Spotlight on: Jenny Harrington, Senior Associate

Jenny Harrington is a Senior Associate within Browne Jacobson’s specialist obstetric division, part of the Health advisory and litigation team.

Kelly Buckley, Partner and Head of the Obstetric Division, talks to Jenny about how her career has progressed, her passion for supporting neurodiversity and how she has used this passion to trailblaze some exciting work for Browne Jacobson.

So, Jenny, how did you get into clinical negligence work?

I left Uni and worked as a paralegal for DAC Beachcroft in Manchester, first in the Defendant personal injury team and then in the employment team. I had the opportunity to work in their Leeds office and I started health employment work.

There I just fell in love with healthcare work generally, so when the opportunity to do my training contract in health came up, I took it and moved to Leeds.

After this I moved back to Manchester and was juggling responsibilities as a carer. Then when the Browne Jacobson role came up, I didn’t hesitate to apply. Healthcare is where my passion lies!

Kelly Buckley: Well, we’ve loved having you here and your litigation experience is invaluable.

Can you explain a little about the work you do within our specialist division?

We are a specialist obstetrics division and I deal solely with obstetric claims. This can include maternal injury, injuries to babies and many cerebral palsy cases, which cover a wide spectrum of disabilities.

We also deal with baby loss and fertility issues. These are very sensitive claims and they can be difficult to manage.

How did you deal with the emotional side of the work that we do?

I have had a lot of personal involvement with clinical trauma, having been a carer for most of my adult life. So, I think I have an appreciation of what the families who are affected by these cases are going through. I know it won’t help them for me to be emotional.

I know they need me to do my job well. I also know I need to protect our client’s position at the same time. My personal experience helps me to be both grounded and empathetic, which is crucial to my role as a Defendant solicitor.

Has there been a particular highlight at Browne Jacobson or any particular challenge?

The highlight is probably a round table meeting I organised and made specific provisions for the Claimant in that case, who was a neurodivergent mother. The Claimant’s solicitor was struggling to get instructions from her. When it came to organising the round table meeting, I used the experience I have from mothering my son who has autism and ADHD, in order to make appropriate adjustments. This then made it easier for the Claimant to function on the day and to provide instructions.

The adaptations I made were fairly simple things, but were very effective. These included hosting the round table meeting so I could control the lighting and setting, providing the Claimant with visual aids showing her who the Defendant team were before the day, reducing sensory stimuli on the day and providing a timetable in advance so there was a clear structure.

Resolution was achieved on the day and our client was very happy with the result and I think impressed by the conciliatory approach taken. This has generated a lot of interest from the wider firm, and I’ve been approached by many different departments who are looking to improve their own practice by making adjustments based on neurodiversity. I also delivered a SEN parenting session following this and had some great feedback.

So it’s been very exciting and it encourages me that drawing on my personal experience can really help to make a difference to the work we do.

Kelly Buckley: We have benefited as a team from your experience both in a work and a personal capacity. The RTM was a great example of collaboration and empathic understanding of Claimants, and you should be really proud of this.

Is there any way that Browne Jacobson can help you do your job better?

If you could employ a nanny, a cleaner and a cook for me! Life is hectic! Honestly, I think we’re a great team, everyone pitches in, everyone is a safe pair of hands and we all get along.

Is there something that you’ve been particularly proud of recently?

I was thrilled and so flattered to be mentioned in the Legal 500 recently. It was so unexpected!

Kelly Buckley: Yes, to provide some context the Legal 500 said you stand out for your "specialism in birth injury claims and EN scheme issues". You are noted as a key lawyer in the legal 500 northwest insurance clinical negligence defendant bracket, which is just fantastic. Jenny, we’re so proud of you!

Please get in touch

Jenny Harrington is a Senior Associate and Kelly Buckley is a Partner and Head of our Obstetric Division.

If we can provide any advice or assistance to your healthcare organisation, please also visit our maternity services hub for resources and information about our specialist team, which includes our contact details.