Personal Injury/Clinical Negligence

Immigration and civil litigation were the two areas of legal practice hit hardest by the pandemic last year, with private client and family law “insulated” from the impact, new research has found.

A 64-page users guide aimed at litigants in person who have to navigate the “straightforward” Official Injury Claim portal for whiplash claims was published yesterday.

The number of claims management companies continues to fall year on year and has dropped 80% over the past decade, new figures have shown.

Listed legal services and credit hire business Anexo Group took advantage of competitors leaving the personal injury market or putting staff on furlough last year, it told investors yesterday.

The small claims limit for all personal injury claims other than RTAs will only rise to £1,500, rather than £2,000, and its introduction deferred, the government announced yesterday.

Claimant representatives are urging MPs and peers to push back on the “derisory and offensive” new tariff for whiplash injuries when put for approval in Parliament this week.

Peers have rejected the first challenge to the whiplash regulations from lawyers complaining that the new compensation tariff is too low.

Fast-growing Leeds firm Switalskis has acquired specialist medical negligence and personal injury practice Pryers from Pure Business Group, which only bought the firm itself five years ago.

Leading personal injury law firm NewLaw will charge clients up to 30% of their damages to handle small claims going through the new whiplash portal, it has revealed.

Goodwill and co-operation between claimant and defendant representatives and compensators will be needed to overcome some of the problems the new whiplash regime throws up.

There will not be an advertising campaign to let the public know about the new way to pursue whiplash claims through the Official Injury Claim portal, it has been confirmed.

NAHL – the listed company that owns National Accident Helpline – is to step up its transformation from a claims management company into a law firm, it told investors yesterday.

The Official Injury Claim portal is 98% complete, the chief executive of the Motor Insurers’ Bureau revealed today as he urged claimant solicitors not to dismiss the system prematurely.

The whiplash reforms will come into force on 31 May, the spring bank holiday, it was confirmed yesterday, as the government finally published the new rules and a marginally increased tariff.

Legal marketing business First4Lawyers is to create an alternative business structure to handle road traffic accident claims after the whiplash reforms are introduced in May.