Beth Altson
Special Counsel | Melbourne,
Australia
Beth.Altson@kennedyslaw.com
+61 3 8456 6206
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Profile
Beth is a Special Counsel in Kennedys’ Melbourne office with over 15 years of experience in litigation, working primarily in health litigation.
Beth advises and represents medical indemnity insurers, doctors, hospitals and allied health professionals. She specialises in medical negligence and employment disputes.
In addition to her litigious work, Beth assists health practitioners with investigations conducted by the Coroner, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra), Medical Colleges and Medicare.
Beth has prior expertise working at AMA Victoria and the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority (VMIA).
Qualifications and admissions
- Master’s in Health and Medical Law – University of Melbourne – 2019
- Bachelor of Laws (Hons) |University of Melbourne |2009
- Bachelor of Arts |University of Melbourne |2009
Market recognition
2025
- Recognised in the 2025 Edition of Best Lawyers Australia for 'Medical Negligence'.
2024
- Recognised in the 2024 Edition of Best Lawyers Australia for 'Medical Negligence'.
2023
- Recognised in the 2023 Edition of Best Lawyers Australia for 'Medical Negligence'.
2022
- Recognised in the 2022 Edition of Best Lawyers Australia for 'Medical Negligence'.
Work highlights
- Acting for a disability service provider in relation to a coronial inquest into the death of a child in its care and subsequent nervous shock medical negligence claims by family members. This involved working closely with the service provider to improve its systems and processes after the death, corresponding with the solicitors for the other parties to generate an agreed statement of facts and managing media interest.
- Running an appeal in the Supreme Court of Appeal in Victoria on behalf of a major tertiary hospital in Melbourne. The appeal related to an order by a County Court Judge that the defendant could not rely upon a report in a medical negligence trial. The appeal was successful.
- Acting for a rural general practitioner in relation to the death of a patient following an overdose of narcotic medication. This involved managing the ongoing relationship with the local pharmacy and providing submissions to the Coroner. Findings were made on the papers that were not critical of the VMIA insured.
- Acting in Supreme Court medical negligence proceedings relating to the management of labour resulting in the birth of a baby with cerebral palsy.
- Representing a general practitioner in an expedited Supreme Court medical negligence proceeding, where the timeframe from commencement of proceedings to trial was less than three months.
Healthcare
Insurance and reinsurance