In this episode of Beyond the Gavel, host Rodney Peyton talks with Michaela Guthrie, a partner at Balfour+Manson and one of Scotland’s leading claimant solicitors in clinical negligence. Michaela shares her path from early interests in justice and medicine to her role in complex medical negligence cases, including obstetric claims. She and Rodney discuss the landmark Montgomery case and how it reshaped patient consent, the challenges of recent legal pushback, and the balance between full disclosure and therapeutic reassurance. This episode offers practical insight into patient autonomy, case screening, and the communication skills that shape medical negligence work.

In this episode of Beyond the Gavel, host Rodney Peyton speaks with Dr. Herschel Lessin, a pediatrician with 40 years in the clinic and 30 years as a medical expert witness. Trained at Stanford and Yale, Dr. Lessin pairs frontline care with national policy work through the American Academy of Pediatrics and leadership across New York’s Hudson Valley. The conversation covers the emotional toll of litigation on clinicians, rigorous case screening, standards versus guidelines, and the meaning of “reasonable medical certainty” in court. He shares practical lessons on running a practice, building an effective front desk, working with experts, and explaining hard truths to clients.

In this episode of Beyond the Gavel, host Rodney Peyton speaks with Geoff Simpson-Scott, equity partner at Hodge Jones & Allen and a leading authority in clinical negligence law. Geoff reflects on his early career in the Royal Courts of Justice, his path into claimant work, and how relationships shaped his opportunities. The discussion covers professional values, the ethics and risks of AI in litigation, the importance of case screening and risk assessment, and the pressures facing the next generation of lawyers. Geoff also shares practical lessons on working with experts, understanding the defense perspective, and mentoring juniors to combine independence with discipline in a demanding field.