THE outlook certainly looks healthy for local solicitors Butcher & Barlow.

For the company, which has offices in Bury and elsewhere in Greater Manchester and Cheshire, has gained a clinical negligence practice.

Medical litigation specialists James Evans & Co have recently joined Bury-based Butcher & Barlow.

Mr Evans will become the leader of a medical litigation team with other solicitors based at Butcher & Barlow in Bury, Northwich, Sandbach, Newcastle and Leigh.The team will include Anthony Higham from the Bury office who already has considerable experience in this field.

Butcher & Barlow is a large solicitors practice, which already has six other offices in Greater Manchester and Cheshire.

The firm is now able to offer a comprehensive range of advice on clinical negligence, ranging from assistance with complaints which require an explanation and apology, negotiation, advice on medical insurance, right through to full legal proceedings.

The team approach will have many benefits for clients, according to senior partner Charles Barlow.

He said: "James Evans has enormous experience in clinical negligence work and, with him leading our team, we aim to offer this service to all our clients in Northwich and across the region."

James Evans has been working in the clinical negligence field for many years and started his own practice ten years ago.

He led a group action for victims of radiotherapy under-doses that resulted in a £2million payout to about one hundred patients.