On 14 November 2022, Wotton + Kearney acquired Ball + Partners, a boutique health law firm based in Melbourne. Ball + Partners is recognised by Doyles as the only First Tier medical negligence and malpractice law firm in Victoria, with its partners also being the only individuals in Victoria to achieve a preeminent ranking. As […]
On 24 June 2022, the United States Supreme Court overturned the 1973 decision of Roe v Wade. The decision has been criticised widely, including by many world leaders, as it is likely to cause significant social and economic impacts, particularly for many of America’s most vulnerable women. In this update, W+K Associate Summer Walker sits […]
Recently, there has been considerable political discourse and public interest in the issue of gender affirmation surgery. In this update, W+K health law specialists Claudine Watson-Kyme and Marie-Clare Elder look at the legal position on gender dysphoria treatment in Australia and provide a brief history of the Family Court’s decisions regarding this issue. Click the […]
Health Care Complaints Commission v Kolos [2022] NSWCATOD 46 The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) recently heard a complaint against a medical practitioner, which involved – among other things – allegations of inappropriate and excessive billing practices in breach of specific conditions on the practitioner’s registration. This case provides a timely reminder to all […]
Today, W+K welcomes two new Health partners: Marie-Clare Elder and Claudine Watson-Kyme. The combination of our new Sydney-based partners and Partner Chris Spain in Melbourne creates a formidable, fresh Health team. Both Marie-Clare and Claudine come from senior in-house roles, have medical backgrounds and are widely respected for the advice and support they provide to […]
2021 presented the general insurance industry with many uncertainties. Our 2020 GL Trends Report provided foresight into several trends that have impacted, and continue to impact, the general liability market in Australia and New Zealand, including historical abuse claims across different sectors, concussion and its impact on sport, as well as COVID-19 risks as it […]
From 26 October 2021, the COVID-19 Public Health (Vaccination) Order was extended to include workers in the health and disability and education sectors. The lack of time between the announcement, its publication and the requirement to have at least a first dose of vaccination – as well as confusion over who is affected and who […]
Until this week, there has been limited legal mandate requiring vaccination of New Zealand employees, other than border workers, via the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Order 2021. That changed on 11 October 2021 when the New Zealand Government announced an extended vaccination mandate to include high risk workers in the health and disability sector, […]
The number of silicosis claims in Australia is on the rise due to the increasing awareness of the impact of exposure to high concentrations of silica dust generated while working with artificial and engineered stone. Our national panel of W+K’s senior lawyers discuss the wave of silicosis claims, and what this means for Australian companies, […]
High levels of telehealth uptake may prove to be one of the long-term social changes caused by the pandemic. If it is, the challenges posed by telehealth may lead to an increased exposure to claims against health professionals. In this article, W+K’s Chris Spain and Prue Egan look at the issues for insurers and raise […]
