Personal Injury/Clinical Negligence
PI firm fails to exclude defendant solicitors’ data on its claims record
The High Court has rejected a claimant personal injury firm’s objection to witness statements from the opposing solicitors that suggest it may be engaging in fraud.
Belsner faces £130k costs payment but Checkmylegalfees “has a future”
The Court of Appeal has signalled the possibility of a non-party costs order in the Belsner case after ordering the claimant to make an interim costs payment of £130,000.
Court of Appeal expedites hearing of whiplash mixed claim test cases
The Court of Appeal is to hear the expedited appeals in the first two cases on mixed injury claims – those involving both whiplash and non-whiplash injuries – in three weeks’ time.
PE firm adds digital marketing business to law firm acquisitions
Sun Capital – the private equity firm that owns top serious injury law firm Fletchers – has expanded its presence in the law by acquiring a specialist digital marketing agency.
Large PI firm sold in latest post-reform consolidation move
The consolidation of the personal injury market following the whiplash reforms has continued in the North-West with leading firm Express Solicitors acquiring Michael W Halsall.
Checkmylegalfees comes out fighting after Court of Appeal criticism
Checkmylegalfees came out fighting yesterday in the wake of the Court of Appeal’s criticism of its business model, pledging to keep on “holding solicitors to account”.
Vos signals end of court challenges to deductions from PI damages
The possible end of court challenges to solicitors’ deductions from damages and reform of how bills are assessed are the headlines from today’s Court of Appeal ruling in Belsner.
Firms quit whiplash and eye growth in other areas of PI market
One in four law firms impacted by the whiplash reforms have already exited that market, with more set to follow, as they look at increased marketing and M&A to grow in other areas of PI.
Leading PI firm sues insurance trade magazine for libel
Leading personal injury law firm Bond Turner is suing a well-known insurance trade magazine for defamation over an article that accused it of not dealing honestly with clients.
First two OIC mixed injuries cases head to Court of Appeal
Two cases on mixed claims in the Official Injury Claim portal – those involving both whiplash and non-whiplash injuries – have been leapfrogged to the Court of Appeal.
OIC: Under-settlement fears as system problems grow backlog
The Official Injury Claim portal is still not working well, with growing delays and concerns that injured people are under-settling as a result, a leading claimant lawyer said yesterday.
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.
Blog
Charting a new course for publicly funded legal services
The current Legal Aid Agency model is inherently flawed and it goes beyond mere data breaches – it cannot innovatively respond to increasing challenges.
Preparing people for the pace of technological change
While technology often dominates the conversation, I believe the most important challenge facing law firms is not adopting new tools – it is preparing people to adapt alongside them.
Reorientation in the AI era must begin with the client
Much of the discussion about AI in the legal industry focuses on technology: which tools to adopt and which tasks might get automated. But this misses the deeper story.
