Cassandra Dighton
Senior Associate
Experience
Cassandra is a solicitor and experienced advocate with over sixteen years’ experience advising public, private and third sector clients in healthcare and criminal law.
Cassandra has represented healthcare professionals in coronial, regulatory and criminal law matters. She has previously worked as Head of Professional Discipline at the Association of Optometrists.
Cassandra has a particular interest in medical ethics and in addition to holding an MA in the subject has served on medical ethics and professional conduct committees for healthcare organisations.
Expertise
Inquests
Cassandra has experience representing both individual clinicians and hospitals before the Coroner’s Court including Article 2 matters.
Cassandra studied coronial law under the former Chief Coroner, Sir Peter Thornton and Forensic Medical Sciences under Professor Peter Vanezis OBE.
Public Inquiries
Cassandra worked on behalf of the Infected Blood Inquiry between 2017 and 2018, leading a team of junior lawyers responsible for gathering witness evidence from both infected and affected Core Participants and undertaking significant disclosure projects with key medical defence organisations and regulators.
Judicial Review
Cassandra is experienced in judicial review and has successfully acted on behalf of medical defence organisations challenging regulatory decisions leading to the respondent making procedural changes in its regime.
Regulation
Cassandra has experience acting for regulators and registrants in high profile and complex matters.
Medical Crime
Cassandra is a criminal law expert and has acted for medical professionals facing a wide range of allegations. Most notably, she joined the legal team representing a surgeon in an appeal against his conviction for the gross negligence manslaughter of a patient. The conviction was overturned and led to the Williams Review.
Notable Cases
David Sellu v The Crown [2016] EWCA Crim 1716
Qualified as a Solicitor
2008
Qualifications
LLB, PgDip, MA (Medical Ethics and Law)
Memberships
- Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers
- The Medico-Legal Society
- Faculty Fellowship
