Integrum Law

Low Speed = No Injury?

2012-05-24T06:42:00.001-07:00

Many people believe that you can only sustain a whiplash injury if you have been involved in a high speed collision, indeed many insurance companies will argue that this is the case. The truth is that it is not the case at all. Whiplash injuries can occur in a number of ways and there are many factors, not just the speed at which a vehicle is travelling, which can have an effect. The main determining factor as to whether or not a whiplash injury is suffered is the impact to the body during a collision. These types of injury are caused when the head and neck are forcefully thrown backwards and forwards causing the soft-tissues in the neck to be stretched beyond their normal range of movements. Although it is possible for a whiplash injury to be sustained in most road traffic collisions it commonly occurs as a result of one vehicle colliding with the rear of another vehicle, often when that vehicle is stationary or moving slowly in a queue of traffic. Even when a collision occurs at very low speeds injuries can still be caused, although expert opinion differs widely some experts believe that injury can occur in collisions at speeds as low as 5 miles per hour. There are a number of factors which also need to be taken into account such as the relative size of the vehicles involved, the efficiency of the bumpers on both vehicles, whether the vehicles brakes had been applied and the positions of both vehicles in the road. Moreover because whiplash is a “personal injury” it very much depends upon the individual and so factors such as their seating position at the time of the collision and whether they were aware of an impending collision can all have an effect. It is entirely possible for one person to be injured whilst another in the same vehicle is not. At Integrum Law we know that no two claims are the same and so we treat all of our clients as individuals and all of their injuries as unique. That is why we are different, so if you have had been involved in an accident give us a call, visit our offices or complete the form on our website.

Government pushes ahead with reforms despite opposition

2012-05-24T06:40:00.001-07:00

In recent months many in the legal profession have expressed concern about the government’s plans for a radical reform the civil legal system. However lawyers have a vested interest so, perhaps, they are bound to object to any changes which will adversely affect them. However when you look at the concerns expressed by some top judges as well as respected consumer groups like the Consumers Association and the Access to Justice Action Group as well as several charities representing accident victims you would expect the government to look seriously at those concerns. So why has the government simply brushed aside all concerns? The proposals, which will see injured people deprived of compensation they should receive, will undoubtedly benefit the financial services industry and in particular the insurance industry. It appears to be no coincidence that the Conservative Party receives over half of its funding from the City. In fact in 2010-11 the Conservatives received £6.27m from the Financial Services industry including £190,000 direct from the Insurance Industry. Additionally any donations of £50,000 or more entitle the payer a face to face meeting with the Prime Minister. So how many meetings with Mr Cameron did representatives of the Financial Services industry attend and what did they discuss? The weather or ways to increase their profits? Those groups who represent accident victims have not donated to the Conservative Party and so haven’t been invited to Number 10. Is this really how decisions should be made in a democracy? Added to issue of donations is the fact that Jonathan Djanogly, the Parliamentary Under-secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice responsible for pushing this legislation through, was forced (after it was exposed by the Guardian) to declare an interest in the insurance industry. Djanogly has at least £250,000 in shares in companies with insurance subsidiaries and is a member of his family's Lloyds underwriting partnership that deals in accident, health and motor claims. He has been entitled to £41,000 a year from that partnership. Is he really the right man to be dealing with this legislation? The fact that the government is determined to push these reforms through regardless of the reasonable concerns raised suggests that they are more interested in filling party coffers and lining their own pockets than in seeing accident victims properly compensated.

Rising Insurance Premiums

2012-03-07T01:22:00.000-08:00

According to the insurance industry motor insurance premiums are rising because of the cost of personal injury claims. Not only are the insurers lobbying the government about the costs of accident claims many insurance companies have a policy of blaming “no win no fee” when they increase premiums.

So are personal injury costs rising and is this to blame for increased premiums?
The truth is that over the last few years a series of agreements and changes to the rules have introduced a number of new procedures to cut the costs of accident claims.

