Personal Injury/Clinical Negligence
Acquisitive PI firm buys two of best-known practices in the country
Two of the best-known names in the personal injury market are set to disappear after they were acquired by Manchester firm Express Solicitors.
MoJ increasing new fixed costs to reflect high rate of inflation
The Ministry of Justice is to increase the new fixed recoverable costs coming into force on 1 October to take account of the high rate of inflation, and is consulting on other changes.
It is also consulting on a range of further changes to the regime
Professional enablers fuelling “opportunistic personal injury fraud”
The cost-of-living crisis is encouraging “opportunistic” personal injury fraud, with “professional enablers” designing “cynical ‘conveyor belt’ processes” to maximise fake or exaggerated injuries.
Eight out of 10 NHS claims now settle pre-issue
The proportion of claims settled by NHS Resolution pre-issue hit a record 80% in the last year, but the cost of claims still rose, according to its annual report.
Report fees to rise as government consults on medico-legal reforms
An increase in fees for medical reports and a ban on lawyers instructing medical experts before the defendant’s liability decision are among reforms put out for consultation today.
CA: Interpreters’ fees are recoverable in fixed-cost PI cases
Interpreters’ fees are recoverable as a disbursement in PI fixed costs cases, without which solicitors may not take on cases for clients who cannot speak English, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
Top entrepreneur boosts stake in leading PI law firm
Transport entrepreneur Sir Brian Souter has boosted his stake in top personal injury firm Winn Solicitors, along with founder Jeff Winn, after the other external backer sold up.
Fixed costs mean PI lawyers “need to embrace new mindset”
Personal injury lawyers need to be able to switch between “adversarial and dispute resolution mindsets” to equip themselves for the future, the chair of a mediation service has argued.
Law firm had “every right” to terminate retainer, judge rules
A law firm had “every right” to terminate its retainer with a clinical negligence client when presented with evidence from the defendant that she had lied about the severity of her symptoms.
MR on fixed costs extension: “I hope it works”
The Master of the Rolls has said he believes the extension of fixed recoverable costs (FRCs) to many cases worth up to £100,000 in October is “a good thing” and “I hope it works”.
Supreme Court agrees to hear insurer appeal on OIC mixed injuries
The Supreme Court has granted the insurance industry permission to appeal the Court of Appeal ruling on mixed injury claims in the Official Injury Claim portal.
Vaginal mesh claimants “distraught” after SRA closes firm
Women who claim to have been harmed by vaginal mesh implant surgery have been left “angry and distraught” after the SRA closed down a law firm acting for them.
Hampson Hughes administrators begin legal action to recover £2m
Letters before action have been issued seeking to recover over £2m from people involved in the demise of one-time personal injury giant Hampson Hughes.
Two years of OIC – £130m paid out but criticism still abounds
Claimants pursuing cases through the Official Injury Claim portal have received £130m in its first two years – but their lawyers remain very unhappy with the system.
New APIL head: Fixed costs will trigger decade of litigation
The extension of fixed recoverable costs later this year will lead to “poor behaviours” and a decade of litigation to clarify how they work, the new president of APIL has predicted.
Blog
What LeO’s data tells us about client service in personal injury
With court backlogs, insurer delays and increasingly complex cases, maintaining client care in personal injury work can be difficult, but the data suggests the industry is falling short.
Your landlord clients have prepared for the wrong law
Lawyers advising major landlords and build-to-rent operators have spent the better part of a year on the Renters’ Rights Act. A good deal of that advice has been aimed at the wrong risk.
Your website is losing clients before they even pick up the phone
Your website visitor is likely already carrying stress before they arrive. If your site adds to it rather than relieves it, you have likely lost a prospective client.
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