John White

Medical Negligence

Partner

“Having worked as a doctor, I understand how important it is for healthcare professionals to use every opportunity to learn from mistakes”

Accreditations

I am a Partner at Enable Law. I am dual-qualified as a Solicitor and a Doctor, being a Solicitor Advocate with Higher Rights of Audience and a Member of the Royal College of Physicians. I specialise in clinical negligence and I am a member of the specialist panels for AvMA and for the Law Society. I now have 24 years of post-qualification experience, working as a solicitor in large law firms. Over the last 20 years I have taken 11 clinical negligence cases to trial.

I have a caseload of large, serious, high value and complex cases in my specialist area of work. Dealing with many catastrophic and fatal cases, I am experienced in clinical negligence litigation for injuries of maximum severity. I have run many successful high value claims. In addition, I represent families at inquest hearings, about two to three times per year, having conducted the advocacy myself in over 40 hearings.

Having trained as a doctor and worked in the National Health Service for five years before retraining as a lawyer, I am able to bring additional skills to my specialist work in clinical negligence.

Career Highlights

Obtained £22.5m for a child with cerebral palsy sustained because of a delay in moving her mother to hospital
Obtained £14m in damages for a child who was left with cerebral palsy due to their mother’s incorrectly treated diabetes
Obtained £6m for a child whose leg was amputated and brain damaged by a late diagnosis of meningitis
Obtained damages of £2m for a client who underwent negligently performed colorectal surgery
Conducted the Gosport War Memorial Hospital Inquest
ABC (a child) v Portsmouth – cerebral palsy due to delay in delivery, settled in January 2024 for capitalised sum of approximately £12.3M
C (a child) v Brighton – brain injury due to delay in delivery, settled in April 2023 for approximately £3M
ABC (a child) v Southampton – cerebral palsy due to failures in foetal monitoring and delay in delivery, settled in November 2022 for capitalised sum of approximately £15.3M
E v a Surgeon – chronic pain due to negligently performed laparoscopic surgery, settled in September 2022 for £860,000
Sharma (deceased) Inquest before HM Coroner for Surrey, May 2022 – secured verdict of death contributed to by neglect by the hospital
Vaezi (deceased) Inquest before HM Coroner for West London, October 2021 – secured verdict of death contributed to by neglect by the hospital
O v Birmingham – bowel injury with colostomy due to negligently performed colo-rectal surgery, settled in 2020 for £2M
D (a child) v Portsmouth – cerebral palsy case due to incorrect management of mother’s condition of gestational diabetes, settled in 2019 for the capitalised sum of approximately £14M
G (a child) v NHS Direct – brain injury and amputated leg due to delay in diagnosis of meningitis, settled in 2018 for the capitalised sum of approximately £6M
S (a child) v Southampton – cerebral palsy due to delay in transferring mother to hospital, settled in 2017 for the capitalised sum of approximately £22.5M
Bailey -v- Ministry of Defence [2008] Court of Appeal – brain injury case in an adult following gallbladder surgery. Leading clinical negligence case law authority on law of material contribution
XXX (a Child) -v- A Strategic Health Authority [2008] High Court – child brain injury case. Leading quantum authority on the law of damages#
Adshead -v- Tottle [2007] High Court – delay in diagnosis of breast cancer case, succeeded on liability at trial
Ryan -v- East London and City Health Authority [2001] High Court – paraplegia case arising from negligently performed spinal surgery, succeeded on liability at trial
Hardman -v- Amin [2000] High Court – wrongful birth case. Succeeded at trial on issue of liability and heads of damages. Leading authority on wrongful birth cases

What our clients say

John has been working with me on our clinical negligence case for over two years. He has made what could have been a traumatic and very upsetting process into a surprisingly positive experience.

John is a fantastic team player and he assembled an amazing network of experts of the highest calibre to work with us. He is also a brilliant communicator.

I would have no hesitation in recommending John as a highly motivated and, in the nicest possible way, ruthless lead in these potentially very emotive cases. I have come away from the experience feeling that justice has been done, and I can think of no higher praise than that

"John has an excellent understanding of the medical issues and is able to use that knowledge to support his clients and in the training of medical professionals."

Chambers and Partners UK 2025

"John is very intelligent."

Chambers and Partners UK 2025

John White

Medical Negligence

Partner

Accreditations

Career Highlights

What our clients say

John has been working with me on our clinical negligence case for over two years. He has made what could have been a traumatic and very upsetting process into a surprisingly positive experience.

John is a fantastic team player and he assembled an amazing network of experts of the highest calibre to work with us. He is also a brilliant communicator.

I would have no hesitation in recommending John as a highly motivated and, in the nicest possible way, ruthless lead in these potentially very emotive cases. I have come away from the experience feeling that justice has been done, and I can think of no higher praise than that

"John has an excellent understanding of the medical issues and is able to use that knowledge to support his clients and in the training of medical professionals."

"John is very intelligent."

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