Julian Johnson Lawyers is a Subiaco firm that only runs medical negligence claims for patients and families. Founder Julian Johnson now practises as a barrister, and since early 2025 the firm has been led by directors Kimberley Bavin and Anna Sundararajan, who has a nursing background. Special counsel Tanya Watson and senior associate Sue Hillman round out a small, focused team, and the firm says it has run matters to trial in the District Court and Court of Appeal. It suits people with serious harm from hospital, GP, birth or surgical care.
Also worth knowing
Before taking on a claim, the firm says it usually gets an independent specialist opinion on whether care fell short.
Brand Barristers & Solicitors is a West Perth injury firm that Daniel Brand founded in 2016. Brand was admitted in 2003 and spent years at a Perth plaintiff firm, then worked at a health law firm doing medical defence work and on secondment to MDA National, so he has seen how the defence side runs these claims. Senior lawyer Ben Hansberry also handles medical negligence. The firm takes on birth trauma, misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis and surgical claims. It suits people with catastrophic injuries who want an experienced principal on the file.
Founded in 2016
Also worth knowing
Its medical negligence page covers birth trauma, misdiagnosis and failure to warn of treatment risks.
Lawyers
The firm has eight other lawyers, but its medical negligence page names these two.
Maurice Blackburn is a national plaintiff firm with a Perth office on Victoria Avenue and a local medical injury team. Senior associate Marie Eberlein leads its WA medical negligence work, with senior associate Alicia Hancock and lawyer Harsini Kuganesan also on medical injury files. Eberlein joined in 2021 after years acting for defendants in malpractice claims. The firm handles birth injuries, emergency care, surgical, cancer and psychiatric claims, and says it tests each claim with independent medical experts. It suits families with complex hospital claims who want a large firm with a Perth team.
Also worth knowing
The firm offers meetings at home or in hospital.
Lawyers
Marie Eberlein, Senior Associate and State Leader, Medical Negligence
Bradley Bayly Legal is a Perth injury firm that began in 1995 as Bradley & Bayly and took its current name in 2007. Business News puts it at about 20 lawyers and staff across offices in Perth and Albany, and lists medical negligence alongside catastrophic injury, personal injury and professional negligence. Fatal accident claims are also part of its work. It suits people with serious or life changing injuries who want a long running local firm with an office in the Great Southern.
Founded in 1995
Also worth knowing
Medical negligence is listed with catastrophic injury and professional negligence as core work.
Slater and Gordon is a national plaintiff firm with a Perth CBD office on St Georges Terrace. Its medical law team is led by Sarah Marshman, a Perth based practice leader who joined in 2025 after working for insurers and MDA National on medical and professional negligence. The firm covers misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis, surgery and anaesthesia errors, birth injuries and medication claims, and it offers a social work service to clients. It suits people who want a national firm with a local lead lawyer.
Also worth knowing
The firm offers clients access to a social work service.
Lawyers
The firm's Perth pages name only one medical law lawyer.
Blumers is an injury firm that Noor and Mark Blumer started in Canberra in 2001, and Noor Blumer opened its Perth office on St Georges Terrace in 2020. She has practised injury law since 1992 and was made a member of the Order of Australia in 2026, the firm says. Associate James Cavanagh handles medical negligence in Perth after years of plaintiff medical negligence work in the UK. The firm covers misdiagnosis, treatment mistakes and birth trauma. It suits people who want a director level lawyer overseeing a medical claim.
Founded in 2001
Also worth knowing
The firm meets clients by video, phone or at home where possible.
Foyle Legal is a family owned WA injury firm that Christian Foyle founded in 2012. He was admitted in WA in 2008 and worked for a national insurance law firm before starting his own practice, so he has seen claims from both sides, the firm says. Its medical negligence page covers misdiagnosis, dental errors, surgical and anaesthetic errors, birth injury and hospital care, and new clients are asked for a specialist report that supports the claim. It suits people who already have medical evidence in hand.
Founded in 2012
Also worth knowing
It has offices in the Perth CBD and Malaga.
Lawyers
The firm's site doesn't say which of its lawyers run medical negligence files.
