Profile

Christopher is the Head of the Healthcare Division and a member of the firm’s global strategy board. He trained at Kennedys, qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales in 1997 and was appointed a partner in 2002. He leads a team of clinical negligence lawyers based at our offices in Birmingham, Cambridge and London.

He defends a wide range of clinical negligence claims on behalf of NHS Resolution, medical malpractice insurers and private hospitals and clinics.

Christopher has specialist expertise in dealing with both liability and quantum on high value fetal medicine, cerebral palsy, obstetric and paediatric claims, and is experienced in representing clients at round table meetings and mediations.

Christopher has extensive experience of Periodical Payments Orders and most notably he represented NHS Resolution on the indexation test cases, which proceeded to the Court of Appeal. He advised NHS Resolution following the Lord Chancellor’s announcement that he will be reviewing the discount rate and, in particular, co-ordinated the adjourned discount rate cases following the reduction in the discount rate to minus 0.75% in March 2017.

Christopher is well versed on multi-jurisdictional issues having recently represented NHS Resolution on a birth injury claim where the Claimant was injured in England but now resides in the United States. The NHS Defendant argued a higher discount rate should apply based on United States investment returns. The claim was settled adopting a higher discount rate than minus 0.75%, with Periodical Payments to be paid in United States dollars and index linked to US indices.

Christopher has a particular interest in civil justice reform and has been involved, on Kennedys’ behalf, in numerous government consultations concerning civil justice and clinical negligence. Christopher was a member of the Civil Justice Council’s Working Group on Fixed Recoverable Costs in Clinical Negligence. He was invited to a ministerial briefing on clinical negligence. 
His broad range of skills also see him acting on behalf of manufacturers of medical products and their insurers on product liability claims, including having represented the NHS on the 3M Capital hip implant claims.

Christopher also advises NHS Trusts on a wide range of medical law issues including obtaining emergency declarations and judicial reviews.

He has particular expertise in representing interested parties, particularly NHS Trusts, at inquests. His focus is to support the staff through the coronial process but also to ensure lessons are learnt and improvements made to increase patient safety and avoid regulation 28 reports, commonly known as ‘preventing future death reports’. Christopher is a strong advocate of learning from hospital deaths and in particular the coronial process.

Christopher is a member of Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL).

Christopher frequently delivers training to clients and regularly writes for Kennedys Healthcare Brief and Kennedys Personal Injury Brief, as well as the health and insurance press. He is also a co-author of Kennedys Claims Handling Law and Practice Guide and Catastrophic Personal Injury Guide and author of the Periodical Payment Guide. 

Qualifications

  • Qualified in England and Wales in 1997.
Even the opposition highly regard Christopher Malla as a defendant solicitor. He's energetic, enthusiastic and committed to trying to litigate in new ways and progress our style.

Market recognition

  • Notable practitioner (Band 1) for 'Clinical Negligence: Mainly Defendant (UK-wide)'
    "Christopher Malla has tremendous client care and an extraordinary wealth of knowledge and experience".
    "Even the opposition highly regard Christopher Malla as a defendant solicitor. He's energetic, enthusiastic and committed to trying to litigate in new ways and progress our style".
    "Christopher Malla is very knowledgeable and a trusted adviser to the NHS".
    Chambers UK 2024
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Clinical negligence: defendant (West Midlands)'
    The Legal 500 UK 2024
  • Listed in the Hall of Fame and recommended lawyer for 'Clinical negligence: defendant (London)'
    "Christopher Malla, praised for his ability to ‘find innovative solutions‘, heads up the practice, and is currently advising NHS Resolution on the management and coordination of COVID-19 claims."
    The Legal 500 UK 2024
  • Notable practitioner (Band 1) for 'Clinical Negligence: Mainly Defendant (UK-wide)'
    "Christopher Malla is highly innovative and collaborative, and is committed to improving patient safety. He thinks very strategically".
    Chambers UK 2023
  • Listed in the Hall of Fame and recommended lawyer for 'Clinical negligence: defendant (London)'
    "Christopher Malla is, in my view, the most impressive and dedicated partner in this area. He is innovative and can always see the big picture. He has excellent relationships with his clients and claimant lawyers which he deploys in his clients’ interests. Very good on detail and wonderfully supportive to his junior colleagues".
    "Christopher Malla is top notch, very bright, easy to work with, wise and knowledgeable".
    The Legal 500 UK 2023
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Personal injury and clinical negligence: defendant (West Midlands)'
    "Christopher Malla is a strong leader who clearly inspires his team and gives motivational direction in developing a pioneering and collaborative approach to litigation".
    The Legal 500 UK 2023
  • Notable practitioner (Band 1) for 'Clinical Negligence: Mainly Defendant (UK-wide)'
    "He stands out among defendant lawyers. His commitment to improving patient safety and ensuring lessons are learned from errors is second to none. He adopts an innovative and collaborative approach to litigation with the welcome aim of resolving cases swiftly."
    Chambers UK 2022
  • Listed in the Hall of Fame and recommended lawyer for 'Clinical negligence: defendant (London)'
    "'Excellent leader' Christopher Malla's varied caseload spans cerebral palsy, obstetrics, gynaecological, paediatric and high-value spinal and orthopaedic claims."
    "Christopher Malla knows exactly what his clients want (and need) from their lawyers and makes sure they receive it. He is very clever, incredibly hard-working, with excellent judgement."
    "A particular strength is that the team is very well led by the partners (Christopher Malla, Ed Glasgow and Daniel Freeman) who provide close supervision of all cases and support their junior lawyers to develop into excellent lawyers."
    The Legal 500 UK 2022
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Clinical negligence: defendant (West Midlands)'
    "Christopher Malla leads a team that embraces a collaborative and innovative approach to litigation with a focus on identifying the issues in a claim and resolving them effectively. He is clearly very knowledgeable but with a practical edge that seeks to find a way to resolution rather than to just argue for the sake of arguing. He is very personable and compassionate – not personality traits I would usually use to describe a defendant lawyer!"
    The Legal 500 UK 2022
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Personal injury and clinical negligence: defendant (East Anglia)'
    The Legal 500 UK 2022

Work highlights

  • Chammas v Chelsea & Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust [2004]
  • Peter Crouch v King's Healthcare NHS Trust [2004]
  • Holly Athawes v Shropshire Health Authority [2004]
  • RSA Pursuit Test cases [2005]
  • Joseph Samuel Kanu v (1) King's College Hospital Trust (2) Secretary of State for Health [2006]
  • John Paul Corbett v South Yorkshire Strategic Health Authority [2007] EWHC (QB) [2008]
  • RH v United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust [2007] EWHC 1441 (QB) [2008]
  • Katie Thompson (1) and Sophie Thompson (2) by their Father and litigation friend Christopher Thompson and Maureen Williams (Joint Administrators of the Estate of Tracy Ann Williams, deceased) v Dr Susan Bruce [2011]
  • Bruce Mason v Dr Gerlis [2012]