Before beginning a claim for professional negligence, whether it is against an accountant, architect, solicitor, surveyor, or other specialist, you will have to consider some important questions. Only once you have done this will you be able to proceed with any level of confidence. Below is a guide to help you consider the key questions. Continue reading →

If you are considering the possibility of making a claim for professional negligence, the first thing we will do is ask you some basic questions about the details of your dispute. For example, there are strict time limits in place that mean it might not be possible for you to proceed if the claim has been time-barred. Alternatively, these time limits might make it imperative that you act without delay.

All information related to your dispute – including advice, dates, correspondence, fees paid to the professional etc – could be significant so once you have made your initial enquiry, it is vital that you pass every relevant piece of evidence to our team, however trivial it might seem. Continue reading →

For a small business the consequences of professional negligence can be financially debilitating, catastrophic even. Whether as the result of the substandard advice of an accountant, solicitor, architect or other professional, if a small business sustains monetary loss, it may wish to consider its potential for securing redress. Continue reading →

In 2013 the Jackson reforms were implemented across the UK legal system and they had a profound impact for some claimants wishing to seek compensation for professional negligence.

For example, whereas claimants had previously been able to rely on After The Event insurance and the right to recover their success fees from defendants, the reforms meant that they would have to pay increased upfront legal fees and would be unable to recover success fees.

This, inevitably, led to criticism that many deserving claimants – particularly those with relatively limited financial means – were being unfairly discouraged from seeking compensation for professional negligence. Continue reading →

Healys LLP is a team specialist professional negligence solicitors with offices in the legal districts of both London and Brighton – although we are able to represent claimants from all over the UK. Our solicitors specialise in many types of claims, including those against the following types of professional:

• Accountants
• Architects
• Auditors
• Barristers
• Claims management companies
• Construction contractors
• Conveyancers
• Financial advisers
• Lawyers
• Real estate agents
• Solicitors
• Surveyors
• Valuers

Continue reading →

Professionals can and sometimes do make mistakes. Sometimes these mistakes are relatively innocuous and lead to only minor or negligible inconvenience. However, in other instances, the ramifications might be serious and significant financial loss could be sustained.

If you have sustained financial loss as a result of professional negligence, Brighton and London lawyers Healys LLP can help you recover full sums for your losses. Continue reading →

Alternative means of dispute resolution are increasingly favoured by negligence professionals in London, with many lawyers now encouraging clients to take the path of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), arbitration, or mediation when pursuing claims. In fact, many courts, including the Technology and Construction Court have a positive view of this type of resolution, saving as it does on both costs and timely processes. Continue reading →

Any client who has sustained financial loss as a direct result of a professional’s negligent services could have a right to recover damages. However, in seeking to claim compensation, the client must prove to the courts that he or she took reasonable steps to mitigate the loss claimed for.

If you believe that you have suffered as a result of the negligent actions of a professional, such as a solicitor, accountant, tax advisor or surveyor, and that you have taken reasonable steps to mitigate that loss, contact Healys LLP today. Complete an online enquiry so that we can get back to you with advice and information relevant to your circumstances. Continue reading →

If you have been left out-of-pocket following solicitor service you believe to have been negligent, contact Healys LLP today for information about making a professional negligence claim. Continue reading →

When you instruct a professional negligence solicitor to proceed with a claim, whether it is against an accountant, lawyer, valuer, or other professional, you should remember that unless your case receives early out-of-court settlement, you will have to instruct an expert witness to give evidence in your claim.

However, although you might do the instructing, it is essential to remember that the expert’s obligation is owed not to you but to the court. As the Civil Procedure Rules state, this duty the expert owes to the court “overrides any obligation to the person from whom he has received instructions or from whom he is paid”.

Because the expert must be paid, litigants and their professional negligence solicitors should provide courts with a costs budget at an early stage in the claim process. As the Civil Procedure Rules make clear, this costs budget should “provide an estimate of the costs of the proposed expert evidence”. Continue reading →