So if insurers are “having to” raise premiums now, have they been losing money?
It doesn’t appear to be the case. Looking at some of the UK’s leading insurers they are all making a healthy profit and we are not seeing news stories about insurance companies closing or going out of business, despite the recession.

In fact the latest accounts which are available are for 2010 when Aviva made worldwide profits of £2.55 billion of which £2,834 million were generated in the UK. That same year Admiral made profits of £266 million whilst RSA made profits of £598 million.

At the same time Aviva recently announced a deal to spend £20 million sponsoring the Rugby Union Premiership whilst their chief executive has a very generous salary of £925,000 per year. Both Aviva and RSA also have sports sponsorship deals and the chief executive of RSA is paid a generous £800,000 per year.
So the insurance industry has money to spend and fat cat bosses so why do premiums need to rise?

Many think that the insurers are deliberately raising premiums to bring attention to and justify their complaints about personal injury claims. Whilst this might be a cynical view there does not seem to be any other obvious explanation.

Still Not Made a Will?

2011-12-01T02:57:00.000-08:00

Every year in the UK a third of those who die have not made a will, this means that dealing with their estates can be more costly, more complex and can take longer than if they had taken the simple step of making a will.

Where a person dies without a will they are described as intestate, this means that their estate is dealt with in accordance with legal rules rather than the persons wishes. This can have unexpected consequences as the law does not necessarily recognise unmarried couples or children who although not a person’s child might have been raised by that person. Similarly couples who have been separated for many years but never divorced are treated as if they were still together. This can often mean that people who the deceased would not want to benefit from their death do benefit and those who they would want to benefit do not.

Worse still if the person has no will and no immediate family members there is a chance that their estate could fall within the bona vacantia rules. Bona Vacantia, which literally means vacant goods, is the system whereby the government takes control of unclaimed estates, if no beneficiary is found then the entire estate is taken by the government.

If an estate becomes bona vacantia it is published on a list by the government’s legal department, the Treasury Solicitor. This list is then poured over by “heir hunters” who try and find beneficiaries for the estates. These companies, one of which has featured in the BBC television series Heir Hunters, will often take up to 40% of the value of the estate in fees.

So for the relatively small cost of making a will you can ensure that your wishes are carried out and avoid additional costs associated with intestacy or, worse still, bona vacantia.

Pre-Medical Offers

2011-11-10T08:03:00.000-08:00

It is becoming increasingly common for some insurance companies to attempt to settle personal injury claims before medical evidence is obtained. The offers which they make are called “pre-medical offers”.

For the insurance companies this means that they save money because they do not have to pay for an injured person to be examined by a medical expert.
For the innocent accident victim it means that they get a compensation payment quickly, with some claims being settled in just a few weeks, but there are risks associated with this type of offer.

When a medical expert provides a report it not only deals with the injuries which the injured person is aware of but also injuries which they are unaware of or injuries which have not yet become apparent. One common situation is when an expert suggests that an accident has made it more likely that an accident victim will suffer from arthritis or osteoporosis and so is more likely to develop health problems in the future.

The risk in accepting an offer like this is that it may not reflect the pain, suffering and loss of amenity which the injured person is likely to suffer and so they will be under compensated.

Martyn Brown, solicitor at Integrum Law comments “We always advise against settling injury claims before a medical report is obtained because there is no way of knowing how serious an injury may be without advice from a medical professional. However pre-medical offers are becoming increasingly common, particularly in road traffic accident claims”.

Compensation Culture

2011-10-07T04:36:00.001-07:00

As the Government plan to ban “No Win No Fee” agreements their plans have been attacked from an unexpected source.

The Government say that their ban aims to tackle our nation’s “”Compensation Culture” however all of the research and statistics shows that, whilst many believe that the UK has a “Compensation Culture”, the truth is that we do not and people are not making any more claims for compensation than they ever have in the past.

Despite this, having come under pressure from big business, the Government has announced that it intends to ban so called “No Win No Fee” arrangements whereby lawyers pursue claims without asking their clients to pay legal fees up front.

Lawyers have long argued that the system is fair because it allows ordinary members of the public to challenge big corporations with deep pockets however these concerns have, largely, been ignored.

