As a professional negligence lawyer, I’ve met many people who have been let down by professionals they’ve held in a position of trust.
In most cases, it’s people who are claiming compensation for a personal injury. After suffering physical injuries – sometimes life-changing – and often serious psychological effects too, they are entitled to expect that the personal injury lawyer they employ does their utmost to obtain the best possible outcome.
After all, if you’ve been injured, the settlement amount you receive can have an impact on the rest of your life.
Unfortunately, the level of service given by some personal injury lawyers to their clients falls well below expected professional standards. If this happens to you, I would definitely recommend you consider enlisting the help of an expert professional negligence lawyer who can help guide you to the outcome you deserve.
Why Would Someone Make a Personal Injury Professional Negligence Claim?
The most common reason behind personal injury professional negligence claims is a level of service by a personal injury lawyer that falls so short of what is expected of a reasonably competent professional as to cause financial loss to their client, usually a compensation settlement that is much lower than expected.
With the rise of ‘factory-style’ claims management companies, I have met many clients whose previous personal injury law firm has focussed far too much on having a fast turnaround time rather than handling their clients’ personal injury claim professionally.
Not getting the required evidence – it’s crucial that your personal injury lawyer listens to you and obtains all the correct evidence to help get the settlement amount you deserve.
For example, I recently secured £125,000 compensation in a professional negligence claim for a client of mine injured in a road traffic accident. His previous personal injury lawyer did not pay attention to the fact that my client suffered on-going pain after the accident.
Missing the time limit for starting court proceedings – although professional negligence cases are subject to a six-year limitation period, court proceedings for personal injury and medical negligence claims must be brought within three years of the injury, or negligent act, occurring.
My colleague in the Slater and Gordon professional negligence team recently secured a five-figure sum for a client whose previous solicitor missed the three-year deadline for starting court proceedings.
If you think that your personal injury compensation claim has settled for less than you were expecting, you can bring a professional negligence claim if you can demonstrate that your previous personal injury lawyer has caused you financial loss through a breach of a duty of care.
Myself and the expert professional negligence lawyers at Slater and Gordon UK have many years’ experience in helping people let down by their previous personal injury lawyers and look forward to guiding you to a brighter outcome.
Jenny Keith is a Principal Personal Injury Lawyer and Head of the Professional Negligence Department at Slater and Gordon Lawyers UK.
For more information, call Slater and Gordon Lawyers on freephone 0800 916 9046 or contact us online and we’ll be happy to help you.