Christian Foyle, Founder, Director, Lawyer and Barrister
Shine Lawyers is a national plaintiff firm with a Perth office on Hay Street. Its WA medical negligence page covers missed or delayed diagnosis, failure to warn of risks, poor procedures, mishandled test results and improper treatment. The medical negligence lawyers named on that page work from the firm's Queensland offices. The firm sets out a five step process from a confidential assessment through to resolution. It suits people comfortable with a national team working alongside a local office.
Also worth knowing
First meetings can be at home, by phone, online or at the office.
Lawyers
The lawyers named on the firm's WA medical negligence page are based in Queensland.
Ann Meakins, Head of National Practice Areas and Special Counsel (Brisbane)
Ground Floor, 1/177 Stirling Street, Perth WA 6000
Full profile: lawyers, services and sources
About the firm
Vertannes Georgiou Lawyers is a Northbridge injury firm that Errol Vertannes set up in 1994. He was admitted in WA in 1987 and has spent more than three decades on compensation claims, working with senior associate Dushka Frketic-Vasov. The firm runs claims against GPs, surgeons, obstetricians, psychiatrists, radiologists, physiotherapists and paramedics, and has separate pages for dental and hospital negligence. Its lawyers speak Croatian and Serbian. It suits people who want a small local firm with a long serving principal.
Founded in 1994
Also worth knowing
Its lawyers speak Croatian and Serbian, and interpreters are arranged for other languages.
Lawyers
Errol Vertannes, Founder and Principal
Dushka Frketic-Vasov, Senior Associate
Areas of medical negligence law handled
GP negligence claims
Surgical negligence claims
Obstetric negligence claims
Psychiatric care claims
Radiology claims
Physiotherapy and podiatry claims
Paramedic negligence claims
Dental negligence including implants and cosmetic dentistry
Hospital negligence claims
Office
Ground Floor, 1/177 Stirling Street, Perth WA 6000
Bradford Legal is a Mount Pleasant injury firm that traces its roots to Bradford & Co, founded in 1991. Partners Angus Castley and Tim Heard lead the practice. Its medical negligence page covers claims against doctors, hospitals, pharmacists and dentists, including misdiagnosis, wrong test results, surgical errors and cerebral palsy. It suits people south of the river who want a suburban firm close to home.
Founded in 1991
Also worth knowing
The office is on Kishorn Road in Mount Pleasant.
Lawyers
The medical negligence page doesn't say which lawyers run those claims.
Firm details come from each firm's own website. Google ratings are shown as published on Google and don't set the order. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Not sure which firm suits you?
Tell us a little about your matter and we'll put you in touch with a Perth medical negligence lawyer. It's free and there's no obligation.
How we compiled this list
We include firms with a Perth office that act for patients in medical negligence claims as a main part of their practice. For each firm we read its own website in October 2026, and for one firm we also used a business directory, and wrote the description ourselves. We show Google ratings with the date we checked them.
No firm pays for its place on this list, and the order is our own. If something here is out of date, let us know. There's more detail on how we rank law firms.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules and amounts are as published in WA legislation and by HaDSCO, Ahpra, the WA Department of Health and the Office of the Information Commissioner in October 2026.
What counts as medical negligence in WA
Medical negligence is care from a health professional that falls below the standard the law expects and causes you harm. A bad outcome on its own isn't enough. In WA the rules are in the Civil Liability Act 2002, and they cover more than doctors. A health professional is anyone registered under the national health practitioner law, such as a nurse, dentist, pharmacist or physiotherapist, and anyone else who practises in the health area applying a body of learning.
The peer practice rule: a health professional isn't negligent if what they did was widely accepted at the time by their peers as competent practice. The practice doesn't have to be accepted by everyone, and the rule still applies if other accepted practices differ
The exception: the rule doesn't protect a practice so unreasonable that no reasonable health professional in that position could have followed it
Who has to prove it: in WA the patient always carries the onus of proving the standard of care, on the balance of probabilities
Warnings are treated differently. The peer practice rule doesn't apply to telling a patient about a risk of injury or death from proposed treatment or a diagnostic procedure, including risks to an unborn baby. And while there's generally no liability for harm from an inherent risk that couldn't be avoided, that doesn't remove a duty to warn you of the risk. This is why lawyers usually need an independent specialist's opinion before they can say whether a claim is likely to succeed.
