In the News

9 SEPTEMBER 2019

When Newcastle solicitor Tom Hunter-Leahy became a father for the second time in June, he received two weeks’ full pay in paternity leave.

19 AUGUST 2019

Last week’s Brisbane hearings of the Aged Care royal commission highlighted fundamental problems with the regulation of our aged care system.

18 JUNE 2019

Newcastle lawyer Catherine Henry has been recognised at the Newcastle Business Club’s 2019 awards.

5 APRIL 2019

The federal budget did little for older Hunter people, particularly the growing number of vulnerable people needing aged care at home or in facilities.

17 MAY 2019

New research by ME Bank suggests that 74 per cent of Australians believe prenuptial agreements are fair and have merit; however, only 18 per cent of married couples have one — despite the risks, particularly for business owners.

8 MARCH 2019

To mark International Women’s Day (March 8) a Newcastle and Hunter law firm has launched a new, free e-resource to help women navigate the legal system.

11 FEBRUARY 2019

The spotlight is on the quality and safety of the aged care system this week, with the first hearing of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety starting this morning in Adelaide.

20 JUNE 2018

Monique Smiles, of Catherine Henry Lawyers, shines a spotlight on elder abuse in the Hunter as well as how we can better protect our loved ones who are growing older.

27 APRIL 2018

Principal, Catherine Henry, comments on the Federal Government’s latest aged-care policy announcement, which falls significantly short of what’s required to address the crisis in the sector.

16 JUNE 2017

Families in the Hunter are welcoming a report by the Australian Law Reform Commission on the negligence of our elderly in aged care facilities.

30 OCTOBER 2016

Vera Crebert was 87 when her family reluctantly decided to place her into an aged care facility.

15 JUNE 2015

Former Newcastle Law Society president Ms Henry, the daughter of former Newcastle City councillor Margaret, said the decision to relocate from Hunter Street to 133 King Street was to accommodate her 27 staff.

1 SEPTEMBER 2019

Special Counsel and Head of the firm’s family law team, Alan Wright, has completed qualifications to be a professional member of the Resolution Institute and is accredited under the National Mediation Accreditation System.

20 JULY 2019

A Hunter woman is urging others to “do their research” before going under the knife after her experience at the hands of the now suspended cosmetic surgeon, Dr Leslie Blackstock.

12 JUNE 2019

Catherine Henry Lawyers is expanding its award-winning health law service to better serve people in the Hunter and other parts of regional NSW to seek justice or compensation from rogue doctors and other instances of poor health care.

4 APRIL 2019

Hunter-based law firm, Catherine Henry Lawyers, is one of the first organisations in Australia to use a new, first of its kind, tool-kit designed to help the nation’s lawyers better identify and combat the growing problem of elder abuse.

5 MARCH 2019

Gender equality is necessary, says Newcastle Lawyer Catherine Henry on the eve of International Women’s Day.

7 DECEMBER 2018

Australia is “at least” 10 years behind the US when it comes to protecting and upholding the rights of vulnerable senior citizens, but the Newcastle community is banding together to take an interdisciplinary approach to resolve the problems, Kim Boettcher says.

 9 MAY 2018

Catherine Henry fears clinical standards are worsening, with mandated staff-to-patient ratios the only way to tackle the “woefully inadequate staffing arrangements” operating within the industry.

2 FEBRUARY 2018

The principal of a law firm specialising in medical law, Catherine Henry, said she first raised the issue a decade ago in a legal journal after seeing clients whose cancers had been mismanaged.

13 SEPTEMBER 2016

What should have been a medical negligence case then escalated into a “landmark case about the legal status of abortion”, in which the Catholic Church intervened.

21 NOVEMBER 2013

Doctors could easily decide that it’s just not worth the risk to carry out abortions at all, given the ever-present possibility that they could be charged with a criminal offence.

28 OCTOBER 2013

What can be done to reduce the incidence of death and inadequate treatment of the frail elderly in our community?

31 AUGUST 2019

Solicitor Erin Woodward from Catherine Henry Lawyers said the case of Dr Hollenbach and others highlighted the lack of transparency about doctors’ histories and “problems with protections available for the public”.

29 JUNE 2019

Hunter New England Health has paid out more than $69 million in taxpayer funds for medical mistakes in the past two years, but the local health district will not provide details of the claims, despite having done so in the past.

29 MAY 2019

The return of Liberal/National party governments at both state and federal level in recent elections has undoubtedly set back the cause of abortion reform – an issue that the vast majority of the voting public have consistently supported.

25 MARCH 2019

The recently released Identifying & Acting on Elder Abuse: A Toolkit for Legal Practitioners covers lawyers’ ethical responsibilities which includes duties of confidentiality & discusses screening techniques & checklists to help practitioners in raising the topic with their older clients.

Catherine Henry Lawyers is committed to raising awareness of this issue and assisting clients at risk of experiencing abuse.

13 FEBRUARY 2019

Hunter Headline reports: although Principal, Catherine Henry has built a name locally in the legal industry for much longer than a decade, Catherine Henry Lawyers has celebrated a significant milestone of 10 years serving people in Newcastle and regional NSW.

19 OCTOBER 2018

Abortion laws in NSW need to be brought into the 21^st century, Catherine Henry says to The Newcastle Herald.

9 MAY 2018

Newcastle specialist health and elder care lawyer Catherine Henry says the budget had not tackled  key issues for aged care residents, leaving Australians in aged care facilities unable received appropriate care

16 JUNE 2017

A leading Newcastle lawyer has urged the federal government to “be brave” and adopt the recommendations of a landmark report into the financial and physical abuse of the elderly.

15 FEBRUARY 2016

Newcastle health litigation solicitor Catherine Henry said she had been instructed by two of the families to investigate the viability of negligence claims against the aged care facility.

7 NOVEMBER 2013

Solicitor Catherine Henry says the alleged recent poisoning deaths of two residents at the Summitcare nursing home has highlighted her concerns about the ineffective complaints system.