Christopher Gillespie

Professional Discipline

The vast majority of Chris’s practice is now made up of professional disciplinary work. Chris is regularly instructed on behalf of all the major medical insurers to defend doctors and dentists facing allegations of misconduct and/or deficient professional performance at fitness to practice hearings. He has represented medical professionals charged with sexual misconduct, drug abuse, financial irregularities, irregular record keeping, dishonesty, bullying and clinical incompetence. His twenty years’ experience at the Criminal Bar makes him an adept cross-examiner of lay, professional and expert witnesses.

He is also instructed to present cases on behalf of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the General Optical Council and the General Osteopathic Council. He previously presented for the NCTL including two cases that were part of the Birmingham Schools Trojan Horse investigation.

He is often instructed to represent doctors who are interested parties at inquests.

Chris’s advisory work has included advice on disclosure both in the context of planned disciplinary proceedings and under the Data Protection Act/General Data Protection Regulations and on the lawfulness of Production Orders issued to doctors under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.

Ranked in the Legal 500, “His advocacy demonstrates patience, courtesy and realism in managing unpredictable witnesses.”

GMC v  NB

Proceedings against a GP in private practice who had begun a sexual relationship with a former patient with whom she was engaged and had a child.  Chris successfully argued before the MPTS that the doctor/patient relationship had been sufficiently brief and that the gap between the end of the professional relationship and the beginning of the personal relationship sufficiently long that the doctor’s actions were not improper and did not constitute misconduct.