Time limits for a medical negligence claim
Medical injuries often show up late, so it matters when the clock starts. Under WA's Limitation Act 2005, a personal injury claim must start in court within 3 years of the date the cause of action accrues. That is the earlier of when you became aware you had an injury that wasn't insignificant, or the first symptom, clinical sign or other sign of the injury.
Situation
Time limit to start court proceedings
Adults
Generally 3 years, as above
Children under 15
6 years
Children aged 15 to 17
Until they turn 21
Children injured by a parent, carer or someone close to them
Until they turn 25
Adults with a mental disability and no guardian
Time without a guardian doesn't count, but no claim can start more than 12 years after the cause of action accrued
A death
A Fatal Accidents Act claim generally must start within 3 years of the death. A court can sometimes allow a late claim, but don't rely on it
If the time limit has passed, a court can allow a late claim where, when the period ran out, you didn't know the physical cause of the injury, didn't know it was due to someone's conduct, or couldn't identify who was responsible despite reasonable inquiries. The extension can run up to 3 years from when you became aware, or reasonably should have become aware, of those things. This applies to Fatal Accidents Act claims too. The court weighs whether a fair trial is still possible and whether the other side would be significantly prejudiced, so don't rely on it. Time limits apply, so check your deadlines early.
What you can claim and the WA thresholds
A successful claim can include damages for pain and suffering, lost earnings and the cost of treatment and care. The Civil Liability Act limits what is paid:
Part of the claim
WA rule from 1 July 2026
General damages (pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life) assessed at $27,500 or less
Nothing is payable
General damages assessed above $27,500 and up to $79,000
$27,500 is deducted
General damages assessed above $79,000
The deduction shrinks and disappears at $106,500
Lost earnings
Earnings above three times average weekly earnings are disregarded
The dollar amounts are indexed each year and published in the Government Gazette. Because of the threshold, a claim for a minor or short lived injury may not be worth bringing, even where care fell short, although lost earnings and treatment and care costs are assessed separately.
Complaint or claim: HaDSCO, Ahpra and your records
A complaint and a compensation claim are separate. A complaint can get you an explanation, an apology or a change in practice. Only a claim, settled or decided in court, gets you damages.
HaDSCO
Ahpra
What it does
Resolves complaints about health, mental health and disability services in WA
Looks into safety concerns about registered practitioners. It regulates individuals, not clinics or hospitals
Time limit
Complaints older than 2 years are generally not accepted, unless there were extenuating circumstances
Not stated on Ahpra's page
Possible outcomes
A refund or fee waiver, an apology or explanation, further investigation, access to records
Fees, record access and unhappiness with a service aren't for Ahpra. They go to HaDSCO
Compensation
Can't help with compensation claims or give legal advice
Doesn't say it can award compensation
Contact
(08) 6551 7600, 9:30am to 3:30pm weekdays, Albert Facey House, 469 Wellington Street, Perth
1300 419 495 or online
HaDSCO's service is free. It usually expects you to raise the problem with the provider first, unless there's a significant risk to public safety or that would be too difficult or upsetting. Complaints need to be in writing, though HaDSCO can help if you phone, and a family member, carer, guardian or representative of someone who has died can complain. What is said while resolving a complaint is confidential and can't be used as evidence in court, except in an investigation. Where a registered practitioner is involved, HaDSCO consults Ahpra on which body should handle it.
Your records are the starting point for any claim. For public hospitals and health services, apply in writing to each one where you were treated, under the Freedom of Information Act 1992. It's free for your own records, and you need an Australian mailing address, enough detail to identify the records and proof of identity. For general FOI questions, the Department of Health FOI unit is on (08) 9222 6411, but you apply to the FOI office of each hospital or health service that treated you. Since 1 July 2026, WA's privacy law also gives you a right to ask a public health service for access to your own personal information, though FOI is still the usual route. For private hospitals and GPs, ask the provider directly. Most GPs charge a reasonable fee, and HaDSCO can help if you think the fee is unreasonable.