Now the family of Milly Dowler have spoken out in support of the system. They say that the planned changes would have stopped them seeking compensation from News International. They say that without the “No Win No Fee” system they "would not have been able to start a case or even threaten it".

Interestingly this story received little publicity because the media, who help promote the myth of a “Compensation Culture”, support the government’s proposals. This is not surprising when ordinary members of the public can use it to seek redress against the powerful press.

So the government now has to decide whether it wants to ban a system which big business, insurance companies and media barons oppose or leave it in place to help ordinary people seek redress.

Court award damages for two footed flying tackle

2011-09-16T07:05:00.000-07:00

Wirral solicitors, Integrum Law, recently succeeded in recovering damages for an amateur footballer who was injured whilst playing in a local league.

The player, whose side was wining 5-1 at the time, was subjected to a flying two footed tackle in the 78th minute of the game. The offending player was immediately shown a red card and sent off. He was later fined by the league and forced to serve a period of suspension.

However the tackle resulted in the injured player suffering fractures to both of the bones in his lower leg and he required surgery to insert pins into the damaged bones.

On his behalf, Integrum Law brought a claim against the opposing player and his club, the claim was defended and came to trial in the Liverpool County Court on 30th and 31st August 2011. At the trial the opposing player claimed that he had made a clean tackle and made no contact with the injured player. He also claimed that the referee was wrong to send him off and only did so because of complaints from the injured players team.

Numerous witnesses were called to give evidence, including the referee, and at the conclusion the judge agreed with the injured players version of events and awarded him substantial damages.

Commenting on the case Martyn Brown, the solicitor who conducted the case, said “This claim should serve as a warning to anybody participating in sports at any level that whilst injuries do happen, when those injuries are caused by serious foul play the courts are prepared to award compensation”.

UNINSURED DRIVERS

2011-08-23T05:57:00.000-07:00

As the cost of motor insurance increases, particularly for young male drivers, it is now estimated that as many as 2 million drivers might not have insurance.

As a result we are often asked by clients to deal with injuries they have suffered in accidents involving uninsured vehicles.

If you are hit by an uninsured driver you can still make a claim which will be dealt with by the Motor Insurers Bureau in basically the same way as a claim against an insured driver. The MIB was established in 1946 to compensate the victims of uninsured and untraced motorists. Every Insurer who provides motor insurance contributes to its funding and it is estimated that this adds £30.00 to every insurance premium.

If you yourself are uninsured and are injured in an accident which is not your fault, whilst you may be liable for criminal prosecution, you can still make a claim because the accident was not your fault and the absence of insurance is not a relevant factor.

Similarly if you are travelling in a vehicle which, unbeknownst to you, is not insured you can still claim compensation if you are injured in an accident. Whether the accident was the fault of the driver of your vehicle or another vehicle does not matter.

The MIB also operates a separate scheme which applies to untraced drivers. If you are involved in an accident which was the fault of a driver who is untraced; because, for example, they made off from the scene or failed to stop; you can still make a claim which will be dealt with by the MIB.

Claims of this type can be complicated and difficult to pursue so if you have been involved in a claim like this contact a firm of solicitors with experience of handling these types of claims.

Government May Give Incentive to Charity Legacies

2011-07-18T07:12:00.000-07:00

The government, through HM Revenue and Customs, is consulting on changes to the Inheritance Tax regime to encourage more people to leave legacies to charities in their wills.

The proposed change would see the rate of Inheritance Tax reduced from 40% to 36% to anybody who leaves more than 10% of their net estate to charity.
Martyn Brown, solicitor at Integrum Law, comments:-

If anybody is thinking that this new scheme might be a way of avoiding Inheritance Tax they are going to be disappointed. Somebody whose net estate is worth £500,000 would have to leave charitable legacies of £50,000 to save Inheritance Tax of £27,00and so, aside from the charity benefiting, there is no real saving.

