Medical Law. Insurance Disputes. Human Stories.
When something goes wrong in healthcare, the outcome isn’t what you expected, and you’re left unsure why; when an insurance claim is denied at your most vulnerable moment you need someone who understands both medicine and the law. Someone who will listen to your story, examine the evidence with care, and tell you honestly whether you have a case worth fighting for.
That’s what we do at Lanser Sutherland Inc.
What We Do
Medical Negligence Claims
We represent individuals and families after unexpected outcomes in medical care or surgery that have materially changed their lives. Matters we are often asked to assess include birth-related injuries, delayed or missed diagnoses, failure to refer to an appropriate specialist, surgical complications linked to preventable errors, and inadequate post-operative monitoring or follow-up, to name a few.
Medical negligence claims must meet three requirements: negligence, causation, and significant, measurable loss (damages). If any one of these “legs” is missing, the matter is unlikely to succeed.
We will always be candid with you about the strengths, risks, and prospects of success. We approach these matters with respect for patients and clinicians, while pursuing accountability where the standard of care has not been met. When all three requirements are present, we bring the full weight of our experience, medical insight, and forensic preparation to your corner.
Life Insurance & Medical Aid Disputes
When a life insurance, disability, or medical aid claim is wrongly declined —or when essential treatment is refused, the consequences can be devastating. We focus on the kind of claims that affect your ability to work, support your family, or access life-saving care.
From disability, income protection, critical illness and prescribed minimum benefit disputes and major medical aid decisions, we assess whether the insurer or scheme has treated you fairly and advise on the best path forward.
Mediation Services
Sometimes the best resolution is found when a patient or family member and a clinician or provider can sit across the table and have a constructive, guided discussion, far from the courtroom. Romany Sutherland is an accredited mediator with expertise in medical and insurance law.
Whether you are looking for a neutral mediator to facilitate settlement discussions, or you need support preparing for mediation as a claimant or defendant, we can help parties work towards practical, compassionate outcomes while reducing the cost, delay, and conflict of litigation. As mediator we are neutral; as counsel/support we act for clients.
Our Approach
Initial Review
For medical negligence enquiries, we ask for a timeline / sequence of events of what happened, relevant medical records, and information about the person affected.
For insurance claims, we offer a fixed-fee claim review (R5,000) to assess the strength of your case and advise on next steps.
Case Assessment
We collect, collate and examine the medical evidence, consult with experts where needed, and assess negligence, causation, and damages (for medical negligence).
For Insurance claims, we evaluate three things: coverage (what the policy promises), evidence (what the documents and medical records show), and fairness (whether the decision was reasonable in the circumstances). We then help you pursue the appropriate next step—appeal, negotiation, or formal dispute resolution.
Clear Advice
We tell you honestly whether we believe you have a viable case, what the likely routes forward are, and what the process, costs, and risks would look like.
Action
When You Might Need Us
Medical Negligence
Birth injuries and cerebral palsy
Surgical errors and delayed post-operative treatment
Delayed or missed diagnosis (stroke, sepsis, cauda equina)
Anaesthesia errors
Medication errors and informed consent failures
Insurance & Medical Aid
Life insurance and death benefit disputes
Disability and income protection claims
Critical illness and impairment benefits
Credit life and retrenchment claims
Prescribed Minimum Benefit (PMB) disputes
Major medical aid treatment refusals
Transplant, oncology, and emergency admission disputes
Mediation
Medical negligence liability or quantum disputes
Insurance claim settlements
Multi-party healthcare disputes
Court-annexed mediation (Rule 41A)
Our Story
Lanser Sutherland Inc. is a practice with a strong ethical foundation and a deep commitment to patients and their families.
Director Romany Sutherland has been dedicated to medical law since she started in 2006. She started working alongside Marietjie Lanser on complex medical negligence matters in 2017 where they discovered a shared love of both medicine and law, and a deeply aligned way of working with clients. In March 2025, Romany took over the practice and has now rebranded it as Lanser Sutherland Inc.
The name change reflects a handing down of the Lanser legacy, the firm remains rooted in the Lanser family’s legacy of meticulous preparation, clinical curiosity, and genuine care for the people behind the cases.
Marietjie and KJ Lanser remain part of the firm’s extended family.
If you have suffered serious damages as a result of medical negligence, if your insurance claim has been wrongly declined, or if you need a qualified mediator for a complex healthcare dispute, we’re here to help.
If you’ve suffered serious consequences as a result of medical negligence, if your insurance claim has been wrongly declined, or if you need a qualified mediator for a complex healthcare dispute, we’re here to help.