Name: Nimmisha Aslam Firm: Russell-Cooke Location: London
University: University of Birmingham Degree: Law and business studies
With no answers just yet and a government review underway, it remains to be seen what impact these changes might have.
client in the inquest and settled the attached clinical negligence case quickly. “The highlight was being able to help the client,” she says. “It meant a lot to the family to represent them and give them some closure.” Nimmisha is also currently acting for a number of Grenfell Tower victims and families in their civil claims. “The group action has been very interesting to work on,” she says. “I’m accustomed to dealing with clients who have suffered trauma. This is the crux of the work we do. However, very rarely have I acted for a group of clients who’ve suffered a tragedy which profoundly affects nearly every aspect of their daily lives.” Changes on the horizon The coronavirus pandemic saw Nimmisha’s work evolve, with court deadlines and hearings moved online. She explains that she was involved in virtual hearings at the Supreme Court, and that her colleague participated in the first High Court clinical negligence trial to take place remotely. “It’ll be interesting to see how this will work moving forward,” she says, musing if this might be a long-term innovation within the justice system. “Virtual hearings can be easier to arrange than physical ones, and can save in costs.” Aside from an increasingly digital workload, Nimmisha also describes the disruption that could come from the government’s planned reforms for fixed recoverable costs in clinical negligence cases. “If the government brings in fixed costs, this could make a huge difference to how our cases are run in the future.” She explains that clinical negligence cases can be expensive as they often involve paying experts for reports. If firms aren’t confident they can recover their reasonable costs and expenses as they currently do, they may be less likely to take these kinds of cases. “Where will that leave our clients?” she asks. “I’m concerned that clients who have lower value negligence cases will not be able to get access to justice.”
Overall, Nimmisha is keen to acknowledge that she’s lucky to have fallen into an area of the law that she really enjoys. “There isn’t anything routine about my work, so I never get bored,” she says. But in hindsight, she recommends that students thinking about their own legal career should do some thorough research. “A career as a solicitor is a lengthy one, so spend some time doing the background work to establish what area of law you want to specialise in. It’s important to enjoy what you do. I’m motivated and passionate about my work every day, and I don’t take that for granted.” A career as a solicitor is a lengthy one, so spend some time doing the background work to establish what area of law you want to specialise in. It’s important to enjoy what you do
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