Hill Dickinson boosts healthcare team with new partners

Hill Dickinson, a leading commercial law firm, has made significant strides in its independent healthcare team by appointing two new partners, Clare Auty and Carl May-Smith, both of whom previously worked at Browne Jacobson. This strategic move reflects the firm’s ongoing commitment to enhancing its health and social care sector offerings. Clare will collaborate with current corporate partner Monica Macheng to further develop the independent health and social care practice at Hill Dickinson. With a robust background in corporate and commercial law, Clare brings extensive knowledge in independent health, care, and life sciences. She provides legal counsel for providers, funders, investors, and healthtech developers, focusing on areas such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and commercial contracting for health and social care entities. Before her 11 years at Browne Jacobson, Clare served as general counsel for St Andrew's Healthcare and the head of legal services for Molson Coors in Europe.

Joining Clare in the partnership is Carl May-Smith, a barrister who specialises in regulatory and criminal law within the health and care sector. His expertise includes advising on standards set by CQC, Ofsted, and GOC, financial regulation, health and safety, and environmental law. Carl's extensive experience involves working closely with care providers, investors, and public bodies to offer proactive regulatory litigation advice or specialist regulatory due diligence. Before his lengthy tenure at Browne Jacobson, he served nearly 15 years as a senior crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service.

Both partners will be based in Hill Dickinson's rapidly expanding Birmingham office, which recently moved to 5 St Philip’s two years after its launch in the city. This year, the firm has welcomed nearly 20 new senior hires, expanding its partnership to over 190 colleagues. Hill Dickinson’s health and social care team is among the largest in the UK, offering expert legal advice to more than 300 NHS and independent healthcare organisations, as well as investors and regulators. The practice has grown to encompass over 250 specialists, making up almost a quarter of the entire firm.

Andrew Craggs, head of health at Hill Dickinson, expressed his enthusiasm regarding the new appointments, stating, “Clare and Carl are fantastic additions to the team, in what is an important demonstration of the strength and continued expansion of our health and social care capabilities nationally.” He emphasised the firm’s extensive support for the NHS and its involvement in significant transactions within the independent healthcare sector, highlighting the need for continued navigation of regulatory hurdles and commercialising innovative treatments and devices. He added that Clare and Carl’s experience would bolster the firm’s growth ambitions as the independent sector advances its clinical and commercial objectives.

Clare Auty, who takes on the role of head of independent health (joint) at Hill Dickinson, remarked, “Hill Dickinson has a nationally renowned health and social care practice, and its experience spanning both NHS and independent providers and scale of team is one that few firms can match.” She cited the firm’s commitment to investing in its people, brand, and the sector as considerable incentives for her decision to join. Clare looks forward to collaborating with Monica, Carl, and the rest of the team to support providers and investors through various stages of their growth in the independent health and care landscape.