Kennedys usurps Mills & Reeve on NHSLA panelPanel Reform: City firm set to open offices in East AngliaCity firm Kennedys has snatched National Health Service Litigation Authority (NHSLA) panel status, and an entire legal team to service it from Mills & Reeve's Cambridge office; Kennedys will now open an office in East Anglia.The NHSLA has recently reformed its panel: Mills & Reeve has been dropped with several other firms.

New panelists include Kennedys and Weightmans - which both formerly acted as intermediaries for the NHSLA - and Newcastle-based Ward Hadaway.Kennedys - also on the panel for London - has taken Mills & Reeve's Cambridge clinical negligence team, including partners John Chapman and John Lapraik and nine assistants.Kennedys partner Janet Sayers will move from London to head up a new East Anglian office to be based near Cambridge.She said: 'I'd like to do not only clinical negligence work, but also to offer the NHSLA a complete one-stop-shop if they want, including employment and property work.'Although the staff are arriving from Mills & Reeve fresh from its failure to stay on the NHSLA panel, Ms Sayer said: 'These people are very experienced and capable.'Mills & Reeve managing partner Duncan Ogilvy said he was delighted that 'our experienced team has found such a good home as part of Kennedys clinical negligence department.'A Mills spokesman would not confirm what the loss of the East Anglian NHS litigation work would cost the firm's Cambridge office.

But he stressed that, although Mills & Reeve had lost its place on the panel, it continued to act for the NHS in many other matters.

Jeremy Fleming