Slee Blackwell’s New Dental Law Unit Headed Up by Lawyer Katie Parr

Having made legal history for her client by winning the highest ever compensation sum in a dental negligence case, lawyer Katie Parr now heads Slee Blackwell Solicitors’ dental department.

Slee Blackwell Solicitors LLP, who have 5 offices in the south west of England, are recommended by the Legal 500 for their expertise in the field of clinical negligence law. The Legal 500 is the pre-eminent guide to law firms and solicitors in the UK and has over four million users visiting its website every year. The publication is based on detailed analysis of thousands of interviews carried out by independent legal researchers and inclusion in the guide is widely considered to be a benchmark of success within the profession.

The firm represent victims of medical negligence nationally, operating a popular No Win – No Fee funding scheme that offers people access to justice, whatever their financial means.

Oliver Thorne, the partner responsible for Slee Blackwell’s clinical negligence operation, is delighted that Katie has come aboard to spearhead the firm’s expansion into the specialist area of dental negligence. He commented:

“We are very lucky to have Katie here to head up our new dental law unit. She is an experienced lawyer with a first-class track record of success in this highly specialised area of law. This will add a new dimension to what we are already able to offer our clients.”

Katie’s most notable success came at the Royal Courts of Justice in London when she recovered the highest award of ‘general damages’ ever reported in a dental negligence case in England and Wales.

‘General damages’ refers to the compensation that is paid to someone for their ‘pain, suffering and loss of amenity’. The award in Katie’s case comprised four separate elements:

Compensation for the loss of nine healthy teeth.
Compensation for 37 unnecessary dental treatments, including crowns and root canal fillings.
Compensation for occlusal problems making it difficult for the claimant to eat hard foods.
Compensation for the claimant’s psychological injuries; including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and a phobic reaction to dental treatment.

In addition to the sum of £65,000 awarded for general damages for dental work that the judge described as “appalling”, Katie’s client was also awarded compensation for her financial losses and out of pocket expenses, including the cost of the restorative dental treatment she had to undergo. In total Katie’s client received a compensation award amounting to over £160,000. This represents the highest amount of damages ever reported in a dental negligence claim.

Slee Blackwell’s dental law unit offers clients a full service, including claims for:

Gum disease
Negligent cosmetic dental surgery
Dental implants
Nerve injuries
Tooth extraction cases

Katie offers a free case assessment service via Slee Blackwell’s Legal Helpline. This means that if anyone feels they have been a victim of negligent dental treatment then they can contact Katie for an expert review of their potential claim. Katie will consider the legal merits of the case and give guidance on the amount of compensation that is likely to be awarded. Katie can also look at funding options, including Slee Blackwell’s No Win, No Fee scheme.Clients contemplating a legal claim can find out more about what is involved by visiting Slee Blackwell’s new specialist website that Katie has created at www.dentalnegligencelaw.co.uk. The site includes a number of useful resources including a compensation calculator.

Katie is excited by the challenge and opportunity of running the new dental law unit, commenting:

“I am extremely excited to be working with Slee Blackwell heading their dental team. I am passionate about ensuring dental patients have access to justice and hope to be able to help as many people as possible obtain the settlements they deserve.

Contact the Slee Blackwell Legal Helpline by calling 0333 888 0404 or emailing info@sleeblackwell.co.uk