tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-343423032024-03-13T08:56:57.234-07:00legal spy - UK law from the insideAn insiders view of the UK legal world - no holds barred discussion on topics that you want hear about. Law as youve never seen it before before.
Enough of the fluff - legalspy gives it to you straight!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-5689211206363537432015-08-07T10:15:00.002-07:002015-08-07T10:17:23.417-07:00Cancer survival rates in England are lower than they should be England seems to be lacking something when it comes to cancer care.
Our survival rates are shocking as compared to other comparable countries. Why is that..?
Late diagnosis has been blamed but the truth is that as long as errors are made we will have the support of medical negligence lawyers who win much needed compensation for families affected by bad medical advice.
Do not put up with bad Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-50064156477757488292015-02-25T04:27:00.003-08:002015-02-25T04:28:07.537-08:00Slater & Gordons to buy Quindell..?More news here on this unlikely marriage:
http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/practice/slater-and-gordon-no-offer-yet-put-to-quindell/5047002.article
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-31303250263377571602014-11-18T11:18:00.001-08:002014-11-18T11:19:07.336-08:00Legal Advice Online - for FREE...? Really??In an increasing trend law firms seem to be offering their services for virtually no cost in an attempt to engage with consumers and sell them something today tomorrow or sometime soon.
Maybe its an enticement to get people through the doors but you have to wonder how firms that do this actually make money.
I do like the wise old legal advice owl shown here though; www.online-legal-advice.co.ukUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-63959783902532957132014-11-18T11:12:00.000-08:002014-11-18T11:13:49.547-08:00Rob Terry steps down as chairman of QuindellFollowing a flurry of media activity aimed at explaining why Rob Terry and others borrowed money to buy back shares in Quindell, the man himself has quit. This has left many questions unanswered but one question did pop up on an FT.com blog post today.
What would the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) do if a firm like Quindell ever went under..?
They own law firms that manage up to 100,000 Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-5743571817297283162014-05-13T05:51:00.002-07:002014-05-13T05:51:37.768-07:00Quindell .. doubts emergeQuindell have been busy snapping up law firms (Silverbeck Rymer, Pinto Potts) and claims management companies (Accident Advice Helpline) during the last 2 years.
Their relentless march continued this year with a rumours they were looking for a clinical negligence firm, they were also said to be building a claims "factory" in Leeds.
If you were connected with them in any way you could look Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-25479806826418554052014-02-20T04:14:00.002-08:002014-02-20T04:14:43.036-08:00Sexual Abuse Legal Claims On the Increase
Sexual abuse claims soar following the Savile revelations
Personal injury firms have seen one growth area during the turmoil of recent years. Claims for sexual abuse compensation are soaring after the recent publicity given to Jimmy Savile and other high profile individuals.
Lawyers are dealing with an increase in enquiries as victims are spurred on by the openness surrounding the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-41073589836445201782013-11-25T03:52:00.000-08:002013-11-25T03:53:18.939-08:00
Walker Morris to close their PI department inside 12 months
Rather shocking news given the size of this firm and their history in the growth of the personal injury market. WM Solicitors are (it is reported) to shut their PI unit inside 12 months and will also be closing / selling their website Distinctly Legal to concentrate on "core services".
This will surprise many in the industry but Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-56778778396387420092013-10-03T01:47:00.004-07:002013-10-03T01:47:25.959-07:00
LASPO - Six Months On
It’s exactly six months since the
controversial reforms to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders
Act 2012 came into effect on the 1st of April. Now that the dust has
settled, what do industry figures really
think of the changes, and what does the future have in store for the personal
injury sector?
Find out what prominent industry figures
Tim Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-10042356597144556512013-05-03T01:53:00.000-07:002013-05-03T01:53:04.087-07:00Personal Injury Referral Fee Ban
From the 1st April 2013 it is now illegal for a law firm to buy or sell personal injury referrals / leads in order to generate profit.
The official word from the SRA is here for those who havent read the prohibitive instrument in all its glory:
The personal injury referral business is worth hundreds of millions of pounds - or rather it used to be.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-44477336029557434582013-05-01T08:01:00.001-07:002013-05-01T08:01:01.348-07:00The end of the personal injury world as we know it
....and I dont feel fine
For those old enough to recall that lyric you may well have enjoyed a halcyon period as a personal injury lawyer but it seems that our world is changing forever any time soon.
Not content with the big hit on reforming the fee structure and banning referrals, the government now seem intent on hitting the small claims Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-2994670473807402962013-03-10T14:19:00.002-07:002013-03-10T14:19:53.169-07:00From April 2013 the personal injury world as we know it - changes forever
After months of jousting and posturing, during which time LegalSpy has kept his counsel, the fat lady has finally sung on the subject of the personal injury reforms.
From April this year the following rules come in:
Claimants must pay for their own insurance to protect them in any legal proceedings. Previously the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-38754144066795248212013-01-16T13:56:00.005-08:002013-01-16T14:07:17.842-08:00PPI Radio Ad Banned for Using Scare Tactics
Without fail, every time we switch the radio on, our ears will be filled with the words “PPI” and “claims”, and not without good reason – you should reclaim what’s rightfully yours, it’s your money.
But what about when companies take it too far to get your attention?
