Frances McCarthy

Frances McCarthy is head of the Personal Injury Department, handling accident and disease work, and a senior partner at Pattinson & Brewer Solicitors. She acts exclusively for Claimants and has represented victims in most of the major disasters in recent years. She specialises in workplace accidents, occupational disease claims and has extensive experience handling injuries of maximum severity, fatalities, asbestos related claims, clinical negligence cases and other areas of personal injury.

Frances is recognised as a leader in her field in both the Legal 500 and Chambers  directories and acknowledged by peers as "robust and tough, but sensible - a fighter and knowledgeable with it."

Frances has managed successful appeals to the European Court of Justice on the question of equal treatment in matters of social security as well as being a regular lecturer and broadcaster on personal injury matters. She is a joint editor of Jordans' new Personal Injury book, a contributor to the 'Brown Book' Civil Procedure Rules and she also sits on the editorial board of 'Journal for Personal Injury Law'.

Frances is a member of the working party set up by Lord Woolf for pre action protocols. She is a past President of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL), a former member of the Civil Justice Council and a senior fellow of the College of Personal Injury Lawyers.

Frances and her husband, a journalist, have three boys and she believes this makes her an expert on all matters sporting. She is a keen supporter of Munster in particular and Irish Rugby in general.