Stuart Brown QC announces retirement at Parklane Plowden conference

Stuart Brown QC, the former head of chambers at Parklane Plowden, has announced his retirement.

Speaking at the barrister set’s annual Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence conference in Harrogate on 2 October, Brown informed delegates that he was retiring after more than 40 years at the Bar.

Brown, who was called to the Bar in 1974 and made a Silk in 1991, was head of Park Lane Chambers in Leeds from 1998 to 2007 – the same year that he led the merger with Plowden Chambers of Newcastle. He was also Leader of the North Eastern Circuit from 2008 until 2011.

Current head of chambers Andrew Axon, praised Brown for his contribution to the chambers and the law in general after Brown gave a talk at Rudding Park hotel about his experiences as a barrister in both the personal injury and criminal fields.

Brown urged the lawyers present to question the push towards further legal costs and to look at other ways that the perception of inflated costs could be challenged.

“Does it really cost £250,000 a year to care for someone in their home?” he asked.

The conference, which was well attended, also featured talks from orthopaedic surgeons David MacDonald and Nick Harris, as well as consultant neurosurgeon Jake Timothy.

Timothy, who revealed that bad practice in the NHS had drastically involved since his days as a junior doctor, suggested that the vast amounts spent by the NHS Litigation Authority on claims could be used to fund hospitals properly and lower the amount of cases against health professionals.

However, he also said that surgeons were being put under incredible pressure, driven by government targets to reduce waiting list times, which would inevitably lead to mistakes being made.

Mark Dugdale