We are pleased to invite you to attend an in-person training session focusing on birth injury claims and effective case management in birth trauma litigation in Northern Ireland.
This event will have a particular emphasis on the legal, evidential, and procedural challenges arising in birth injury cases, which are among the most complex types of litigation before our courts.
The session will bring together experienced practitioners from both a Plaintiff and defence perspective, along with input from the field of forensic accountancy to explore:
- Liability, causation, and quantum in complex obstetric claims
- Managing high-value and long-running clinical negligence cases
- Expert evidence, identifying and instructing medical experts and expert discussions.
- Best practice in client care and case progression
- Management and structuring of Periodical Payment Orders
Through a combination of presentations, discussion and practical insights, the session aims to provide attendees with up-to-date guidance and practical tools to enhance case strategy and efficient case management in birth injury litigation.
This session will be delivered by Aine Tyrrell, O’Reilly Stewart, Jacqueline McAleese, Carson McDowell, Alison Hollywood, FRP Advisory and Sarah Loughran, DLS.
Aine Tyrrell
Aine Tyrrell is a Partner in the Healthcare Department at O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors, where she specialises in healthcare law and civil litigation. She qualified as a solicitor in 2009 and has spent her career handling complex litigation, now acting exclusively for individuals and families affected by clinical negligence.
A Law Society–accredited Solicitor Advocate, Aine has extensive experience representing clients across a broad spectrum of clinical negligence cases. Her work includes claims arising from delayed or missed diagnosis, surgical negligence, wrongful death, and catastrophic injury, with a particular focus on birth trauma and cerebral palsy cases.
Aine has handled hundreds of complex clinical negligence claims throughout her career and regularly acts in sensitive and emotionally challenging cases, particularly those involving birth injuries.
Jacqueline McAleese
Jacqueline McAleese is a Partner and Head of Healthcare Claims at Carson McDowell (Belfast and Dublin offices). With over 23 years' defence litigation and healthcare experience, Jacqueline has advised a wide range of insurers and healthcare professionals/their indemnifiers in the healthcare sector, including leading medical defence organisations, medical malpractice insurers and self-insured bodies. Jacqueline also has extensive multijurisdictional knowledge and expertise, having practised in England, Northern Ireland and Ireland during her career to date.
Jacqueline regularly represents healthcare professionals in the most complex clinical and dental negligence claims at all Court levels. She has particular expertise in defending claims relating to birth injuries, antenatal care, delayed diagnoses of cervical and other cancers, cauda equina, surgical and prescription errors. In recent years Jacqueline, has successfully defended a number of complex claims through to Trial and in the Court of Appeal and her work involves appearing in Court, conducting advocacy and engaging in negotiations/mediations, in appropriate claims.
Jacqueline has a Band 1 Chambers and top tier Legal 500 ranking, where she has been described by her clients and peers as “an excellent litigator”, a “true people person” and “an exceptional solicitor – technically excellent, an adept strategic thinker, calm in a crisis and extremely knowledgeable in her field”.
Jacqueline is a member of the NI Clinical Negligence Practitioners Group, Medico-legal societies (in both Belfast and Dublin) and regularly provides tailored training to her peers, clients and healthcare professionals. She is also a dedicated mentor in the Queen’s University Belfast School of Law.
Alison Hollywood
Alison joined FRP in 2024 as a Forensic Services Partner, and Location Director of the Belfast office.
She has more than 24 years’ forensic accounting and investigative experience, more recently specialising in complex business interruption claims and advising on quantum in a dispute situation.
Alison advises a broad range of clients, including law firms, corporates, government bodies, insurance firms and brokers, on matters such as commercial disputes, breach of contract, professional negligence and insurance claims. She has also led multi-disciplinary forensic teams investigating both financial and non-financial matters.
She also has extensive experience of preparing advisory and Expert Witness reports (including Single Joint Expert) having worked on many dispute advisory and expert witness engagements.
Alison has given evidence in proceedings in the UK, and assisted clients at mediation. She has also written technical updates for legal publications, including Litigation Support: Guide to Financial Assessment of Damages and Forensic Accounting.
She leads the firm’s Forensic Services work in Ireland and Scotland.
Sarah Loughran, Solicitor Consultant, DLS
After graduating from the University of Manchester with a degree in Law and Accounting, Sarah completed her apprenticeship and qualified as a solicitor in Donnelly and Wall solicitors before joining Johnsons in 1999, where she specialised in defence litigation becoming a Partner in 2011.
She joined DLS in 2021 where she has worked in the Clinical Negligence and Inquests teams representing the Health and Social Care Trusts.
