Tragic Case Involving a Home Water Birth

Nicholas Leahy
pregnant lady making a heart shape

Table of Contents

Introduction to the case

Nicholas Leahy is acting for a young woman who had a water birth at home and two midwives were allocated to her at the very last minute. One of the midwives was newly qualified and expressed concern about attending the Claimant’s home due to inexperience. The other midwife was on her way to another appointment when she was told to divert to the Claimant’s home to assist in delivering the Claimant’s baby. The situation was fraught with difficulty and mistakes were sadly made. Tragically, the Claimant’s baby was delivered stillborn, and a claim was pursued and successfully settled after a Serious Untoward Incident Report identified significant failings.

Specialist legal advice and support

Osbornes Law specialises in assisting families who have experienced birth injuries. We have represented families who have faced the loss of a newborn during childbirth or where insufficient maternity care, whether it occurred before, during, or after labour, resulted in harm to the baby or mother.

Our dedicated team is led by Stephanie Prior, with over twenty-five years of experience supporting families in pursuing birth injury claims and holding NHS Trusts accountable. Before her career as a lawyer, Stephanie was a senior NHS nurse. This background equips her with a deep understanding of medical terminology and procedures, enabling her to detect any irregularities within her clients’ medical records swiftly.

To speak with Nicholas Leahy about your situation and to find out if it may be possible for you to bring a claim, please fill in the form below and we will reply.

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    • Stephanie takes on very tricky cases and battles them. She gets the results as well.

      Chambers UK 2024

    • Stephanie is absolutely fantastic. She works incredibly hard for her clients and has a great deal of compassion.

      Chambers UK 2024

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      Chambers UK 2024

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      Chambers UK 2024

    • Stephanie is approachable and a pleasure to work with.

      Chambers UK 2024

    • Stephanie Prior works extremely hard to achieve the best outcomes for her clients

      Chambers UK 2024

    • Stephanie has the respect of opponents and is tenacious.

      Chambers UK 2024

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      Legal 500 2024

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      Legal 500 2024

    • With 10 years of experience as a registered general nurse, stephanie is well placed to support clients through complex and sensitive claims.

      Legal 500 2024

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      Legal 500 2024

    • "She has represented victims in a number of high-profile cases."

      Chambers UK 2023

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      Legal 500 2023

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      Legal 500 2023

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      Legal 500 2023

    • "Stephanie Prior is a standout solicitor."

      Legal 500 2023

    • "Stephanie Prior is an experienced lawyer with immense knowledge of her specialism, which allows her to run her cases with strategic precision."

      Legal 500 2023

    • "Stephanie knows her way effortlessly around any clinical negligence issue and has a great strategic mind."

      Legal 500 2023

    • "She works tirelessly for her clients and is incredibly focused on their needs. Attention to detail is key and she is meticulous."

      Chambers UK 2022

    • "She's a very committed lawyer and always has the best interest of the client at heart."

      Chambers UK 2022

    • "Stephanie Prior is excellent to deal with. She keeps everything up to date and works extremely hard for the clients and their families."

      Chambers UK 2022

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      Legal 500 2022

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      Legal 500 2022

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      Legal 500 2022

    • A very experienced team headed up by the wonderful Stephanie Prior, who has a fantastic reputation in the marketplace.

      Legal 500 2022

    • "I know [we have] expressed our appreciation, but I also wanted to thank you for all your hard work, time and patience in pursuing mum’s claim through to a successful outcome - your kind and professional approach was genuinely appreciated."

      Client review

    • “May I take this opportunity to thank you for your patience and true compassion in yet another very tough year of representation on the behalf of my wife. I certainly must say you did it all with amazing stamina and positivity which regenerated my self-esteem…. You honestly eased the pain and I can see a healing process ahead.”

      Client

    • Stephanie has developed a particularly strong reputation for her handling of birth injury claims, as well as cases concerning surgical negligence and delays in surgery.

      Chambers UK

    • "Stephanie Prior takes on complex cases and gets excellent results. She has a background in medicine which serves her clients well and is a realistic but tough litigator."

      Legal 500 2021

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      Legal 500 2021

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      Chambers UK 2021

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      Legal 500 2020 - Clinical Negligence

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      Legal 500 2020 - Stephanie Prior

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      Legal 500 20202 - Stephanie Prior

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      Chambers UK

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      Chambers UK

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      The Legal 500

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      Medical Negligence Client

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      Legal 500

    • Stephanie Prior continues to receive widespread praise from clients, who state that she explains the legal aspects of the case very clearly, and she is also a caring person who handles cases on a personal level.

      Chambers UK