Sharon Allison from Ashtons Legal LLP has been appointed as the first female chair of The Society of Clinical Injury Lawyers (SCIL). Sharon previously held the role of Vice Chair and took up her new role in May 2023. SCIL is a member organisation for specialist claimant solicitor firms who work in the field of clinical negligence. They have 75 members and are led by an executive team made up of the very best specialists in the field. The Society works closely with its membership to drive changes and clarity on a wide range of issues relevant to practitioners. Previous successes include making the process easier for obtaining records of deceased patients, drafting the COVID-19 Clinical Negligence Protocol which led over £30 million in costs savings to the NHS/ the taxpayer and challenging the Government on its proposals around Fixed Recoverable Costs (FRC). There is an annual conference for members which in her new role, Sharon will be leading and delivering along with the executive team. Sharon is Head of Medical Negligence at Ashtons Legal, which is ranked Band 1 for Clinical Negligence by Chambers and Partners. She sits on the management board at the firm and is also a Fellow with the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL), a member on the esteemed specialist panel for AvMA (Action Against Medical Accidents) and is a Leading Individual with legal commentator, Legal 500. Sharon comments: “I’m very proud to have been elected as SCIL’s first female chair. I am very fortunate to be surrounded by incredible specialists in their field who have a wealth of knowledge and experience which makes SCIL the ‘go to’ organisation for claimant Clinical Injury lawyers. A lot of the lawyers I work with in my day job and with SCIL have followed a very traditional route into law whereas mine has been quite different. I had an interest in medicine and the law but I did not have any legal qualifications when I joined the firm almost 23 years ago. I was given the opportunity to learn and qualify as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives whilst working and I was able to absorb and focus my efforts on doing the best I could for my clients. That enriching experience has given me a deep and longstanding passion for Access to Justice and fighting for better patient safety and this is a passion I share with my SCIL colleagues. I am delighted that they have the faith in me to Chair the organisation through some challenging times ahead.”