Amelia Sutcliffe - Women in Clinical Negligence

In October, ARAG and Tula Medical Experts hosted a roundtable discussion at the Law Society, focussing on the role that women play in the field of clinical negligence law. As part of the discussion, we asked a number of women, at different stages of their legal careers but all working in clinical negligence, about their views and experiences.

In this interview, Amelia Sutcliffe, Personal Injury Solicitor at The Smith Partnership opens up on her experiences.

To read the other interviews and watch our video content from the roundtable, please click here.

At what stage in your career did you decide to specialise in clinical negligence and what inspired you?

I first became interested in Clinical Negligence when I studied Medical Law during my undergraduate degree. I was fortunate enough to obtain a day’s work experience with a medical negligence solicitor where I studied my undergraduate. However, I was provided with a copy of the Civil Procedure Rules and a file to read. It was a poor introduction to the sector. I couldn't understand the jargon, and reading the Doctor's handwriting appeared to be a skill I didn't have.

Fast forward to my training contract, I’d spent many years with tunnel vision on becoming a family solicitor. However, after a few years working in the sector, I realised it wasn’t for me. I knew my TC needed to be centred around finding an area that I would truly enjoy and could see myself working in. I’ve always been driven by helping those who needed it, so I was intent on having a seat in our Personal Injury department.

Fortunately, my first seat was a combination between Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence. I enjoyed working in Personal Injury, but my passion for Clinical Negligence became very apparent after a few months. The pinnacle moment in my career was my first inquest. I attended a two-week jury inquest, which was coincidental at the time of our claim. The inquest was fascinating and devastating in equal measure. It was bittersweet to spend the time with the deceased’s loved ones and really appreciate the gravity of the loss they’ve suffered, especially as our claim highlighted a devastating domino of missed opportunities amounting to negligence. Whilst we cannot change the past, it is special to be involved in changing the trajectory of their, or their loved ones, future.

From then on, I could only see myself working in this field and continued developing my passion. I’ve now been qualified almost a year and my passion is ever growing.

What are the biggest challenges that you have faced during your career?

The biggest challenge I’ve faced in my career is likely to be imposter syndrome, which I know is not a struggle I’m alone in. It’s very easy to feel inadequate, or inexperienced, in a role, especially during the early stages of your career. However, years of purposefully placing myself out of my comfort zone have really helped me begin to work through this. Whilst there still are blips, I am starting to trust my ability to adapt, overcome and thrive in the role.

A struggle more specific to clinical negligence would be my empathy and emotion. Once I truly appreciated and understood that negligence does not discriminate and could happen to anyone, including yourself and your loved ones, I found a whole new empathetic perspective to the work. It's important to allow yourself to feel the emotions that come in our case load, but not to be driven by them. It's a hard balance to find, but one I am slowly mastering.

What advice would you give to young women entering this area of law?

The advice I would give to any person, especially a woman, embarking on their legal career is to always back yourself, even in the moments of doubt. If I had listened to imposter syndrome, unsupportive teachers, etc, I wouldn’t be standing here today as a clinical negligence solicitor. Believe that when you put your mind to something, you can do it.

My second biggest advice would be to seek out and take every opportunity you can. Some of my greatest achievements in my career have come from the strangest of places (networking events, chatting to strangers in coffee shops resulting in work experience, etc) so don’t overlook the potential opportunities in all walks of life that can and will contribute to making a successful career.

How do you think women have changed the clinical negligence landscape and will continue to?

In my personal experience, I think women working in the clinical negligence field bring a new level of representation and understanding for clients. There are experiences that only a woman can relate to, so the more female practitioners, I’ve found the more positive an experience for the client.

Can you describe a particular case, experience or moment in which you feel that you were making a difference?

Being in the early stages of my career, I’m only at the outset of many of my own cases. However, I like to feel that I am already making a difference to my client’s lives by ensuring they are seen, heard and understood. I’ve found that sometimes that’s all a client wants; the validation that their experience was wrong, avoidable and that someone is willing to do something about that.

Have you seen evidence of the gender pain gap and what do you think the law can do to address the phenomenon?

Through the eyes of my clients, I have absolutely seen the gender pain gap, especially related to gynaecological and childbirth issues. Just like many, I believe significantly more research needs to be undertaken into female health, along with systematic change to the perspective of women’s health. Too many women are undermined and dismissed when raising their symptoms, causing further difficulties down the line.

What do you think are the most significant challenges facing clinical negligence practitioners?

I haven’t got any pressing significant challenges coming to mind at the moment.