Medical Negligence

Dominique Smith is a barrister at Deka Chambers. She is ranked as a Leading Junior in Clinical Negligence, Inquests and Inquiries and Personal Injury in the Legal 500 2026, as well as a Leading Junior in Travel Law and Inquests and Inquiries in Chambers and Partners 2026. She has recently been ranked as a Recommended Junior in the Lexology Index 2026 for Aviation and Travel. She is recognised for her expertise in both domestic and international clinical negligence and published a book on the topic, namely ‘A Practical Guide to Cross-Border Clinical Negligence Claims’, in 2023. She is also a co-author of the leading travel law textbook, Saggerson on Travel Law and Litigation (7^th Edition), and the ‘holiday claims’ chapter in Kemp & Kemp: Quantum of Damages. Dominique has recently been appointed the joint-head of the Deka Chambers Personal Injury team.

In her clinical negligence practice, she acts for both claimants and defendants (including the NHS) in a variety of claims, such as those claims concerning failures to obtain informed consent, delays in treatment, and failures to diagnose. She has a particular specialism in cauda equina cases. She often provides lectures to doctors, medical professionals and claims handlers. In 2026, she obtained two High Court judgments in cross-border clinical negligence claims, one of which considered the interplay of the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 with the selling of medical tourism packages. 

Dominique is also an elected member of the Inner Temple’s Bar Liaison Committee and is a committee member on the Inns of Court Alliance for Women.