Personal Injury/Clinical Negligence
Panicked solicitor under-settled claim and misled client
A solicitor panicked after realising she had missed a court deadline and under-settled her client’s personal injury claim before leading them on for more than four years about its progress.
MoJ rejects call for early review of whiplash tariff
The Ministry of Justice has rejected a call for an early review of the tariff for the Official Injury Claim portal, although personal injury solicitors are continuing to lobby for it.
NAH boss urges more personal injury firms to advertise on TV
The boss of NAHL plc – which owns National Accident Helpline – has urged more personal injury brands to return to television advertising after it began to reap the benefits of a new campaign.
Anexo drops interim dividend to invest in emissions cases instead
Anexo Group – the AIM-listed business that combines credit hire and legal services – has seen revenue and profit soar but will not pay an interim dividend so as to invest in attracting more car emissions cases.
PI market consolidates as big firms take large market share
There has been a “significant” drop in the number of high street law firms offering personal injury services, while the market is concentrating among a few large firms, new research has found.
Parents of dying baby “should have had adjournment” after lawyers withdrew
A High Court judge was wrong to refuse an adjournment sought by parents of a brain-damaged baby who lost their legal representation shortly before a hearing on withdrawing treatment.
Hostile foreign powers “could flood OIC with fraudulent claims”
“Potentially hostile foreign powers” could identify weaknesses in the Official Injury Claim portal and flood it with “fraudulent claims”, a report has warned.
Firm had no duty to advise prospective client before CFA was signed
Leading law firm Irwin Mitchell was not under a duty to advise a prospective client to notify their travel agent about an accident on holiday until the retainer was signed, the High Court has ruled.
Firm uses AI to spot high-value personal injury claims in portals
Insurance specialist firm Horwich Farrelly has developed an automated system which uses AI to help insurers identify potentially high-value personal injury claims in portals for low-value cases.
The OIC effect? Number and value of motor fraud claims fall
The volume and value of motor insurance claim frauds fell last year, which also covered the first seven months of the Official Injury Claim portal.
Blog
The SRA needs to admit it got it wrong about SLAPPs
The High Court judgment in Ashley Hurst v SRA in January raises serious questions about the regulator’s approach to allegations of SLAPP-like behaviour.
Why menopause support belongs on every law firm’s agenda
Progression in the law slows significantly as women approach senior leadership. Most will be at the height of their careers around the average age menopause symptoms begin.
Law firms need to go beyond document checks
At the root of every failed compliance review is a familiar phrase: a calm assertion of “but we did a document check”.