However, anybody already considering making a will and leaving charitable gifts needs to be aware of this provision, and if, for example, they were planning on leaving charitable legacies amounting to approximately 8% of their net worth they may want to consider increasing this amount to bring them within the scheme.

Similarly anybody who has already made a will leaving monies to charity may wish to review their will and consider whether to increase any charitable gifts to take advantage of this scheme.

Of course this proposal is still only at the consultation stage and a lot could happen before it becomes law, but anybody thinking of making charitable donations in their will or with such donations in their existing will should watch what happens to this proposal.

Not happy with your solicitor?

2011-06-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

We are often contacted by people who have been injured in accidents on the road and when they have reported the accident to their insurers they have been persuaded to use their solicitors.

Often they are told that it will be “quicker” or “easier” to use their solicitors or that they only recommend solicitors who they are happy will provide a good service.

The truth is that insurance companies sell claims to the solicitors willing to pay the most.

Sometime later the injured person will contact us because things are not going as they hoped.

We are frequently told:

“I’m fed up – they are so slow”
“They won’t speak to me when I ‘phone”
“They send me long letters that I don’t understand”
“The person I speak to is just “a kid” and doesn’t seem to know what they are doing”
“They are on the other side of the country and I can’t get to see them”
“My case has been passed around – every time I ‘phone I get a different person”
“They are just in the insurance company’s pocket”

We will discuss the issues and give free impartial advice, if we think it will help we might suggest that they change solicitors but sometimes we advise against it.
The important thing to remember is that everybody has an absolute right to change solicitors and to appoint a solicitor of their own choice.

So if you aren’t happy with a solicitor that somebody else has selected for you, call us now. There is something that you can do about it.

Text Messages are Wrong.

2011-05-26T03:15:00.000-07:00

I recently received an anonymous a text telling me that “you are entitled to £3,760.00 for your accident”.

This surprised me because I wondered how whoever sent it knew what level of compensation I should receive but more importantly I am one of those lucky people who have never been involved in an accident!

I discovered that the text originated from a claims management company who are sending out hundreds (if not thousands) of texts on the basis that somebody who receives one might have had an accident. Claims management companies are businesses that “farm” accident claims and then sell them on to solicitors; the people who run them are usually not solicitors and normally have no legal qualifications.

The texts are not only misleading, because if you have had an accident the amount you are entitled to depends upon your injuries, but they are also a breach of the rules under which claims management companies operate.

Texts sent out indiscriminately could be sent out to the elderly, the vulnerable or children; worse still a text could be sent to somebody who has suffered a serious life-changing injury who is likely to find it distressing to be told that they are entitled to “£3,760.00” when they might actually be entitled to much more.

My advice, if you receive a text, is to ignore it and to give any company that operates in this sort of way a wide berth. If you have been injured in an accident consult a local solicitor who specialises is accident claims.

Government Proposals Could Mean Accident Victims Lose Out

2011-03-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Ministry of Justice announced this week that it would be consulting on major reforms to the way “no win no fee” claims operate.

Under the current arrangements, which have been in place for over a decade, a person who makes a successful claim is entitled to have all of their costs and expenses paid by the losing party. So a man injured at work because of sloppy health and safety can sue his employer knowing that it will not cost him a penny to bring a claim.

If the proposals set out by the government in its consultation - Solving Disputes in the County Courts – are made law; this will change.

The Government proposes that in future when an accident victim brings a successful claim some of the damages they receive for their injuries will go towards their legal costs.

Not surprisingly many lawyers who represent accident victims are disappointed by the proposals. Martyn Brown, solicitor at Integrum Law commented “Damages for pain and suffering in England and Wales are not the most generous, particularly when compared to countries like the USA, yet the government proposes to take some of those damages away from innocent accident victims”.

Martyn adds “these proposals are the government’s response to pressure from big businesses who blame the so-called ‘compensation culture’ despite the fact that all research shows that it is a myth. The government also points to rising insurance premiums but ignores the fact that insurance companies continue to report massive profits and wrongly blame ‘no win no fee’ for their increased premiums”.

