and accessible way;
unique combination of exceptional brains combined with exceptional interpersonal skills;
an excellent advocate;
is very strong in JSMs;
she’s very experienced and holds her own against more senior counsel;
is really impressive;
she is incredibly sharp and has a brilliant ability to cut through very complex issues;
she is fantastic in her analysis and provides very tactical advice;
Heidi is dedicated, meticulous, and her technical knowledge in the field of product liability claims is second to none;
her meticulous pleadings that cover every detail of the case;
she’s very good at engaging and empathising with clients;
her medical knowledge is excellent. She’s seen a great number of these cases and has a lot of confidence;
excellent for claimant instructions;
she is one of the most experienced juniors in product liability;
clients have confidence in her advice;
Heidi is a tremendous barrister;
she’s a truly excellent lawyer with a huge grit and intellect;
she will leave no stone unturned for her clients;
she will use a fine tooth comb to go through all of the issues in the case;
she builds an excellent rapport with clients and experts alike;
takes a sensible and pragmatic approach to cases and provides excellent practical advice;
we are very impressed with her accessibility and her attention to detail;
a fantastic advocate with excellent client care and forensic skills;
particularly well liked for her charming manner with clients;
she is ferociously clever and on top of all the details;
very straightforward and practical;
she is very knowledgeable about her subject;
anticipates the opponents arguments;
instantly puts the client at ease;
she has an excellent manner with clients and the ability to reassure them even in the most challenging circumstances;
her written and advocacy skills are first-class;
an excellent team player, she’s an absolute trooper;
a very intelligent barrister with a keen interest in product liability; and
she has great forensic skills combined with a truly sympathetic approach to clients.

reflections

A client is never just a client. Everyone you work with is an individual and the relationship you build with them is, in my view, as important as the advice you give them. You can have the best legal brain in the country but if you can’t relate to your client and explain your reasoning and thought process, it means very little, if anything at all. I always explain to clients why I am advising a course of action in clear, simple terms so we can reach an agreed view together. I always try and think how I would deal with the trials and heartache of litigation and put myself in the shoes of those who we represent.

Swimming made me. In my youth I was a competitive swimmer. I got up at 5.30am every morning and swam 3 miles. Your head is underwater, you can’t breathe, you can’t think straight because you are so tired and you have to work unbelievably hard. I still think that was pretty good training for life at the bar.

I did it the hard way. Achieving your goals is never easy. You always have to fight to reach the place you know you should be. I did a pupillage, a six-month extended pupillage and was a tenant at two sets of chambers before finally arriving at Serjeants Inn. When I first came to the bar I thought I would suit shipping law as it was an academic subject I particularly enjoyed at University. It quickly became apparent that this field of work gave me very little opportunity to meet individual clients and to help them solve their problems. I realised that while the legal aspects and arguments were both fascinating and intellectually challenging, the areas I now specialise in are far better suited to my strengths as an individual.

“A client is never just a client. The relationship you build with them is as important as the advice you give them.”

Emotional intelligence is typically overlooked. It is a given that when you instruct a barrister they will be confident, intelligent, and be able to grasp complex evidence and cross examine with vengeance. The ability to relate to clients and care about the difference you can make to their lives is often overlooked. If I were a client I would want to know that the person representing me really cared about my case. I strongly believe that having emotional intelligence and empathy can make you ‘stand out from the rest’.

People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones that do (Steve Jobs). Many barristers start their working life thinking they will change the world. You realise very quickly that is unachievable but I continue to believe you can make a real difference.

Your family are the most important thing – for me and my clients. I couldn’t do what I do without them and my clients couldn’t either.

Let’s be modern. I have been fortunate to be involved in a number of very complex, significant group litigations. However these have their own complexities, particularly in terms of the management of a large number of claims and disclosure. This has taught me that managing documents and technology as whole is critical. I am a very modern barrister and will always strive to use technology where possible to manage the overall litigation process. I think the fact that my favourite mug says ‘I love spreadsheets’ says it all!

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again. In every case there are setbacks. It’s about how you deal with them. Over my career I have had plenty (large and small) but they make you a better advocate. You may initially think a case is simple. It never is. Law evolves and changes almost every day. Barristers should always be aware of those changes and be conscious of how they affect every case you work on. You have to be prepared for anything and investigate every possibility. I endeavour to ensure that in every case I question every expert, look around every corner and leave no stone unturned.

privacy

Heidi adopts and adheres to the provisions of her privacy notice which can be accessed here.

further information

For further details of Heidi’s practice please click on the links to the left or contact a member of the clerking or client service team.

Bar Council Membership No: 43099
Registered Name: Heidi Carina Hemmings Knight
VAT Registration No: 853559592