My name is Fariha Ahmed and I work as a Paralegal at Moosa Duke Solicitors (MDS), joining the firm in January of this year. 

I saw the role advertised on LinkedIn and thought it would be a fantastic opportunity for me to start my legal career in a highly respected firm exclusive to clinical negligence, an area in which I want to specialise in the future. 

Moosa-Duke Solicitors represent clients seeking compensation arising from negligence that has occurred in a medical setting, such as a hospital, GP, or nursing home. The treatment that is provided is closely examined to see if it satisfies the legal test of negligence. 

In my first few weeks, I have:

• Drafted letters to request medical records;
• Attended client meetings and conferences with Counsel and experts;
• Sent out emails with enclosures/invoices;
• Familiarised myself with the internal case management system, LEAP;
• Carried out administrative tasks, such as Filing away emails to LEAP.

One of the meetings I attended during my first week, was a First Client Meeting. Following initial contact by telephone from the client, a meeting was arranged virtually to discuss the client’s claim. Prior to the first meeting, the client discussed her claim which concerned negligence for delayed diagnosis of Cauda Equina Syndrome – where the nerves of the Cauda Equina are compressed, and if untreated, the individual affected can have life-changing symptoms. 

During the meeting, the fee-earner discussed and advised the client about the what needs to be proved in order to have a successful clinical negligence claim – i.e. duty of care, breach of duty, causation, and injury, as well as confirming the facts of the case with the client, ensuring that we had all the correct and necessary information, as well as any further information she would like to give. Following this, the fee-earner advised the client on how the claim will be funded and went into depth about the client signing pack, especially the Conditional Fee Agreement. My main role during this meeting was to minute the meeting, ensuring I had all the required information.

After the meeting, I created an Attendance Note, ensuring that everything mentioned in the meeting by the fee earner and client was thoroughly written down, so that it could be referenced at a later date. Attending this meeting provided me with a better insight into this area of law, as rather than academic, it was a practical approach. As a meeting attendee, I was intrigued by the whole process of the meeting, the paperwork required when a client first instructs us, and the case itself. Hearing what happened from the client’s perspective further fuelled my passion to pursue a career within this sector – to help people in this situation and help them get the best outcome for their case. 

The above is just one task I undertook in the last few weeks, and it was definitely a great start to the role.  I am looking forward to continuing my professional journey with MDS.