Insurance Industry’s Caught Selling Claims

2011-03-12T09:44:00.000-08:00

As reported by the BBC the Insurance Industry has been caught out this week making a mockery of its complaints about the UK’s alleged “Compensation Culture”.

For many years the Insurance Industry has been blaming its increased insurance premiums on “Compensation Culture” and has been lobbying the government to reform the “no win no fee” system used by lawyers.

Insurers want some of the compensation awarded to innocent victims to be used to pay their legal costs, saving the insurers money but depriving those injured in accidents of compensation they deserve. This despite the fact that insurance company profits continue to rise, with UK based insurer Aviva showing pre-tax profits of £2.4 billion for 2010, an increase of over a third on the previous year.

The truth is that government data shows that there is no compensation culture; advertising has, however, made people more aware of some of the companies dealing with accident claims.
What has now been revealed however is that Insurance companies are actually encouraging accident claims, the very thing they complain about, by selling accident details to lawyers. The Transport Select Committee, in its report on the cost of motor insurance, has criticised the insurance industry for this practice.

The report notes that “Fees range on average from £200 to £1,000 per referral and there can be several referrals in relation to a single insurance claim”.

The committee wants the Insurance Industry to clean up its act and concludes. “We look to the insurance industry to implement a more transparent regime for referral fees by the end of next year”.

In the meantime it is hoped that they may stop complaining about the mythical “compensation culture” and stop lobbying the government to punish innocent victims of accidents.

The Importance of Making a Will

2011-03-09T08:46:00.000-08:00

It has always been important to make a will but modern life makes it even more important than ever.

Where a person leaves a will, on their death their affairs are dealt with by the person they have appointed and their estate is distributed and dealt with in accordance with their wishes.

However when a person dies without a will, or intestate, this is not the case. Rules dictate who administers their estate and who gets what. Unfortunately these intestacy rules were largely written many years ago and do not reflect many of the features of modern life.

It was not that long ago that most couples in a long term relationship were married. Whilst the law does now recognise civil partnerships it does not recognise couples who live together without going through a marriage or civil partnership. Contrary to popular belief in the eyes of the law there is no such thing as a “common law” husband or wife.

It is possible that somebody who has been part of a couple who have lived together for say 40 years but never married will not inherit under their partner’s estate if there is no will. Indeed the main beneficiary of the estate could be a distant relative.

As our lives and relationships become more complicated so the likelihood of problems caused by intestacy become greater. Those likely to suffer are unmarried couples or same-sex couples who have not entered into a civil partnership or children who parents have remarried but not made provision for them in their wills. Similarly somebody who has been married, has separated but has never divorced could leave everything to their former spouse whether they want to or not. Their new partner or their children may get nothing.

Similarly the law recognises adopted children; but were somebody treats their partner’s children as if they were their own but without adopting them, they will not be recognised by the rules.

In short the rules recognise marriage, civil partnership, divorce and adoption but where people act in the same way without going through the formal process, as often happens, the law will not recognise these situations.

The intestacy rules take no account of our personal relationships so a long lost relative could benefit despite the fact that somebody has been cared or lived with somebody not related to them for many years.

The answer to these dilemmas and more is simple, make a will.

Can’t Take It With You

2011-02-09T05:55:00.000-08:00

The BBC programme "Can't Take It With You" (Friday, BBC2, 9pm) highlights some of the issues people face when making their wills.

In the series Sir Gerry Robinson helps families torn over what to write in their wills and discusses why people put off making decisions about their wills.
Many of those featured in the show can’t agree on what to put in their wills so do nothing instead. Unfortunately this means that they will die intestate, i.e. without a will.

Martyn Brown, solicitor at Wirral firm, Integrum Law commented “many people are reluctant to make a will because they don’t want to think about it or they think they will get around to it one day. However there are others who don’t make their will because they don’t know how to achieve what they want or how to address difficult situations.

