DP

Biography

Dr Michael J Powers KC BSc MB BS DA FFFLM LLD (hons) Dr Michael Powers KC is the leader of the Clinical Negligence Group at Clerksroom and acts on behalf of both claimants and defendants in England & Wales and other common law jurisdictions. He has had over 40 years of experience at the Bar in all areas of medico-legal practice focusing on medical, scientific and legal causation. He has published, lectured and broadcast widely on medical negligence. As a strong supporter of the NHS, Dr Powers advocates constant attention to standards of practice and an open system of accountability when things go wrong. For many years, he campaigned for “Robbie’s Law” – a legal duty of candour in the NHS. His other main interests as a medical negligence KC relate to the investigation of deaths (coroners and other inquiries). He has represented the Fire & Rescue Service at inquests, the pharmaceutical industry with regard to product liability and licensing and all types of cases (civil and criminal) where scientific principles are involved. He lives up to his Chambers & Partners recognised reputation as being “first-rate on technical evidence.” Being a former helicopter pilot, Dr Powers is instructed in civil and criminal aviation cases. He was instrumental in achieving pardons from HRH Queen Elizabeth II, by Orders in Council for the deceased pilots, Flt Lt Jonathan Tapper and Flt Lt Richard Cook. They had wrongly been blamed for the RAF’s worst peace time disaster when the Chinook Helicopter ZD 576 they were flying crashed on the Mull of Kintyre in 1994 killing all 29 souls on board. As a trained and accredited mediator, he mediates principally in professional negligence matters, though he has experience mediating in marine and aviation cases and, as an arbitrator, he has some experience in international commercial arbitration involving substantial disputes on technical matters. Education in medicine and the law is vitally important to Dr Powers. He remains a Registered Medical Practitioner and is a lead examiner for the Primary Membership of the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of which he is an elected Fellow. He is also a grade A advocacy trainer/tutor trainer seeking to improve the skills of advocacy of young barristers in England, Wales and abroad.