Sheila Riches

Practice Area

Clinical Negligence

Profession

Solicitor

Experience

Sheila works in George Ide's clinical negligence department, undertaking all areas of claimant work. She has extensive experience in dealing with high-value clinical negligence and brain injury claims.

Sheila has a particular interest in dealing with brain injuries, caused either through clinical negligence or trauma and has experience of acting for clients in County Court, High Court and Court of Appeal.

Having a strong interest in the field of medical ethics, Sheila is particularly interested in the ethical issues surrounding informed consent, legal capacity to make decisions, and the allocation of resources and decision-making within the NHS.

In 2006 Sheila obtained an MSC in medical ethics from Imperial College, London - the title of her thesis being "If death is a moral good why not legalise it?" Research for this work led her to look at how major life and death decisions within the NHS are made regarding the "withholding and withdrawing" of treatment and who makes them.

Background

Sheila qualified in 1994 as a solicitor and her initial background was in acting for NHS trusts. Since 1997 her work has been predominately claimant-orientated.

Before qualification, Sheila trained as a nurse, and went on to specialise in neurosurgery, working in many of the specialist London hospitals. For ten years prior to her legal training, she worked as a senior sister in the Neuro-Intensive Care Unit at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford and during that period was also a budget-holder for the neurosurgical department.

She continued to work as an agency nurse in many of the acute and non-acute hospitals throughout Surrey until she qualified as a solicitor.

During her legal training, and for a period after qualifying, she acted as a care expert for both defendants' and claimants' solicitors and has given evidence as a joint expert witness in the High Court.

In 2000 Sheila became a panel member of AvMA (Action against Medical Accidents).

Qualifications

2006: MSc in medical ethics at Imperial College, London
1994: Qualified as a Solicitor
1991/1992: College of Law, Guildford
1991: BA honours in law and anthropology Oxford Brookes University
1974: Qualified as a Registered General Nurse in 1974

Contact details

Office: Lion House, Chichester

Contact Telephone Number: 01243 831303

Email address: sheila.riches@georgeide.co.uk