Dr Anthony Howard

Overview

Anthony is dual qualified as a barrister and orthopaedic surgeon with a national practice in professional discipline, inquests, and medico-legal litigation. He is recognised for his measured advocacy, clarity of advice, and deep understanding of medical evidence and professional standards.

He appears in courts and tribunals from internal disciplinary panels to the Court of Appeal, representing regulators, clinicians, and public bodies. His experience working for the General Medical Council, combined with service as Assistant Deputy Coroner for Preston and West Lancashire and Assistant Coroner for Bradford, gives him a comprehensive view of the regulatory and investigative process.

Anthony is known as a pleasure to work with. Clients value his calm manner, strong communication skills, and ability to make complex issues clear and manageable. He combines technical precision with practical, strategic insight and a focus on achieving fair and balanced outcomes.

Alongside his legal practice, Anthony maintains an active academic profile with over 50 peer-reviewed publications and more than £1.5 million in research income. He contributes to national training programmes and teaches widely on professional discipline, expert evidence, and medico-legal practice.

Regulatory and Professional Discipline

Anthony is dual qualified as a barrister and orthopaedic surgeon. He brings a unique insight to cases at the intersection of medicine, law, and professional standards, shaped by extensive work for the General Medical Council and experience as a clinical academic.

He appears before the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service and advises on all aspects of professional discipline, impairment, and sanction. His practice covers serious misconduct, deficient performance, and health cases, together with appeals and inquests involving complex medical evidence.

Anthony completed specialist training in trauma and upper limb surgery, with fellowship training at Wrightington Hospital in complex elbow reconstruction. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed papers, held NIHR-funded academic posts, and secured more than £1.5 million in research income through national and international collaborations.

He previously served as Assistant Deputy Coroner for Preston and West Lancashire and as Assistant Coroner for Bradford, managing complex inquests and sensitive expert testimony. His combined clinical, academic, and legal experience supports precise analysis, measured advocacy, and balanced decision-making in disciplinary proceedings.

Inquests and Public Inquiries

Anthony has extensive experience representing interested persons in inquests involving complex medical and surgical issues, custodial deaths, and matters arising from hospital and community care. His background as both a barrister and orthopaedic surgeon gives him a rare ability to interrogate clinical evidence and translate it clearly for the coroner and the family.

He previously served as Assistant Deputy Coroner for Preston and West Lancashire and Assistant Coroner for Bradford, conducting jury and non-jury inquests across a wide range of circumstances, including deaths in hospital, police contact, and workplace incidents.

Anthony’s expertise includes analysing expert testimony, drafting determinations, and advising on Regulation 28 reports. He is experienced in managing sensitive and high-profile hearings requiring careful communication with families, clinicians, and public bodies.

His calm, methodical approach reflects more than three decades of legal advocacy combined with senior clinical experience in trauma and upper limb surgery.

Appointments

GMC’s Aproved Panel of Counsel

Associations

Personal Injury Bar Association

Employment Lawyer’s Association

Professional Negligence Bar Association

Discrimination Law Association

Industrial Law Society and LAG

Training Services

Anthony provides advocacy, advisory, and training services across the fields of medical regulation, professional discipline, and inquest law. He delivers teaching and workshops for clinicians, lawyers, and expert witnesses on professional standards, duty of candour, and preparing for tribunal hearings.

He has designed and led mock tribunal exercises for postgraduate trainees, clinical academics, and healthcare organisations to improve understanding of regulatory procedure and evidential standards. His sessions emphasise fair process, expert integrity, and the communication of technical evidence to a lay panel.

As part of his academic work within the Leeds programme, Anthony has supervised postgraduate research, contributed to medical education strategy, and lectured on clinical governance, consent, and medico-legal reporting.

Through this combined legal, clinical, and educational practice, Anthony supports institutions and individuals seeking to strengthen regulatory compliance, professional resilience, and the quality of written and oral evidence in disciplinary and investigative settings.

Training and Education

Anthony contributes regularly to postgraduate teaching in surgery and medico-legal practice. He has delivered invited lectures and workshops for the Leeds Academic Training Programme, national orthopaedic courses, and medico-legal conferences. His teaching focuses on expert evidence, ethical decision-making, and the interface between clinical judgement and legal accountability.

Qualifications

Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons – Edinburgh – February (2025)

PhD in Surgery & Oncology – The University of Liverpool (2016)

Certificate in Medical Education – Dundee University (2011)

MSc in Orthopaedic Engineering – Cardiff University (2010)

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery – The University of Manchester (2010)

Barrister-at-Law – Inns of Court School of Law, London (1992)

Honors Degree in Law, The University of Lancaster (1991)

Prescribed Information

Dr Anthony Howard is a practising barrister, who is regulated by the Bar Standards Board. Details of information held by the BSB about Anthony can be found here.

Anthony’s clerks will happily provide no obligation quotations for all legal services that he provides. Their contact details can be found here. It is most common for Anthony to undertake Court and Tribunal work for either fixed fees or a fixed brief fee plus additional refresher fees per day. For advisory work, drafting and conferences it is most commonly charged at an hourly rate although fixed fees are available. Anthony will typically return paperwork within 21 days, however professional commitments, complexity and volume of documentation can affect these approximate timescales.