Approach to costs
Solicitors at Humphreys & Co. always aim to approach
legal work in a financially-disciplined way. We offer
competitive rates. Our charging approach is both transparent
and geared to the options open to our clients. Our
solicitors generally charge by reference to time spent but
we can often agree fixed fees for specific work or in some
cases risk-adjusted funding structures.
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Send us a summary of your circumstances and objectives for a quick response. |
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employment
Compensation claims
Experienced
solicitors with a proven track record in
injury, accident and occupational
disease compensation
claims
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Obtain a proper level of compensation for your
injury or accident. The starting point is to talk
things through at no cost with one of our
experienced personal injury solicitors.
Whether you have suffered a physical or
psychological injury with long term or short term
effects, we have the skills and experience needed
to recover the maximum compensation you are
entitled to. Our team can offer the level of
expertise that only comes with individual
accreditation by the Law Society Personal Injury
Panel.
Personal
injuries, whatever the cause, can have
a devastating effect on the lives of
the victim and their family. The
trauma of a serious debilitating
injury should not be compounded by
needless financial suffering. If you
are less able to work as a result of
an injury, then you should be
recuperating with access to medical
care and support.
You
should not have to return to work
before you are fully recovered, even
if you are not going to receive sick
pay from your employer. Indeed, doing
so can aggravate and prolong an
injury. The financial compensation to
which you are entitled will not give
you back your health, but it will make
it easier to get back on your feet and
obtain the best possible treatment for
your condition without loss of
earnings.
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That is why we offer representation on a no win no fee
basis. We believe that justice should be available
to all and that no one should be left out of
pocket (win or lose) by pursuing a legitimate
claim for damages. If your claim is successful, we
will recover our costs from the other side. You
will retain 100%
of the compensation that we obtain
on
your behalf. In the unlikely event that it is
unsuccessful, there will be no fee to
pay.
Personal injury law
is complex, but by entrusting your case to us you
can ensure that you obtain the optimum result in a
reasonable period of time. We are fully
independent professionals, only interested in
obtaining the compensation that you deserve. There are
two types of compensation
potentially available for your
injury claim, known as special
and general damages. General
damages compensate you for the
injury itself (for example,
pain and suffering) and the
amount is set by the court.
Special damages compensate you
for actual financial losses
that you have incurred as a
result of the injury up to the
date of the court hearing.
This would include damage to
clothing and personal
belongings, the costs of
private medical care and the
costs of repairing a car or
hiring a
replacement.
There are
different time limits that
apply to claims for personal
injury. It is important to get
in touch with a solicitor as
soon as possible so that you
can stay on top of these. The courts
may extend time limits when
the circumstances of the case
require it, so if even if it has been
some time since your injury
occurred, please get in touch
and we can advise you as to
your
options.
Clients prefer our
independent approach & our sensitive,
personal case handling helps bring effective results
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What
can compensation be claimed
for?
Compensation
can be claimed for injuries
in many circumstances,
including:
- Accidents at
work
- Whiplash
injuries
- Slips, trips
&
falls
- Back injuries
- Industrial disease
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- Road traffic
accidents
- Fatal
accidents
- Construction
accidents
- Asbestos
&
mesothelioma
- Medical
negligence
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Go
direct and contact Humphreys
&
Co. for a no
cost, no obligation initial
assessment. This will
get
your claim off to the best possible
start and we will continue to
deliver a personalised service
until your claim is
resolved.
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NO WIN NO FEE is available
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Our clients keep 100% of their damages
with no deductions
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Workplace
accidents 'unreported' says
TUC
The most serious
accidents
can lead to death.
The TUC said more than
20,000 people were killed
prematurely by their work each
year. Union leaders have claimed
that many workplace accidents go
unreported, with an estimated 1.2
million people suffering from
work-related
illnesses.
It wants a health and
safety "tsar" appointed to help
prevent deaths caused by issues
such as occupational cancers,
exposure to fumes and road
accidents.
The government is
currently
reviewing health and safety
laws.
Speaking last December,
Prime Minister David Cameron said
the UK had become "saturated" by
health and safety
laws.
But a report by the TUC
said that legislation should not
be reduced, claiming the Britain
was far from the safest country to
work
in.
"Despite the way that
health and safety is often
pilloried, for those who are made
ill or injured at work and for the
relatives of those who have died
as a result of their work, health
and safety is no joke," said TUC
general secretary Brendan
Barber.
"Regulation works, as
long
as it is enforced, and it saves
lives and prevents the contraction
of unnecessary illnesses. That is
why the UK continues to need
strong regulation and
enforcement."
