Archive for the ‘Legal Services’ Category

Local Solicitors and their benefits

February 13th, 2012 by admin

The process of claiming compensation for an illness or injury that was caused by somebody else’s negligence is one that many people assume to be difficult, expensive and time-consuming. Very often, this proves not to be the case.

Choosing a Solicitor

Once diagnosed by a doctor, perhaps after suffering whiplash in a car accident or developing hearing loss in the workplace, the prospective claimant is tasked with finding an honest, reliable solicitor. This is usually not a problem in major cities throughout the UK. Home to some of the country’s leading personal injury solicitors Liverpool is no stranger to acts or omissions of negligence, which is why accident victims in the area are advised to choose local solicitors over national firms.

Why Local?

Local solicitors are ideally positioned to deal with personal injury claims because they are able to provide their clients with a personal service during an extremely difficult time. Of course, local solicitors are not merely useful for handling claims involving personal injury; some types of legal work necessitate the involvement of local firms.

Conveyancing is one area of legal practice that ought to be carried out by local solicitors. Possessing knowledge of an area and almost certainly having connections with local surveyors and estate agents, solicitors situated near to the client (or their property) are able to offer the best advice at the lowest cost. Local solicitors are also on hand to deal with any last-minute contract alterations, disputes and legal issues.

Other areas of the law in which local solicitors may be considered the preferred choice include commercial litigation, wills and probate, equitable trusts and professional negligence.

Removing the ‘Middleman’

One of the most compelling reasons to use a local solicitor rather than a national firm is that the latter often consists of various ‘middlemen’ who complicate the legal process. Personal injury claims, for example, are often dealt with by accident management firms or ad hoc legal departments. Removing the middleman by dealing directly with local solicitors invariably saves both time and money.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Legal Services | No Comments »

Accident Compensation Claim for Truck Driver Crushed by Eggs

November 18th, 2011 by Admin IQY

A truck driver has been awarded compensation by his former employer after an accident at work resulted in him being crushed by thousands of eggs.

The 600kg load of eggs caused Phil Stacey, 60, serious injuries after he lost his footing whilst loading the eggs onto the back of a lorry.

He said: “I was clinging on as I didn’t want to see umpteen thousand eggs smashed to pieces, but they did. It was a complete mess.”

During the accident, in 2008, Mr Stacey suffered serious injuries to his shoulder, while his employers denied that there had been an accident, let alone one in which an injury had occurred.

He said: “I was pulling the eggs on to the back of the lorry, over the tail lift with a manual pump on a forklift, like I’d done countless times before. The lorry was mucky and needed cleaning out. I had to give them a yank to get them in and I lost my footing.”

After reporting the incident to the transport office, Mr Stacey was forced to stop lorry driving and seek medical help when the pain became too much to bear. He was also eventually made redundant by his employer.

He said: “I’ve been driving a lorry for years and years. However, I’d never had any weight training or lifting training from the company. The accident was not put in the book.”

Mike Clarke, the accident claims solicitor who handled the claim, said: “Mr Stacey was working in the evening on his own and there were no witnesses to his fall, although he rang his transport office immediately to report it.

“Although the defendant’s insurers admitted various breaches of employment regulations, they flatly denied that there had in fact been any accident. Even if there had been a fall, they alleged that it had not caused his injury and that in any event he had been partly to blame for it.

“After detailed investigation, we started court action and shortly afterwards, the insurers were persuaded to negotiate with us. We secured a substantial sum in compensation for Mr Stacey, who is now back at work with another transport company.”

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Law Rights, Legal Advice, Legal Services | No Comments »

Vet Wins Unfair Dismissal Claim Against Cornish Animal Charity

October 27th, 2011 by Admin IQY

A vet in Cornwall has won his unfair dismissal case against a Cornish animal charity. Matthew Thomas was dismissed by the Cornwall Animal Ambulance and Hospital Charity, which cited breach of trust as the reason for dismissal. This came after Thomas circulated a Charity Commission letter among the charity’s trustees which said some trustees had been wrongly removed. He was sacked thereafter.

The employment law tribunal heard that Mr Thomas was unfairly let go for making the disclosures. The claimant went on to explain that he had been assured that the removal of trustees was not illegal by the executive trustee’s chair Jenny Jarram, secretary Pat Holloway and treasurer Trevor Chalker.

The Charity Commission was already in the process of investigating the Cornwall Animal Ambulance and Hospital Charity before the controversy of Mr Thomas’s dismissal. Mr Thomas said that it was not long after joining the organisation that he discovered that the Charity Commission had not agreed with the removal of former trustees, and when Mr Thomas pursued the matter he was threatened by Chalker to ignore the commission or face the sack.

“Phrases along the lines of ‘if this information is spread to anyone else then you may be called in for disciplinary action’ [were uttered].

“It was quite clear if you circulate these emails you may lose your job.”

Mr Thomas contacted the six Trustees he believed to be those stuck off and was dismissed shortly afterward. But My Chalker claims he had been happy for Mr Chalker to speak to the commission.

He said: “We as the trustees acted in the best interest of the charity throughout this whole affair.

“As far as we’re concerned reporting the matter to the radio and screaming it from the roof tops has only one end result, which basically can cause great damage and harm to the charity, which we as the trustees certainly don’t want to see happen.”

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Law Rights, Legal Advice, Legal Services | No Comments »

Accident Claims Against Scottish Councils Pay Out After School Trip Accidents

October 17th, 2011 by Admin IQY

A pair of Scottish councils has been required to pay out a combined £7,000, in accident claims following an accident on school trips over the past two years.

Highland Council paid out just over £6300 between 2009 and March of this year in compensation claims, while Edinburgh City Council paid around £600 in compensation for the same period. However, it still has one claim outstanding.

These figures were uncovered using freedom of information requests, and were not accompanied by details regarding the nature of any of the injuries.

The compensation claim figures were published in a report by the Countryside Alliance Foundation called Teaching Children Outside the Classroom. The Foundation are calling for Scottish children to participate in more outdoor activities and learning after a report proved that parents had ‘strong support’ for such a programme.

A representative of the group, Ross Montague, said: “Our sister charity, the SCA Educational Trust, has always found pupils and teachers to be extremely enthusiastic when outdoor education opportunities are offered. Stumbling blocks are often put in the way, with parent and council anxieties over health and safety issues cited as reasons to avoid outdoor education.”

A total of 21 successful accident compensation claims, relating to accidents during school trips, were made against four councils within the two year period.

Seven accident claims were made against Highland Council alone, making it the most liable all of the councils, concerning school trips. Other councils accused against include North Ayrshire Council and Dumfries and Galloway Council. No compensation money was paid by either council during that time.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Law Rights, Legal Advice, Legal Services | No Comments »