NR Times speaks to Ronan Hynes, partner at law firm MHP Sellors, winner of the NR Times Brain and Spinal Injury Law Firm of the Year 2024 award, sponsored by Chroma.
MHP Sellors specialises in serious and catastrophic injury cases, winning the NR Times award for its mission to support clients and advocacy for causes like early stroke detection and community rehabilitation services.
The firm’s mission is to help rebuild lives following trauma, serious or catastrophic injuries including brain, birth and spinal injuries.
The firm has achieved multiple court success in recent years, taking on complex, high-value cases involving acquired brain injury, birth injuries, cerebral palsy, orthopaedic errors and more.
Beyond its law work, MHP actively campaigns on issues such as neuro and spinal cord rehabilitation, patient safety, mandatory reporting of adverse medical events and open disclosure.
“I’ve been in this field for about 15 or 16 years, and our team has grown steadily during that time,” said Hynes.
“We’ve always focused on offering a bespoke service, prioritising high-quality, complex cases that align with our mission to help individuals and families rebuild their lives after serious or catastrophic injuries.
“Over the last decade, we’ve supported causes close to our hearts, particularly in the acquired brain injury space, raising awareness of early stroke detection and campaigning for better community rehabilitation services.
“For instance, in Ireland, there’s a significant gap in neurorehabilitation, with only one acute rehabilitation centre for five million people and limited community services. While there’s a government neurorehabilitation strategy, it remains unfunded and unimplemented. Advocacy in this area is crucial.”
Hynes explained that the firm works above and beyond to support people and raise awareness in the field of neuro health, facilitating collaborations that will benefit patients and providing vocational training and employer engagement for reintegrating individuals with disabilities into the workforce.
“We decided to support a local charity here in Limerick called Enable Ireland, which works with children and others with physical and intellectual disabilities,” said Hynes.
“Their branch in Limerick didn’t have a multi-sensory room, so we took on the challenge to fund one. To achieve this, we hiked Ireland’s three highest mountains in one day, raising €15,000 to fully fund the project, which was a key milestone for us.
“Advocacy and awareness remain incredibly important, particularly in areas like early stroke detection and cauda equina syndrome, where critical red flags are often missed, with devastating consequences for patients and families.
“We’re working on plans for 2025 and will continue supporting causes aligned with our mission, just as we’ve done in previous years.”
Hynes said the team was thrilled to receive the award for its work securing settlements and bespoke packages of rehabilitation after brain or spinal cord injuries.
“I have to say, the nomination itself was quite a surprise and a great honour,” said Hynes.
“It was amazing just to be there, and we weren’t expecting to win the overall award. We knew some of the other nominated teams, like Lavelle Partners in Dublin, and are well aware of the incredible work that firms like Brian Barr Services do.
“The team is really proud of this achievement. We’ve already marked it in a small way, but as we reflect on 2024, we’ll likely incorporate it into our plans and activities for early next year.”
