Louise Williams
Louise.Williams@kennedyslaw.com
+61 3 8456 6206
Download contact card
Profile
Louise is a Special Counsel in Kennedys’ Melbourne office Healthcare team specialising in acting for medical practitioners and healthcare providers. She has over 15 years experience in acting on behalf of health care practitioners in:
- Litigated and unlitigated claims
- Coronial inquests
- Disciplinary actions
- VCAT hearings
- Health Services Commissioner complaints
- Drugs and Poisons Regulation investigations
- College Training disputes
- Defamation claims
- Workcare audits.
Prior to undertaking her law degree, Louise practised as a medical practitioner in the public hospital system. Her experience provides insight and understanding into medicolegal issues facing medical professionals. Louise’s role includes identifying relevant legal and medical issues, identifying further information required, and engaging other professionals to assist in assessment of a claim.
Louise has experience in a wide range of civil claims including proceedings for wrongful birth, obstetric injuries, adverse surgical outcomes, delayed diagnosis of cancer, and failure to commence preventative treatment. In addition to acting for medical practitioners, she has acted on behalf of private hospitals in relation to care provided by their staff.
Qualifications and admissions
Qualifications/Memberships
- L.B (Hons) Melbourne University 2006
- B.B.S Melbourne University 1987
Admissions
- Supreme court of Victoria 2008
Work highlights
- Acting for two radiation oncologists in an expedited complex claim alleging an adverse outcome from treatment, settlement was achieved on behalf of both oncologists on the basis of bear own costs.
- Representing a general practitioner in a coronial inquest who had provided a fitness to drive certificate to a commercial truck driver later involved in a fatal accident. There was no criticism of the general practitioner as a result of successfully establishing that the accident did not relate to the truck driver’s underlying cardiac condition and that the care provided was appropriate.
- Representing a plastic surgeon in a coronial inquest where an elderly patient died following a minor procedure. There was no criticism of the surgeon’s decision to perform the procedure as a result of adducing expert opinion regarding the appropriateness of his clinical decision making.
- Representing a general practitioner whose conduct was the subject of two notifications to the regulator and who initially was resistant to acknowledging how his conduct could be perceived. Helped draft a response to the regulator clearly explaining the clinical basis for his comments and actions and assisting the practitioner to understand and accept the regulator’s decision.
Healthcare