Barcan Woodward Solicitors
The partners
Richard Barcan
Contact Richard on rab@barcanwoodward.co.uk or telephone him on 0117 925 8080.
Richard is one of the founding partners of the firm and the senior partner. A Law graduate from Liverpool University, his work covers all aspects of clinical negligence and personal injury. He has dealt with cases both large and small from brain injury claims, including cerebral palsy to nursing care cases. He recently played a central coordinating role in the Thompstone Group Appeals, important test litigation which went to the House of Lords, making ground breaking law. This case established that damages for an injured person’s future care needs would be properly inflation proof in the future.
Richard has also dealt with a large number of claims arising from accidents where someone has been fatally injured. His current workload is about 90% clinical negligence and 10% serious personal injury claims. Richard is a very keen cyclist and has a particular interest in cycling accident claims.
He has been regarded as a “Leader in his field” by the entirely independent “Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession” for many years. For example, the 2006 entry in the Guide read: “Everyone has nothing but praise for Richard Barcan. Many agree that he is largely to thank for the firm‘s high standard of service and commitment to the sector". The current entry says that Richard “is widely credited as a “safe pair of hands” by clients; other interviewees termed him “an extremely nice, modest guy who has a formidable reputation.” He is also recommended by the Legal 500. Richard is a panel solicitor for Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA), a national charity dedicated to the interests of those injured by medical mishaps, and is a member of the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s Personal Injury Accreditation Scheme. He is a Senior Litigator of the College of Personal Injury Law and a member of Bristol Law Society‘s Civil Courts Committee.
Richard has contributed to medico-legal journals and lectured to lawyers and doctors. He has wide contacts in the medical world and is an active member of AvMA South West Lawyers Support Group.
Richard lives in Bristol with his wife and numerous bikes. In various combinations they have travelled the world together.
Andrew Dobie
Contact Andrew on gad@barcanwoodward.co.uk or telephone him on 0117 963 5237.
After obtaining a Law degree at Liverpool University, Andrew trained with the predecessor firm of Barcan Woodward, Gerald Davey and Co. He became a partner in 1990 and subsequently was one of the founding partners of Barcan Woodward.
Andrew specialises in domestic conveyancing and probate work. He is the partner in charge of the firm‘s South Bristol office in North Street, Bedminster.
Andrew‘s weekends are spent with his family and playing for Bath Buccaneers Hockey Club, nowadays as sweeper in the Ancient Mariners Team.
Marina Van Vessem
Contact Marina on mvv@barcanwoodward.co.uk or telephone her on 0117 925 8080.
Marina joined the firm in 1994, and has been a partner since 1999, heading the Personal Injury team at Barcan Woodward. She specialises in personal injury and clinical negligence work, with a caseload balanced across the two fields, focusing on cases involving catastrophic injury.
Marina has an acknowledged expertise in claims arising from brain and complex back and neck injuries, including whiplash-type injuries and spinal cord damage. In addition, she regularly takes over cases from other firms of solicitors to bring them to a swift conclusion and to ensure that clients receive the amount of compensation to which they are entitled.
Marina is a Litigator of the College of Personal Injury Law and a member of the Solicitors Regulatory Authority Personal Injury Accreditation Scheme. She is also a member of Headway – the brain injury association Personal Injury Solicitors List and is named in the Spinal Injuries Association solicitor’s directory.
The prestigious directory, Legal 500 notes that "Partner Marina van Vessem is … a calm and ‘totally professional‘ choice for complex personal injury claims".
Chris Miller
Contact Chris on cmm@barcanwoodward.co.uk or telephone him on 0117 963 5237.
Chris Miller has specialised in Family Law since he qualified as a solicitor in 1990.
He has dealt with cases ranging from divorce, dissolution of civil partnership, separation of unmarried couples, property disputes, and cases involving children.
In 1999 he was appointed to the Law Society Family Law Panel.
In 2004 he was accredited by the Solicitors Family Law Association (now Resolution) as a specialist family lawyer with particular specialism in Advanced Financial Provision and Children Law.
In 2005 he was appointed a member of the Law Society Children Panel authorised to represent children and parents in public law care cases.
In 2007 he trained and qualified in Collaborative Law and is qualified to carry out Collaborative Law cases on behalf of clients.
Chris is interested in exploring creative solutions to family problems and to look beyond traditional methods of dispute resolution if required. His focus is always on the client’s needs and recognises that listening and understanding those needs is an important part of his role.
Chris now specialises in financial cases with a particular emphasis on resolving cases by alternative methods such as Collaborative Law, and representing children in care.
Richard Harries
Contact Rich on reh@barcanwoodward.co.uk or telephone him on 0117 925 8080.
Richard is a Partner and graduated from The University College of Wales, Aberystwyth in 1996, qualifying as a solicitor in 1999. He joined Barcan Woodward‘s Personal and Medical Injuries Team in 2003, becoming an Associate in February 2006.
He handles all types of clinical negligence cases and has recent experience of the following types of cases:
- Nursing negligence in the treatment of a leg ulcer in a diabetic patient
- A&E negligence in tetanus infection
- Extravasation injury caused by an intavenous cannula
- Delayed diagnosis of cervical cancer
- Surgical negligence in bowel surgery
- Optician‘s failure to recognise ancanthamoeba keratitis associated with contact lenses
- Maximum severity birth injury cases
Richard is also a member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers
Julie Scott
Contact Julie on jhs@barcanwoodward.co.uk or telephone her on 0117 923 2141.
Julie qualified in 1991 after completing her training in the City. She has since worked at a variety of law firms, developing her skills and experience for a wide range of clients. As a result, she is able to offer a broad range of expertise in commercial property, from sales and acquisitions to development.
Julie has a particular interest in secured lending work, having acted for various banks and building societies both on their panel and as a separate adviser.
She also enjoys landlord and tenant work, having acted for both landlords and tenants both in the retail and office markets. Julie has advised national retailers during her career, in both retail and leisure.
Outside of the commercial property world, Julie spends most of her spare time with her young family.
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