Who? Helen Niebuhr, 44-year-old partner and head of clinical negligence at Darbys in Oxford.


Why is she in the news? Represented Ryan Garrigan, a teenager who was awarded a £6.6 million lump sum in agreed damages for a birth injury that left him severely brain damaged and physically disabled. Ryan was born in 1991 at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. He was starved of oxygen towards the end of his mother's labour, but the signs were not heeded and his delivery was delayed. By the time Ryan was delivered by emergency caesarean section he had sustained permanent brain damage. He has cerebral palsy, mental impairment and is severely disabled. He will never be independent or able to enter the workforce and will always require 24-hour care and assistance, but it is estimated that he has a near normal life expectancy. In a statement, the South Central Strategic Health Authority said it was pleased the parties had managed to agree on a mutually acceptable resolution to Ryan's claim and wished him and his family all the best.



Route to the case: 'I took it on originally pro bono after others had ditched it and got rid of the public funding certificate. After looking at it, I thought there were more questions to explore and we got the funding restored. It turned out to be one of the strongest cases I've had.'



Background: Law degree with accountancy and finance at Oxford Brookes University, followed by Law Society finals in Birmingham and articles with Oxford firm Henmans. She qualified in 1994 and moved to Darbys, where she was made a partner in 2000.



Thoughts on the case: 'I didn't realise, until someone told me, that this is apparently the largest lump sum to be paid out for a cerebral palsy case. It will not set a precedent as each case depends on its own facts. While the award seems like a lot of money, Ryan is a young person with a normal life expectancy - it will be held in trust and used to provide for his needs for the rest of his life. It is unfortunate that the family had to fight so hard for Ryan to get the compensation he deserved. It was not until two days before the trial that the health authority admitted liability. You have to be quite determined and willing to fight on the basis of what you believe.'



Dealing with the media: 'I am not used to dealing with the media, although I have done it before. Providing we are pleasant, helpful and give correct information, we can work together with the media. The most important thing is that we protect the families from intrusion. I'm happy to take the flak if it keeps them out of the spotlight.'



Catherine Baksi