Covid-19 Personal Injury Claims
As more and more COVID-19 litigation come through the system, personal injury lawyers will have access to more information about running this type of personal injury claim. Attend this seminar to make sure you understand the medicine and the law relevant to bringing a claim, whether it’s a work-related claim or some other setting. In addition, hear from our employment law expert on vaccination mandates and the employment law implications for personal injury lawyers. WEB225N02
Description
Attend and earn 4 CPD units including:
2.5 units in Substantive Law
1.5 units in Professional Skills
This program is based on NSW legislation
Chair: Amanda Bond, Partner, Gillis Delaney; Recommended Public & Product Liability Lawyer (Defendant), Doyle’s Guide 2021
9.00am to 9.05am Opening comments by the chair
THE MEDICAL PERSPECTIVE: What Personal Injury Lawyers Need to Know About COVID-19
Professional Skills
9.05am to 10.10am COVID-19 as an Infectious Disease
Presented by Professor Damon Eisen, Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases Physician, James Cook University, Peninsula Health Melbourne and Queensland Health; author, Employee presenteeism and occupational acquisition of COVID-19, Medical Journal of Australia
Professional Skills
10.10am to 10.50am The Psychological Impact of COVID-19
- Cognitive and emotional impact on brain function
- Return to work capacity
Presented by Dr Amanda White, Forensic Psychologist and Clinical Neuropsychologist
10.50am to 11.05am Morning Tea
11.05am to 11.45am COVID-19 Workers Compensation Claims
- An overview of the workers compensation legislation dealing with COVID-19
- Recent caselaw
- Discussion and questions
Presented by Jasmina Mackovic, Practice Group Leader, Workers Compensation, Slater & Gordon
11.45am to 12.40pm Vaccination Mandates and Employment Law Implications for Personal Injury Lawyers
- The importance of the lawful and reasonable direction
- The legal risks of mandatory workplace vaccination
- Alternative control measures
- Recent cases dealing with mandatory workplace vaccination
Presented by Michael Byrnes, Partner, Swaab
12.40pm to 1.15pm Medical and Aged Care COVID-19 Claims
- Hospital acquired COVID-19 and the patient’s rights to compensation
- Compensation for the death of a loved one with Aged-care acquired COVID-19
- ‘No-fault’ access to compensation for a COVID-19 vaccination acquired injury
Prepared by Tim Cummings, Medical Law and Practice Group Leader, Slater & Gordon, Presented by Louise Jackson, Senior Associate, Slater & Gordon
1.15pm to 1.30pm Final Q&A and Closing Comments by the Chair
Presenters
Amanda Bond
Amanda Bond is a partner of Gillis Delaney Lawyers who specialises in insurance claims. Amanda is an Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury Law and has over 20 years of experience in acting for government entities, insurers, self-insurers and corporations. In the last four years Amanda has been recognised by the Doyles Guide as a leading liability lawyer, pre-eminent and leading worker’s compensation lawyer and recommended lawyer in CTP demonstrating her breadth of experience.
Professor Damon Eisen
Professor Damon Eisen is an academic Infectious Diseases Physician and has practiced in this specialty in tertiary hospitals in Victoria, Queensland and the ACT for 28 years. His research career has revolved around prevention and treatment of severe infection. This has had a particular focus on vaccine development. Professor Eisen is a leading Infectious Diseases expert witness with over twenty years’ experience in providing opinions for both plaintiff and defendants including Crown matters. Notably, these have frequently dealt with severe sepsis outcomes. For the last two years Professor Eisen has worked in developing hospital COVID-19 infection control policy development as well as the establishment of treatment protocols and the institution of hospital and community COVID-19 vaccination services.
Dr Amanda White
Dr White is an endorsed Forensic Psychologist and Clinical Neuropsychologist with extensive training and experience in the preparation of forensic psychological and neuropsychological expert reports. She is skilled in the comprehensive assessment of cognitive, behavioural and psychological impairments associated with complex histories, multiple comorbidities and a range of conditions, including acquired brain injury, neurodegenerative disorders, psychological and psychiatric illness, developmental disorders, neurological conditions, intellectual disability, drug and alcohol issues and forensic matters including risk assessment. She has appeared as an expert witness in the NSW courts and various tribunals. Dr White is an MAA approved assessor for the evaluation of whole person impairment.
Jasmina Mackovic
Jasmina Mackovic started her career working with Keddies for 8.5 years until they merged with Slater and Gordon Lawyers in 2011. Currently she is a Practice Group Leader overseeing ComCare, Workers Compensation, Motor Vehicle and Superannuation practices in the Ashfield and Liverpool offices.
Michael Byrnes
Michael Byrnes is a partner of Swaab. He is a workplace relations lawyer with over 20 years' experience in assisting clients navigate employment and work health and safety issues. Michaeldrafts and reviews workplace policies and undertakes complex and sensitive workplace investigations. As well as regularly presenting at conferences, Michael is often called upon for expert opinion in the media. He has appeared on numerous radio segments and regularly quoted in publications including The Australian Financial Review, The Age, Lawyers Weekly, Workplace Express, OHS Alert, SmartCompany, HRM Online and InTheBlack on workplace relations and WHS law issues. Michael is also a co-author of the LexisNexis publication "Annotated Fair Work Act & Related Legislation".
Tim Cummings
As a Principal Lawyer at Slater and Gordon, he is proud to help everyday Australians access justice in the legal system. With extensive experience in medical law, he helps clients with their professional and medical negligence claims and class actions, with a focus on catastrophic injuries and injuries to children and infants. These claims are often the result of complex, traumatic and stressful situations. It’s important that clients feel supported and heard throughout the entire process—He makes himself available at all times, travelling to clients, ensuring the process is as clear as possible and keeping them informed every step of the way. He doesn’t give up until clients have the best possible outcome. Prior to joining Slater and Gordon he worked as a defendant solicitor with a number of insurers in cases involving public liability, product liability and owners’ corporation disputes. Being experienced in both sides of compensation law means that he has a unique insight into how insurers defend claims, which helps him bring the best approach to the client’s case.
Louise Jackson
Louise is responsible for personal injury cases involving medical negligence claims against Local Health Districts and individual medical professionals in New South Wales. Her professional experience at Slater and Gordon includes acting in relation to a wide range of claims involving all types of physical and psychiatric (nervous shock) injuries, catastrophic injuries affecting all age groups and acting for claimants in a large government redress scheme. Louise’s work experience and history more generally involves litigating commercial, equity and common law cases for both plaintiffs and defendants (and their insurers). She understands the entire dispute resolution and court process from both sides. Louise has significant experience in advocacy and with instructing counsel in all Federal and State courts (including appeal courts), at tribunals, in coronial inquests and in out-of-court negotiation and dispute resolution.