Partner

Karen Kearney


Experience

In her twenty years as a practising solicitor, Karen has worked with a number of leading law firms in Limerick and Cork where she has acquired extensive experience in all areas of the law, with a particular expertise in medical negligence cases.

Karen has represented clients effectively in many forums including the District Court, Circuit Court, High Court, Employment Tribunals and Coroner’s Court. She has acted for, and advised, State Bodies in respect of all areas of the law to include childcare law; employment issues; food safety and health and safety issues.

Karen joined Cantillons Solicitors in November 2009 and works in the Medical Negligence Department practising clinical negligence litigation.  She is expertly assisted by Patricia Sisk and April Wiseman, Legal Assistants.

She is very proud to be a member of the medical negligence team which  has been involved in precedent-setting  cases since 1980 and which received the inaugural award of Litigation Team of the Year, National Irish Bank Law Awards in 2012.

Karen regularly attends international conferences in order to add to  her pool of her experts and ensure access to the world’s best. She is also regularly asked to speak at national and international conferences concerning medico-legal issues. She is a regular speaker at the annual Medical Law Conference; giving presentations on healthcare law, practice and procedure to employees in the healthcare section and fellow lawyers. This lecturing experience means that Karen has an excellent grasp of law in theory as well as in practice.

Karen has featured on national television and on local and national radio  in relation to this specialised area of medical negligence litigation.She has been commissioned to write opinion pieces on topical issues in the medical negligence area, published in national newspapers. Notably, she first highlighted in the Irish Examiner, the Minister for Health’s failure to introduce a statutory Duty of Candour-  a legal requirement for medical staff, nurses and management to tell patients and their families if a mistake has been made which adversely affects the patient’s health – despite the Minister’s promise to do so.

Karen also writes a weekly column in a local daily newspaper, the Evening Echo, addressing reader’s legal queries. This column  appears in Monday’s edition of the paper.

Karen has developed real expertise in her field and has shown great dedication in pursuing complex injury cases to settlement.

Karen gets referrals from patients nationwide. She represents her patients with determination and compassion.

Qualifications

  • BCL Honours 1992
  • Admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in Michaelmas 1996

Associations

  • Former Secretary of Limerick Bar Association
  • Former member of the Litigation Committee of the Law Society of Ireland
  • Member of the Medical Injuries Alliance
  • Member of Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA)

Personal

Karen spends all her spare time with her family and loves to watch Grey’s Anatomy with her two “teenager” daughters (aged 10 and 12)

Karen's Success Stories


Settlement of case for family of the Estate of young wife and mother who died of  HSE failures to diagnose and treat her  breast cancer appropriately


I and the team in Cantillons Solicitors  were honoured to represent the family of Catherine Halligan, a beloved wife, mother, daughter and sister. Catherine  was aged 38 in  May 2014 when she noticed a lump in her right breast and for which she attended her GP who made an urgent referral to University Hospital Waterford […]

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SUBSTANTIAL COMPENSATION FOR GENTLEMAN WHO LOST VISION IN EYE DUE TO MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE


Karen Kearney, Ernest Cantillon and the Medical Negligence Team in Cantillons Solicitors acted on behalf of this client in a medical negligence claim against the HSE, prosecuted in the High Court in Dublin. The claim related to our client’s treating  doctors’ failure (in a HSE run hospital) to appropriately treat and manage difficulties in his […]

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Substantial Interim Settlement for Six Year Old Girl who suffered Significant Injuries at Birth due to Negligence


Karen Kearney and Ernest Cantillon of the Medical Negligence team at Cantillons Solicitors  achieved a significant settlement on the 28th September 2023, with the State Claims Agency for the HSE at Mediation by way of a payment out of €850,000 for a period of five years to our client,   a six year old little girl. […]

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SUBSTANTIAL  SETTLEMENT FOR MOTHER WHO SUSTAINED INJURIES  DUE TO  HOSPITAL NEGLIGENCE IN MANAGEMENT OF HER  LABOUR AND DELIVERY OF HER  FIRSTBORN


Karen Kearney and  her assistants Tricia Sisk and April Wiseman of  the Medical Negligence Department of Cantillons Solicitors  were successful in achieving a substantial six figure settlement for a client who sustained significant personal injuries, both psychological and physical, due to failure of her treating practitioners to appropriately manage  her labour and delivery of her  […]

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Substantial compensation following unnecessary and inappropriate surgery for a man with erectile dysfunction


Karen Kearney and Ernest Cantillon of  Cantillons Solicitors were successful in achieving a substantial six figure settlement for a client who had venous ligation surgery carried out on his penis.  The medical negligence  case was settled at Mediation after a lengthy legal battle and some two months prior to the case coming to trial in […]

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Cork University Hospital settles case for €6m over delay in diagnosing brain tumour in teenager