The answer is for them to speak to a solicitor who will be able to advise them on what they can or cannot do and may be able to suggest solutions to their dilemmas”.
In one episode of the programme a couple had put off dealing with their wills for 10 years because they could not agree how to deal with one of their children. They met a solicitor, discussed the options and then, after speaking to their children, were able to resolve their disagreement easily. Their wills were drawn up and signed.
Martyn adds, “the worst thing to do is to do nothing because you are likely to die intestate and therefore your affairs will be dealt with according to legal rules rather than in accordance with your personal wishes”.

Retirement Age Scrapped

2011-01-21T01:39:00.000-08:00

The government announced last week that from 1 October this year the default retirement age will be scrapped.

This means that employees who reach 65 years of age and are still capable of doing their job must be allowed to continue working. Nobody aged over 65 will be forced out of the workplace on the grounds of age alone, but will have to be dismissed for the same reasons as people under 65.

The government says that employees will benefit from choosing when and why they retire, while also benefiting the economy by paying tax and national insurance for longer.

However employers will be able to reduce expenditure by excluding staff aged 65 or over from company benefits, such as life and medical insurance, if the premiums become too expensive.

The move has been welcomed by employers who consider that scrapping the DRA will give them access to wider recruitment pools and help them retain the corporate memory. Research has also shown that mixed-age work teams bring increased customer satisfaction.

However employers who still expect staff to retire automatically at 65 may find themselves facing employment tribunal claims.

Martyn Brown, principal solicitor at Integrum Law commented “Any employers wanting to shed staff aged over 65 can no longer rely on their age, instead it is now up to employers to make a proper business case for retirement”.

Accidents Highlight Need for Caution Over Reforms

2011-01-05T06:58:00.000-08:00

As a recent government report criticises what it calls this country’s “compensation culture” two tragic local cases demonstrate why taking care of workers health and safety is still so important.

In Runcorn 54-year-old Alan Catterall died after becoming trapped in an oven at a canoe factory in Cheshire. Mr Catterall from Murdishaw was cleaning machinery at Pyranha Mouldings in Runcorn. He was discovered in the oven on 23rd December.
The same day a 39-year-old man was killed while working at Gaskells Waste Services in Kirkdale, Merseyside.

In October 2010 Lord Young , who later resigned because of comments made in an interview, released a review of workplace health and safety in the UK called "Common Sense Common Safety". Many commentators feel that some of Lord Young’s proposals could set back workplace health and safety at a time when workers are still losing their lives.

Personal Injury solicitor, Martyn Brown, commented “the government has latched onto the idea that we have a ‘compensation culture’ in this country when in fact workplace accidents are falling. Despite this the government want to do away with vital protection for workers which I fear will just lead to more tragedies like those in Runcorn and Kirkdale. The government need to think very carefully before rushing into any reforms based on the myth of a ‘compensation culture’”.

Integrum Law Opening Times

2010-12-21T06:40:00.000-08:00

We will be closed from 5pm on 24 December 2010
and will re-open on Tuesday 4 January 2011 at 9am

Please note that whilst our office is closed we will still be able to deal with e-mail enquiries and telephone calls.

What can you get for £99.00?

2010-11-25T07:18:00.000-08:00

A well known fast food chain advertises its menu by asking “What can you get for 99p?” but what can you get for £99.00?

Obviously you can get a lot of burgers, 33 Big Macs with 33p change to be precise.
You can also get a mobile ‘phone (but not the latest model), a complete Premier League replica kit – with your favourite player’s name on the back, 9 days parking at Liverpool One or you can make a will with Integrum Law.

Our single wills cost £99 plus VAT and should last you a lifetime. If you are half of a couple we will prepare two wills for £149.00 plus VAT (or £74.50 each).
Making a will is quick and cheap but it can save your loved ones a lot of time and money.

Proper estate planning can save you money on Inheritance Tax whilst even the simplest will can help prevent expensive disputes after your death.

A will not only decides who receives your money and assets but can also make provision for your children, your pets and your precious personal items, giving you peace of mind about the future after you are gone.
So what is it to be?

33 burgers or peace of mind for you and your loved ones?