PPI specialists Payment Protection Partnership recently took it a little too Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-36131898447408553362013-01-15T03:09:00.003-08:002013-01-15T03:09:58.541-08:00
Cerebral palsy sufferer keeps NHS payout
A Leeds family are celebrating after winning an appeal court hearing brought by the NHS. The case in my view illustrates all that is wrong with the approach taken by the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) when defending claims against the medical profession.
Nathan Popple was awarded compensation of £5.5m by the High Court after he suffered devastating Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-82292109399520848782012-11-18T11:48:00.003-08:002012-11-18T11:50:12.357-08:00
HSE Statistics for 2011
New annual Heath and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics have been published in relation to workplace health and safety.
On 31 October 2012 the figures were announced for the period April 2011 to March 2012. Numbers of fatal and serious injury incidents appear to be falling.
Some of the key findings are as follows:
173 workers were fatally injured. This is down Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-14111047057979848422012-09-27T09:00:00.000-07:002012-09-27T09:02:58.277-07:00
Big changes are coming to the medical negligence sector in England and Wales
Most people believe that legal aid is the last bastion of hope for people in the UK who need legal help and cannot afford it. That would indeed be a fair assumption to make because legal aid has long since provided an outlet to those on the breadline who deserve justice whether this be for a criminal or civilUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-91085018618177126732012-09-14T05:54:00.002-07:002012-09-14T05:54:20.506-07:00Admiral make £24.5m per annum on referral fees
Admiral, the well known UK insurer recently confirmed it rakes in £24.5 million in fees from solicitors who buy personal injury referrals from their vast accident network. This astonishing sum amounted to 25% of their revenues for 2011.
Now given that referral fees are being banned from April 2013 in the personal injury field, what will become Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-53883344281704276842012-07-17T07:37:00.001-07:002012-09-02T12:57:19.572-07:00Ministry of Justice report on the RTA claims process
Interesting report just published by our friends at the MOJ who are obviously determined to emphasise the success of the RTA Portal that has been set up to deal with road accident personal injury claims.
The findings, which one can only assume are slanted in favour of the portal system, to a large extent suggest only a modest outcome on the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-27107378817322687722012-06-20T06:39:00.000-07:002012-09-02T12:56:42.560-07:00The future of whiplash claims management in the UK
As discussed in earlier dispatches the government is taking the subject of compensation claims seriously at the moment. The firm belief is that we are a nation of "claimers" and complainers for which we have been branded Europes most litigious nation. Rather odd given that our nearest neighbours the French tend to sue at the drop of a hat Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-40580729389774058872012-05-03T08:01:00.003-07:002012-09-02T13:02:39.240-07:00
Insurer led government "crackdown" on whiplash claims
The big legal news this week concerned the so called crackdown on fraudulent whiplash claims which according to some observers, costs the average motorist £90 per year in extra premiums.
I have no problem with insurers going on the attack where fraud is concerned. The term "crash for cash" is commonly heard nowadays but this concept Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-18327760348985951342012-04-29T10:16:00.003-07:002012-04-29T10:16:51.953-07:00
Whiplash claim assault
This week will see a scathing assault on the whiplash claim industry as more and more insurers are seeking to clamp down on the so called compensation culture.
Insurers are developing ways to combat the surge in claims by reverting to superior diagnostic techniques that rule out possible time wasters.
More to follow later in the week as the announcements hit the press.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-3197887656764599822012-03-29T14:18:00.002-07:002012-03-29T14:18:29.975-07:00Legal Aid bill defeated in the Lords
Good news for personal injury lawyers is thin on the ground right now but this week saw a glimmer of hope for an industry that at times feels literally as though it is under siege.
The Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke has suffered a setback in his efforts to cut £350m off the legal aid budget as his controversial reforms were defeated in the House of Lords.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-9221971309794270772012-02-12T12:00:00.002-08:002012-03-29T14:28:27.981-07:00The PIP scandal and the role of the MHRA
A barrister friend of mine recently put together a paper which discussed the PIP implant debacle which has begun to unfold into one of the great medical scandals to hit the UK in recent times. Cosmetic surgery negligence can be hard to prove in many cases but the facts surrounding the PIP story are truly staggering.
My friend wrote:
The latest scandal to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-58414018069436095182012-01-29T11:27:00.002-08:002012-04-07T14:20:02.421-07:00PM attacks No win No fee lawyers
Our dear old Prime Minister this week decided to have a go at us No win No fee folk by promising to cut legal costs on all personal injury claims below £25,000 in value.
The plan broadly is to bump all non road accident related claims into a portal or computerised system which will mirror the current RTA system. Costs on RTA claims have been cut back Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-41961224164853862262011-12-06T06:00:00.001-08:002012-03-29T14:21:22.033-07:00Patient safety - new measures to inform the public about mortality rates
I am heavily involved in clinical negligence claims and something that always staggers me is the blissful ignorance that the general public have regarding just how dangerous hospitals can be. Most people genuinely believe that hospitals set high standards that are adhered to rigidly so far as care and quality of service is Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342303.post-78133548932899973762011-10-21T10:50:00.002-07:002012-04-07T14:18:54.234-07:00
Clinical Negligence Claims: The threat posed by reform
The Law Society recently published a response to the much heralded No win No fee "reforms" being forced through by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). One of the more worrying aspects of the proposed reforms is the suggestion that legal aid will no longer be allowed for any clinical negligence cases. This puts the clinical claims in the same Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0