BBC Online
7.9.2010
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Some recent personal injury
cases:
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ANDREW HOWE v
(1)
WAYNE HOULTON (2) MARSHALL BARRY LTD (3)
NORWICH UNION INSURANCE LTD [2009] EWHC
3344 (QB)
The Claimant
had
been standing by his open car door,
reaching in to retrieve his mobile
phone, when he was hit by an articulated
lorry, causing severe injuries. He
remained unconscious for two months and
had both legs amputated.
The
Defendant had argued that
the Claimant had only opened
his car door in the seconds
before the collision, making
it unavoidable. He also
argued that oncoming traffic
meant that he was forced
into the path of the
Claimant. There were several
witnesses suggesting the
contrary, and both of these
claims were rejected.
The Defendant
had
argued that the
Claimant
had
only
opened
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his car
door in the
seconds before the
collision, making it
unavoidable.
He also argued
that oncoming traffic meant that he was
forced into the path of the Claimant.
There were several witnesses suggesting
the contrary, and both of these claims
were rejected.
A further argument raised was
that
the Claimant was at least partly to
blame because his car had been illegally
parked at the time, adjacent to a
pelican crossing. The Court rejected
this. The car was just as obvious to a
reasonable driver in its illegal
position as it would have been parked
legally a few metres
away.
The Court found that the main
issue regarding fault was whether the
Claimant should have seen the oncoming
lorry and taken steps to avoid it. It
was further found that when he checked
behind before reaching in for the mobile
phone, he could not have anticipated
that the lorry would shortly collide
with him and the car door. The accident
was therefore entirely due to the
negligence of the Defendant.
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GARY
THOMAS v ARRIVE TRAINS WALES LTD:
PAUL STUDHOLME v ARRIVA TRAINS
WALES LTD: BARRY PATRICK ROGAN v
ARRIVA TRAINS WALES LTD (CC
Swansea) (Judge Vosper QC 30
November 2009)
3
train drivers sought compensation
from their employer for carpal
tunnel syndrome and chronic
compartment syndrome, which they
claimed had been caused by
driving.
The
Defendant was required to put
itself in a position to eradicate
any bad or potentially harmful
driving styles among its
employees. It was also obligated
to carry out risk assessments in
respect of every aspect of its
staff’s work. Risk assessments
were not carried out by
appropriately trained individuals
to identify the risk entailed in
the act of driving the trains. The
Defendant was also in breach of
its obligation to provide adequate
health and safety information and
training.
Had the
risk assessment been carried out,
the Court found that a risk of
upper limb disorders would have
been identified. The carpal tunnel
syndrome developed by the
Claimants could have been avoided
by the installation of appropriate
seating and arm rests. This injury
claim therefore
succeeded.
The
aspect
of the claim relating to chronic
compartment syndrome was
unsuccessful. This was due to a
lack of medical evidence
supporting the argument that it is
a work-related
condition.
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LAURA MAY (A
Child by her Litigation Friend
CHRISTINE MAY) v LANCASHIRE TEACHING
HOSPITALS NHS TRUST [2009] EWHC 31
(QB)
The
Claimant
had suffered from curvature of the
spine when she was 11, due to
scoliosis. She underwent surgery to
correct this. The operation involved
the use of screws, hooks and rods to
improve the angle of her spine.
Sadly, as a result of the operation,
the Claimant became
paraplegic.
The
Defendant
argued that the paraplegia was
caused by manipulation of the spine
which took place after the metalwork
had been put in place. Had this been
the cause, the Defendant would not
have been found to be
negligent.
However, the
Claimant disputed that explanation
and claimed that the surgeon had
negligently inserted the screws,
causing one of them to compress her
spinal cord. The Court accepted that
it was more likely than not that the
paraplegia had been caused in this
way.
The
Court found that the NHS Trust had
been negligent for two reasons.
Firstly, the surgeon had failed to
make use of bi-planar imaging when
carrying out the operation,
despite only carrying out 5 or 6
such operations a year. Further,
the NHS Trust had failed to make
Spinal Cord Monitoring available.
This was despite requests from the
surgeon to make the facility
available, and despite the fact
that the facility is available at
the vast majority of treatment
centres.
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costs with our qualified solicitors
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Accessibility
We take instructions from UK & international clients. Our independent lawyers are available by email, telephone & fax. With central Bristol offices we are just 90 minutes from London by road or rail and 15 minutes from Bristol International Airport. We can travel to meetings if required.
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Independent approach
We are an independent professional law firm here, not a legal factory turning out mass-produced products. In our experience, determined case-handling is more likely to produce effective results.
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Turnaround time
Solicitors at Humphreys & Co. look to input not only
careful legal work and precision but also the determination
to keep matters moving. They aim to work in clients' real
interests with energy and pragmatism.
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Communication skills
Solicitors at Humphreys & Co. always try to open up the
legal process by giving advice and explaining options to
clients in a concise and straightforward way, identifying
clear courses of action whatever the technical or legal
complexities of the subject. |
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