Alan Jenkins

Called to bar 1984

Clerk Stephen Somerville Tel: 020 7353 6381
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Alan Jenkins specialises in cases arising from alleged failures to follow appropriate procedures in the workplace, often where it is alleged that death or personal injury has resulted.

His practice focuses on the criminal (including health and safety) and professional disciplinary allegations that might be made in such cases. He has over 20 years experience in defending cases of gross negligence manslaughter, and is regularly instructed to advise potential defendants prior to interview where such charges are being investigated. Many of the cases in which Alan has been instructed concern hospitals and medical practice; others have involved the industrial, construction, and social care sectors, and also deaths in custody. He also has extensive experience in the Coroner’s Court, usually instructed for one of the interested parties whose actions fall to be scrutinised.

Alan Jenkins has a background in criminal work, mostly defending professional people, in cases of fraud, regulatory or sexual offences. He has experience in serious fraud trials, often as a leading junior, in confiscation and other financial proceedings, and other serious crime cases: murder, rape, kidnapping etc.

He has advised and acted for corporate clients in health and safety cases, in cases in the criminal and Coroner’s Courts, as well as proceedings before the Employment Tribunal (Prohibition notices).

He has huge experience in professional disciplinary cases, having appeared regularly (over the last twenty years) to defend in cases before the General Medical Council, the General Dental Council, and the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. He has appeared in tribunals and advised in the fields of accountancy, psychology, nursing, hearing aid practitioners and the actuarial profession. His experience acting for doctors includes hearings before PCT’s and the FHSAA.

He is registered with the Bar Council for direct access.

Alan acted recently for Dr Himanshu Ghadiali, a consultant psychiatrist, accused of inappropriate examinations of female patients during the 1980's and 1990's. Dr Ghadiali was acquitted of a number of charges of indecent assault concerning 5 patients in criminal proceedings in Nottingham and Leicester Crown Courts. Alan acted again for Dr Ghadiali in a Fitness to Practise Panel hearing concerning further, related allegations at the General Medical Council hearing rooms in Manchester. The four week hearing concluded in May 2009.

During June, July and the first 2 weeks of August 2009 Alan was acting in a GMC FTP hearing in London concerning Dr Jane Barton, who was a clinical assistant at the Gosport War Memorial Hospital during the 1990's. He acted for Dr Barton in inquests into the deaths of a number of patients from the hospital. The inquests, heard in one hearing at Portsmouth Combined Court during March and April 2009, centred upon the treatment provided and, in particular, the medication administered to the patients in the period leading up to death. The GMC hearing covered the same issues. The hearing was adjourned from August 2009, and concluded at the end of January 2010 with a finding of serious professional misconduct. The GMC panel declined to follow the submissions made by the GMC's lawyers, to the effect that she should be erased. In a decision which has caused controversy in the media the panel allowed Dr Barton to continue in practice by imposing conditions on her registration.

In mid December 2009 Alan finished a criminal trial at Kingston Crown Court, leading Michael Uberoi from Outer Temple Chambers. Their client was a general practitioner charged with 37 allegations of false accounting and fraud. After a trial lasting some 12 weeks the defendant was acquitted by the jury with unanimous verdicts on all counts.

Memberships

ARDL [Association of Regulatory and Discipline Lawyers]

CBA [Criminal Bar Association]

HSLA [Health and Safety Lawyers Association]

Areas of practice
Clinical Negligence & Healthcare, Fraud & Extradition, Public Law, Discipline and Regulatory, Public Access, Health & Safety

What the directories say

The "first-class" Alan Jenkins regularly appears for the defence at the GMC and GDC. He is "very thorough and able and is a good cross-examiner", with clients and peers alike commending him for "knowing his brief upside down and inside out". Chambers UK 2008.

Alan Jenkins is "the barrister of choice for expert advocacy, and the ease with which he relates to professional clients". Legal 500 2008 edition, Crime

He is "hugely experienced, and utterly reliable" Legal 500, 2008 edition, Professional Discipline and Regulatory Law

Alan Jenkins "masters the client and the tribunal with consummate ease" Legal 500, 2009 edition

Alan Jenkins is particularly good at handling work with criminal aspects. His "extremely smooth and persuasive style" makes him an outstanding trial lawyer. Chambers and Partners 2010