CATHERINE ELPHICK

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Catherine was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Western Australia in March 2000.  Prior to joining Dominion Legal, she worked for 18 years at a large national, then international, law firm in the areas of litigation and dispute resolution and regulatory advice.

 

Catherine specialises in health advisory law including medical liability and associated litigation.  She acts for private health care providers, together with medical practitioners (including general practitioners, plastic surgeons, emergency physicians, obstetricians, paediatricians, pathologists, gynaecologists, anaesthetists, psychiatrists, cardiologists and surgeons), nurses, midwives, psychologists and other associated health professionals.

 

Catherine handles matters ranging from suboptimal patient outcome claims through to more complex matters involving deaths under anaesthetic, catastrophic birth injuries, missed diagnosis, wrongful births, inaccurate pathology and imaging interpretation, retained instruments, drug overdoses, mismanaged resuscitations, equipment and sterilisation failure and suboptimal ICU care.  In addition to handling claims, Catherine also provides general advice to clients in relation to clinical governance issues, compliance with legislation and regulation relevant to the health care industry.

 

Catherine has trial experience in both the District and Supreme Courts of Western Australia and in the appellate jurisdictions of the Court of Appeal and the High Court of Australia.  She also has extensive experience in coronial inquiries and inquests relating to unexpected deaths in hospital and palliative care settings in the Coroner’s Court.

 

In addition to health advisory law, Catherine also has experience in managing claims involving captive insurance schemes, double insurance, complex insurance and indemnity arrangements and dust diseases litigation.

 

Catherine has advised all those involved in the health care industry including major institutional medical malpractice and liability underwriters, private health care providers (large and small), hospital operators, hospital executives, pathology laboratories, medical imaging service providers and individual health practitioners employed by the above. 

 

Catherine has written papers and articles on developments in the law relating to liability insurance and tort law.  She regularly holds seminars and workshops to brief clients on various aspects of risk management, medico-legal litigation and relevant legislative changes.  She has previously spoken at national health care professionals’ conferences and is frequently invited to speak at conferences and workshops organised by her clients.

 

Catherine has previously sat on the Law Society of Western Australia’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee and participated in the Law Reform Commissions ongoing Review of Coronial Practices and Procedures in WA.  Catherine has also sat as a member of a Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC).

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Contact: catherine@domlegal.com.au