Integrum Law participate in Will Aid 2010

2010-11-16T06:37:00.000-08:00

Wirral solicitors Integrum Law are currently participating in the 2010 Will Aid campaign which is running during the month of November.

Will Aid is a partnership between solicitors and nine UK charities. The solicitors will draw up basic wills free of charge and in return will ask for a donation of the fee that they would have charged to be made to the Will Aid charities.

The money raised is shared between the participating charities which include NSPCC, Save the Children, British Red Cross and Help the Aged.

Martyn Brown, principal solicitor at Integrum Law said “We are delighted to be involved in the Will Aid scheme, everybody should have a will and this scheme encourages people to make a will whilst helping some very worthwhile charities”.

If you wish to take advantage of the scheme contact Integrum Law during November.

Recommendation Success

2010-11-04T02:48:00.000-07:00

Just over a year ago Integrum Law launched its “Recommend a Friend” scheme as a way of thanking its existing clients for recommending its services to accident victims.

A year on and the scheme has proved to be very popular with clients old and new.

When a client knows somebody who has had an accident and they recommend them to Integrum Law that client receives £150.00 once the claim has been accepted and liability admitted, it really is that straight forward.

The payment is made in cash, by cheque or direct to the client’s bank account, not in vouchers like is sometimes the case. The £150.00 is not a payment on account nor is it deducted from the damages and is the client’s to keep regardless of the outcome of the case.

Martyn Brown, principal solicitor at Integrum Law, explains how the scheme came about. “Because of the high levels of client care that we offer; our clients have often been happy to recommend us to their friends, family or workmates so we wanted a way of thanking them for doing that”.

In addition any client who has recommended a friend can rest assured that their friend will receive an excellent service from the firm.

Since the scheme started in 2009 the firm has received many recommendations from satisfied clients and now clients who were recommended to the firm are recommending their friends and benefiting from the scheme.

Martyn concludes “We say to all of our clients that if they know somebody who has been injured in an accident, they just need to ask them to give us a ring or call into our offices and we will do the rest.”

Claims Management Companies - Explained

2010-10-27T03:53:00.000-07:00

Solicitors have been around for a long time but in recent years a new type of organisation has grown up – claims management companies.

But what are they and what do they do?

Claims Management Companies, or Claims Farmers as they are sometimes called, are companies who act as intermediaries between accident victims and solicitors handling their accident claims. These companies are not solicitors and are not subject to the same level of regulation as solicitors. Despite this they are often listed under “solicitors” in search engines and some try their best to look like solicitors by using names that sound like solicitors firms.

There have been some high profile companies like “Accident Group” and “Claims Direct” who have run into problems and had to close creating difficulties for their clients because, unlike solicitors, these companies were not required to carry professional indemnity insurance cover.

What they do is to simply sell on claims to solicitors – often to the highest bidder and often to a solicitor who is not local to the client.

Martyn Brown, principal solicitor at Integrum Law, comments “In my opinion Claims Managers add absolutely nothing to the claims process, they often expect to receive high fees for simply passing claims on and there is no reason at all why clients cannot instruct solicitors direct”.

Although the government recently brought in a system to regulate Claims Management Companies, many in the legal profession feel that they are quite simply unnecessary and should be outlawed. It has also been suggested that solicitors firms who pay these companies for claims have to cut costs to make end meet thereby having an adverse on the quality of their service.

Martyn adds “Integrum Law does not deal with Claims Managers, we do not see our clients as a commodity to be bought and sold. Our advice to anybody who has suffered an injury is to come direct to a local solicitor who specialises in personal injury claims and cut out the unnecessary middleman”.

Why Integrum Law?

2010-10-14T03:09:00.000-07:00

There are many firms of solicitors based locally or all over the county so why choose Integrum?

We are a local specialist firm of solicitors with a small but experienced team we treat all of our clients as individuals but at the same time make maximum use of technology to ensure that cases progress as quickly as they possibly can.
Many of our clients come to us having previous experience very large firms of solicitors and here are some of their complaints:-

“I can’t see anybody if I call into their office”.
- You are always welcome to call in at Integrum and we are open on Saturdays too.

