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Why early advice matters

BDJ In Practice volume 39, pages 53–54 (2026)Cite this article

It can understandably be tempting for oral healthcare professionals to avoid or delay involving lawyers when concerns or disputes arise, especially when the issues raised relate to their professional practice.

Many professionals, particularly those facing unfamiliar and often daunting disciplinary, regulatory or criminal proceedings, operate under the common but dangerous misapprehension that instructing legal representatives will make the matter appear more serious. In reality, this misapprehension can often lead to an otherwise avoidable escalation of such challenges, whereas early legal advice is far more likely to result in a more favourable outcome.

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  1. DWF Law LLP, London, United Kingdom

    Hannah Cheesebrough

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  1. Hannah Cheesebrough
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Correspondence to Hannah Cheesebrough.

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Cheesebrough, H. Why early advice matters. BDJ In Pract 39, 53–54 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41404-026-3435-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41404-026-3435-0

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