Paul Fitzsimons
Director/Solicitor
Paul Fitzsimons attended The Abbey Grammar Christian Brothers Grammar School Newry 1972 to 1979.
He read Law at Queens University Belfast graduating in 1983. He completed his post-graduate studies at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies in 1984.
He was entered on the Roll of Solicitors in Northern Ireland in August 1984.
He commenced practice on his own account in March 1987 and then in partnership with his co-director Martin Mallon since 1991.
Paul Fitzsimons has very considerable specialist experience and acknowledged expertise in the conduct of Medical Negligence claims against all Hospital Trusts in Northern Ireland, GP Practitioners, Dentists as detailed in our case studies section in our website.
Paul is currently handling 34 Medical Negligence cases against Hospital Trusts in Northern Ireland.
Paul has also extensive experience in the conduct of serious criminal cases and has travelled to Los Angeles, Valletta, Marseille, Aix En Provence, Rotterdam , Amsterdam and Istanbul to represent clients arrested and detained there in prison as well as Canterbury, Pentonville ( London ) and all the prisons and Courts in Northern Ireland.
Cases
Paul Fitzsimons has taken cases to the Supreme Court in London and on Appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and was successful there in the seismic case of Gaughran v The Chief Constable of PSNI resulting in the destruction of potentially 250 million criminal records and private individual personal data bases held and accumulated by the PSNI and Interpol / Europol for unlawful indefinite detention periods.
Judicial Review
Paul has taken lead cases in Judicial Review to the Courts in Northern Ireland on the rights of access to detained person by their solicitor (ex parte McNamee McDonnell), re rights of access by a Pupil Solicitor to the Antrim PSNI Special Custody Suite to attend a murder interview with his Master. (ex parte Campbell) The rights of access to Discovery of Police intelligence files, (ex parte Rooney) Rights to employment and free movement of workers to the Forestry Service in NI (ex parte Pepper), and Education Transfer Test Review Cases (ex parte Bryson and JR57) and Judicial Review (ex parte Farrell) of the failure by a “Special Authorised Officer” appointed by the Secretary of State to release an unedited tape recording of an interrogation interview which had been corrupted to investigate alleged money laundering in NI ( Operation Madrona ) under the Proceeds of Crime Act 1996. He took the lead case in NI on Access to Legal Aid. (ex parte Havern) He took the largest civil action against the Chief Constable in 1999 arising out of the Derryhirk Incident issuing 94 Writs in a group action against the Chief Constable RUC for clients terrorised by undercover Police Special Agents in that incident which was then the subject of an hour-long re-enactment in a BBC Spotlight documentary in 2004. He has personally defended and represented solicitors before the Law Society NI Disciplinary Tribunal and successfully defended many police officers themselves under disciplinary investigation by Police Complaints and Discipline branch.
In his extensive career spanning now 40 years Paul has also taken many very complex high value litigation personal injury claims for clients suffering paralysis and tetraplegia in Road Traffic Accidents and accidents at work and in the home. He has progressed and unravelled several actions complicated by clients suffering from Huntington’s Chorea and other cases for missed diagnosis for cancer resulting in reduced mortality and for plaintiffs with genetic issues affecting their claim potential. He has taken civil actions for Dependent children whose parent has been killed in Road Traffic Accidents against defendant drivers’ insurers of for a dependant child and partner / spouse similarly financially affected by the death of a partner/spouse. He was appointed by the High Court and the Official Solicitor for Northern Ireland in 2023 to institute proceedings in his name on behalf of a 6 month old infant suffering tetraplegia and brain injury in a Road Traffic Accident in what is believed to be the highest value civil action case ever to be taken before the Courts in Northern Ireland. He has also taken and defended actions for contested Wills and for inadequate provision of dependants probate actions and actions for testamentary and promissory estopple securing delivery of farms of lands for his successful client who had been ignored in a Will.