When a patient dies
A death during an anaesthetic, or as a result of one and not from natural causes, must be reported to the coroner. The coroner's investigation of a reportable death may or may not include an inquest, and anyone can ask the coroner to hold one. The senior next of kin can object to an autopsy and can ask for an independent doctor to be present. Legal Aid WA doesn't give advice about coronial matters.
A coronial investigation is not a compensation claim. Dependants who want to claim for the death bring a separate claim under the Fatal Accidents Act 1959. It generally must start in court within 3 years of the death. A court can sometimes allow a late claim, but don't rely on it.
Choosing a Perth medical negligence lawyer, and free help
The Law Society of WA's specialist accreditation scheme covers family law and wills and estates, not personal injury or medical negligence. WA lawyers can be referred to accreditation programmes run by some interstate Law Societies, so if a lawyer says they are accredited in personal injury, ask which body accredited them. Otherwise, ask:
who will run your file day to day, and how many patient side medical claims they have handled
whether they will get an independent specialist opinion before advising you, and who pays for it
whether the claim is likely to clear the $27,500 threshold
how they charge, and when you would have to pay
Under the Legal Profession Uniform Law, which applies in WA, your lawyer must give you written costs disclosure if their costs are likely to be more than $750. If you dispute a bill, the Legal Practice Board can deal with some disputes, generally within 60 days of the costs becoming payable.
Free legal help for medical negligence in Perth is thin. Legal Aid WA doesn't give advice on injury claims, and we didn't find a Perth community legal centre that takes these cases. What is free:
Legal Aid WA Infoline: 1300 650 579, to point you to other help
HaDSCO: (08) 6551 7600, for complaints and help with record fees
Health Consumers' Council of WA: individual advocacy, which HaDSCO lists, though it isn't legal advice
Law Society of WA: HaDSCO points people to its directory to find a personal injury lawyer
Perth medical negligence law: common questions
How long do I have to make a medical negligence claim in WA?
Generally 3 years from when you became aware of an injury that wasn't insignificant, or its first symptom or sign, whichever came first. Children have longer. A court can sometimes extend the time if you didn't know the cause of the injury, didn't know someone's conduct caused it, or couldn't identify who was responsible despite reasonable inquiries, but don't rely on that.
Can HaDSCO get me compensation?
No. HaDSCO can't help with compensation claims or give legal advice. It can resolve a complaint with outcomes such as an apology, an explanation, a refund or fee waiver, or access to your records. What is said while resolving the complaint can't be used as evidence in court, except in an investigation.
My doctor says they followed standard practice. Can I still claim?
Possibly. In WA a health professional isn't negligent if their practice was widely accepted by peers as competent. But that protection doesn't apply if the practice was so unreasonable that no reasonable health professional could have followed it, and it doesn't apply to warnings about risks at all.
I wasn't warned about a risk before surgery. Does that matter?
It can. The peer practice rule doesn't cover telling a patient about the risk of injury or death from proposed treatment or a diagnostic procedure, and the inherent risk rule doesn't remove a duty to warn. Whether a claim succeeds still depends on the evidence, so a lawyer will usually want a specialist's opinion.
Will I get anything for pain and suffering?
Only if your general damages, which cover pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life, are assessed above $27,500, from 1 July 2026. Between $27,500 and $79,000, $27,500 is taken off the assessed amount. Above $79,000 the deduction gets smaller, and from $106,500 there is no deduction. You may still have a claim for lost earnings and the cost of treatment and care.
How do I get my hospital records?
For a WA public hospital or health service, apply in writing under the Freedom of Information Act 1992 to the FOI office of each one that treated you. It's free for your own records. Since 1 July 2026, WA's privacy law also gives you a right to ask for access to your own personal information. You need an Australian mailing address, details to identify the records and proof of identity. Ask private hospitals and GPs directly. GPs may charge a reasonable fee.
Is there free legal help for medical negligence in Perth?
Very little. Legal Aid WA doesn't advise on injury claims and we didn't find a Perth community legal centre that takes them. Legal Aid's Infoline, 1300 650 579, can point you to other help, HaDSCO handles complaints for free, and the Health Consumers' Council of WA offers advocacy, though not legal advice.