Cantillons Solicitors were delighted to be able to help a young man achieve an award of €6m following a Medical Negligence Claim. Please read more about this case by following the link below: https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/courtandcrime/arid-40896041.html Contact us at Cantillons Solicitors at +353 (0)21 4275673 or info@cantillons.com if you would like more information on accident at work claims. “In […]

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FOURTH DEGREE TEAR CASE SETTLES ON THE STEPS OF THE COURT


Karen Kearney,  Ernest Cantillon  and assisted by Tricia Sisk and April Wiseman of the Medical Negligence Team at Cantillons Solicitors were delighted to settle this case recently on the day  the case was due to commence hearing in the High Court in Dublin for some two weeks.  The case had been fully defended right to […]

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SIGNIFICANT COMPENSATION ACHIEVED FOR WOMAN WITH BREAST CANCER WHO SUFFERED INJURIES DUE TO SURGICAL NEGLIGENCE


 Karen Kearney, assisted by  April Wiseman and Tricia Sisk, of the Medical Negligence Team at Cantillons  settled this complex medical negligence case on the 5th of October 2021, the date the case was due to commence hearing in the High Court in Dublin and  for three weeks thereafter. There had been a failed Mediation some […]

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Successful Mediation In Hip Replacement Surgery Performed Negligently


Karen Kearney, ably assisted by Tricia Sisk and April Wiseman, settled this High Court medical negligence case by means of remote Mediation on the 11th March 2021.  It took two days of Mediation to settle.  The case had been due to commence in the High Court in Dublin in November 2020 but, due to Level […]

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Complex Colon Cancer Medical Negligence Cases Settled by Mediation


Karen Kearney and her team at Cantillons Solicitors settled two High Court medical negligence cases by means of remote Mediation on the 21st September 2020.  The case had been due to commence in the High Court in Dublin in October and had been estimated to run for six weeks.  All parties to the Mediation, namely the […]

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Interim Settlement for Young Boy who sustained Catastrophic Injuries at Birth


Karen Kearney, Ernest Cantillon and the Medical Negligence Team at Cantillons Solicitors were delighted to assist Iarlaith O’Cinneide and his parents in securing an interim settlement of €3,682,629.00 together with costs. These monies will help ensure that Iarlaith has the care and therapies he needs for the next 5 years until his case comes before the […]

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Interim Settlement of €1.5M agreed for Young Girl who was Brain Damaged at Birth


Karen Kearney, Ernest Cantillon and the Medical Negligence Team at Cantillons Solicitors were delighted to assist Clodagh Walsh and her parents, in securing an interim settlement of €1, 500,000 together with costs. This interim settlement will ensure that Clodagh has all the care and therapies she needs for the next six years when her case comes before the […]

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Cantillons settle cases by means of Remote Mediation


Karen Kearney and her team settled two High Court medical negligence cases by means of remote Mediation on the 30th March 2020.  Mediation had been due to take place in Dublin, but because of the Government restrictions on travel etc. due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, this was not possible.  All parties to the Mediation, namely […]

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Case settled for woman who had a placenta lobe left inside her post an elective Caesarean Section


Karen Kearney of the Medical Negligence Team at Cantillons Solicitors settled a claim for substantial damages for a woman in a case where a cotyledon of the placenta was retained at the time of the Caesarean Section.    In this case, the Plaintiff had had a complicated obstetric history and had 2 previous Caesarean Sections.  […]

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Delay in carrying out MRI scan of man with Cauda Equina Syndrome


Karen Kearney of the Medical Negligence Department in Cantillons Solicitors settled a case for substantial damages for a man who was left with significant physical injuries as a result of medical negligence.   Our client had previously suffered from degenerative disc disease in his back which had been treated successfully, conservatively (without surgery).   He then […]

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Substantial award of damages for lady who lost vision in eye due to medical negligence


Karen Kearney and the Medical Negligence team in Cantillons Solicitors acted on behalf of this client in a medical negligence claim against the HSE, prosecuted in the High Court in Dublin.   The claim related to our client’s doctors’ failure (in a HSE run hospital)  to appropriately treat and manage difficulties in her left eye […]

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Settlement of Personal Injuries Claim arising out of Ruptured Ectopic Pregnancy December 2017


Karen Kearney and the medical negligence team acted on behalf of a lady who suffered physical and psychological injuries as a consequence of the failure of a HSE run hospital to diagnose an ectopic pregnancy and as a consequence of which it ruptured. A claim was prosecuted in the High Court in Dublin and was […]

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Significant Settlement for Family of young man who died following a brain injury February 2018


Karen Kearney and the medical negligence team were instructed by a young man who sustained a head injury following a fall, following which he developed a subdural haematoma. Unfortunately, due to the negligence on the part of a HSE run hospital in treating the subdural haematoma, he suffered a significant brain injury and as a […]

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Karen Kearney on RTE’s Drivetime regarding the Cervical Cancer Scandal


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