I have always loved anything science related my whole life and first considered a career in medical negligence at the age of 16. I went on to study biology and philosophy at a Canadian University for one year before making the decision to switch to the sciences, thinking I might want to be a doctor. I got into a competitive programme and struggled through it, only to be hit with the terrifying realisation that a future medicine was not for me.
I entered my first year of law school at the University of Leicester excited to finally be on the right path and eager to get involved. Being in a two-year accelerated LLB program, I did not have the opportunity to enrol in any electives, but medical negligence always stayed in the back of my mind. I also worried that I might pigeonhole myself if I didn’t explore other fields, so I started as a student advisor at the University of Leicester Legal Advice Clinic, focussing on family, housing and immigration cases. During my time at the clinic, I came across a tragic case which kept me up late at night after classes, researching for days before realizing there wasn’t much we could do as an initial advice service. We had to refer her to a medical negligence firm and that’s when we found MDS and connected with Tereza Fotiadi. Tereza was gracious enough to meet with me to discuss what a career in medical negligence might look like and became a sort of mentor over the next year. Within that year, I had the opportunity to attend a Women in Law discussion where Mehmooda Duke was a panellist. I was completely captivated by her and the way she spoke about the law as if it were an innate calling. It very much resonated with me and aligned with how I envisioned my future as a lawyer. Tereza and I continued to stay connected and worked together on some clinic projects before I was offered a work experience opportunity at MDS.
Right from the first day, I felt like I was learning so much. After sitting in on a few client calls and reading some case summaries, what stuck out was how much we rely on expert evidence to build a case and the importance of appropriately instructing expert witnesses. I was assigned the interesting task of searching for expert witnesses for current cases. This research taught me the importance of honing in on the facts of a case to ensure the right experts are instructed on the relevant issues.
Another key skill I was able to witness was the solicitors’ finely tuned expertise in drafting and perfecting witness statement. At the beginning of the week, I was so impressed at how the solicitors at MDS seemingly had a second sense to know exactly what to ask clients to build a picture of what happened. The team was so patient with my endless questions and took the time to give me insightful and curated advice each time. By the end of the week, I was able to draft my own questions before client meetings, some of which ended up being included in fact-finding! I truly feel I would not have been able to have the confidence to do this without the careful guidance of the team.
Most of all, during my time at MDS, I was able to see how the work that is being done in this field is genuinely helping clients. Real people who are forced to restructure their lives and find a new normal after catastrophic events, who are grappling with the aftermath of losing someone they cared for and clearly loved so dearly, or people fighting for closure after unjustifiable negligence. The work being done each day by the team at MDS is so detail oriented and thorough that every seemingly small task adds up to massive reparation for each client. For me, it has been such an honour to be a small part of that work, and I can confidently say that no matter where I go next, the things I’ve learned from this welcoming, supportive and incredibly knowledgeable team will undoubtedly make me a better future lawyer. My time at MDS has solidified my choice to pursue a career in medical negligence, and I could not be more grateful!
Tereza Fotiadi, Specialist Medical Negligence Solicitor from MDS said "It was an absolute pleasure working with Saloni. Her curiosity, dedication, and genuine passion for helping others through the law were evident in everything she did."
