Eleanor Davison

Call date: 2003

Email: Eleanor Davison

Clerk: Stephen Somerville

Areas of Law:	Specialist Crime, Business & Banking, Employment & Discrimination, Health & Safety, Personal Injury, Disciplinary & Regulation, Public Law, Commercial Fraud, Environment, Public Access

Practice summary

Eleanor Davison specialises in regulatory and professional disciplinary law with an emphasis on medical disciplinary work, inquests, financial and serious crime, and health and safety. She has been appointed to the Attorney General’s Panel of Prosecuting Counsel the Serious Fraud Office list and is instructed by the Financial Services Authority.

In her professional disciplinary practice, Eleanor is instructed by the Medical Defence Union amongst others to represent healthcare professionals before the General Medical Council at investigation hearings, Interim Orders Panels and Fitness to Practice Hearings. She has also represented medical practitioners in the criminal courts and has been led in appellate work from the General Medical Council in the Administrative Court.

Eleanor is regularly instructed by NHS Trusts to advise on complex internal investigations into practitioners and has particular expertise in the areas of employment and medical disciplinary investigations. She has strong experience of representing interested parties, including NHS Trusts, in Coroner’s Court proceedings. Eleanor has also represented practitioners before the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Care Standards Tribunal.
In her regulatory practice, Eleanor defends companies facing criminal health and safety prosecutions and proceedings brought by the LFEPA regarding fire regulation breaches. Eleanor has considerable experience in obtaining Defendant’s Costs Orders. Eleanor also advises in high level civil health and safety claims and personal injury cases such as the litigation arising from the film A Quantum of Solace.

In her financial and serious crime practice Eleanor is instructed by the FSA enforcement division in change and control and insider dealing cases. Additionally Eleanor has been instructed in and also led on numerous serious criminal, and fraud cases including Norris v United States of America intervening on behalf of the Serious Fraud Office in a matter linked to GG Plc (the SFO’s prosecution of manufacturers of generic drugs for price fixing). Eleanor has particular expertise in Part III of the Regulatory Investigatory Powers Act 2000 having advised in the recent animal rights case R v Avery and others on encrypted computer material. Eleanor remains as specialist counsel advising on linked cases on RIPA powers. Eleanor been led in numerous murders by Anthony Haycroft as lead counsel, instructed by the CPS at Maidstone Crown Court has appeared in the Court of Appeal on the issue of the legality of a second retrial.

Previously she has been led by Richard Lissack QC in a high profile manslaughter case defending a soldier being prosecuted by the Army relating to deaths of civilians in Iraq during a river crossing, resulting in an acquittal Queen –v- Lance Corporal James Cook.

Eleanor also has a busy employment practice. She receives instruction in wrongful and unfair dismissal claims, discrimination, with particular experience of disability and sex discrimination, victimisation, and redundancy. In the commercial arena Eleanor has appeared in the bankruptcy court and is instructed to obtain injunctions on behalf of businesses. As a result of her mixed practice Eleanor is able to advise those with proceedings that overlap the civil, criminal and regulatory arenas and she has a particular understanding of disclosure issues which may arise.

Her personal injury practice covers all aspects of litigation including advisory work, drafting pleadings and appearing in fast and multi track cases.

A selection of recent cases

GMC v Dr Moneim in 2010 and ongoing
Representing a healthcare professional in a 25 day Fitness to Practice GMC Hearing where the central issue was the allegedly dishonest alteration of medical records created on the EMIS system. Eleanor was junior counsel in this case in which the majority of the dishonesty allegations were found not proven. Instructed by the Medical Defence Union Services Ltd direct. Appeal pending in the Administrative Court

GMC v Dr Milewski in 2010
A GMC hearing before the Investigation Committee. The Committee declined to follow the GMC’s recommendation to issue a warning and the matter was concluded with no action being taken. Instructed by Radcliffe Le Brasseur and the Medical Protection Society Ltd.

GMC v Dr Lakeman in 2010
GMC Interim Orders Panel hearing representing Doctor. Instructed by BTO Solicitors and the MDDUS.

Re PB in 2009 and 2010
Acted in an advisory capacity as sole counsel to Great Ormond Street Hospital’s appointed investigator in a year long internal investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct of a senior practitioner.

Pamplona PE Holdco 9 SARL- in 2010
Instructed by the enforcement division of the FSA in this change in control case which relied on the reputation of the company directors as one of its objections.