“When I telephone I speak to a call centre”
- At Integrum we don’t use call centres – when you call somebody familiar with your case will usually answer the ‘phone.

“They send me letters that I don’t understand”.
- The legal process can be complicated but at Integrum we try to explain things in language you can understand. But if you are not sure about something – just ask.

“I can never get to speak to anybody and they put me through to voicemail”
- Integrum don’t use voicemail – somebody will always speak to you and we can usually answer most queries straight away.

“My case is being dealt with by somebody who doesn’t know what they are doing”
- At Integrum everybody has been involved in the legal profession for at least 10 years and all of our cases are personally overseen by a senior solicitor.

“They will only send me letters and I wait weeks for them to arrive”
- You can decide how you want to receive correspondence from us – by letter, e-mail or fax and, of course, we are always happy to telephone you too.

So if you are fed up of call centres, voicemail and inexperienced advisors why not choose to do things differently...see what Integrum can do for you.

Have you had an accident that was your fault?

2010-09-23T06:59:00.000-07:00

We often see advertisements asking “have you had an accident that wasn’t your fault” but what if it was your fault?

If it was a road traffic accident there may still be something you can do.

If you had passengers in your vehicle they may not have made a claim because they are your friends, your relatives or even your children and did not want to be seen to claim money from you. However there are a number of reasons why they should:-

1. If the other driver has made a claim against you, you will have already lost whatever no claims benefits you might have had so another claim isn’t going to make any difference.

2. Multiple claims from a single accident are still only classed as one accident.

3. If people in the other vehicle have been injured then there is a good chance that your passengers have been injured too.

4. Every year hundreds of people, especially children, who are passengers in the “at fault” vehicle do not claim compensation for their injuries.

If you recommend your passengers to Integrum Law then under our “Recommend a Friend” scheme you could receive £150.00 for every case we accept, which might help towards your next insurance premium which is bound to be going up. At the same time your passengers get the compensation they are entitled to.

So if you were the driver in a road traffic accident in the last 3 years that was your fault why not recommend your passengers to Integrum Law.

BEWARE OF COMPANIES OFFERING THEIR HELP.

2010-09-20T03:34:00.000-07:00

When you are involved in a road traffic accident you might find that you are contacted by lots of different organisations offering to help you.

This is because, sadly, many insurance companies and people involved in this field sell your personal information to claims management companies and solicitors.

Many claims management companies do very little to progress matters and simply sell on your claim to the firm of solicitors willing to pay the most for it. Whilst they add nothing to your claim they might pass your case to a solicitor in another part of the country who is not familiar with the area where the accident occurred and making it difficult for you to contact them.

Some companies promise to sort out your car repairs and provide you with a hire vehicle, sometimes this is done satisfactorily however often it is not. You might find that repairs take weeks and that your car is taken to a garage many miles from your home. Worse still if your car is deemed to be a “write off” some companies will make you a single offer for your car. If you are not happy with their offer or if you want the car repairing instead they will take back any hire car, send you a bill for their services and your are back to square one.

Many insurance companies will try and persuade you to use their Legal Expenses Insurance suggesting that if you do not you will be charged by your solicitors. This is simply not true. They actually want you to go to solicitors that they choose so that they can receive a payment from them. The suggestion that you will be charged is nonsense as most solicitors who deal with this type of claim will offer their services on a “no win no fee basis”.

Martyn Brown, principal solicitor at Integrum Law, comments “I have been dealing with claims arising out of road traffic accidents for over 20 years and during that time I have seen a massive increase in claims or accident management companies. They will often harass people who have been involved in accidents by sending letters, making ‘phone calls and even sending texts promising large amounts of money.”

Unfortunately there are now many companies who are more interested in lining their own pockets than helping you to get your life back on the road. However everything that these companies offer can be done just as well, if not better, by a local solicitor who specialises in this type of claim.

Martyn adds “we are often called upon to try and sort out the mess and confusion caused by these companies but my advice is that if anybody contacts you after you have had an accident – tell them that you are not interested”.