The Legal 500 > United Kingdom - Solicitors > London > Personal injury: defendant

‘One of the biggest players in the insurance market, handling personal injury claims across the whole range of sectors. They are a leading firm in handling non-recent abuse work for defendants, including public authorities, schools, religious organisations and sports bodies.‘

‘Great industry experience, professional approach, genuine commitment.‘

‘They can be guaranteed to provide sound and pragmatic advice which will ensure that their clients achieve the best outcome in what are sensitive and difficult cases.‘

‘The defendant insurance team at BLM provides not just efficient and tenacious defence of litigation, but also delivers this in a commercially astute and pragmatic way. They have wide knowledge and understanding of the insurance market and an awareness of the need to ensure that reserves are properly assessed and monitored.‘

‘The team from a claimant perspective is always robust, professional and whilst acting in their insurance client’s best interests throughout, are nevertheless understanding of the impact injuries can have.‘

‘Vanessa Latham is outstanding in dealing with work-related stress claims.‘

‘James Chambers has a clear view of where a case should go and will always achieve that end for his client.’

‘Caroline Craigie has great experience and tenacity. Her unflappability stands her in good stead and she is ably assisted in her work by Nicola Warren.‘

‘Michael Pether has two decades of experience in claims concerning local authority and institutional liability for sexual and physical abuse. There are few if any solicitors in the defendant insurance arena with more experience.‘

‘Claire Collins has mastered the balancing act of supervising her team whilst retaining an in-depth knowledge of her files. She provides excellent balanced advice.‘

‘Andrew Williamson is always on top of his brief and the provider of realistic advice.‘

‘Antony French is a very commercial operator who weighs up the economic balance of cases very well.‘

‘They are all very adept at dealing with all manner of high-value personal injury cases and are very pragmatic, commercial and personable too.‘

‘They have the breadth of expertise, knowledge and personnel that makes them fitted to deal with cases at all levels, including the most serious and valuable cases.‘

‘The team has handled some of the leading cases on liability, including occupational stress claims, occupiers and employers’ liability. Willing to fight cases on behalf of insurers and their clients.‘

‘The police team is prepared to roll up its sleeves and get stuck in and is focused on getting the best outcome for the client – the team is extremely supportive of the police service.‘

‘David Knapp is a really strong defender of the police but does not let this cloud his advice.  He draws on a very strong knowledge and experience of police claims and is robust when necessary.‘

‘Tom Walshaw has recently handled a hugely important claim, his strategic and technical skills played a large part in a very successful outcome.  He has a good rapport with witnesses and does not step back when the going gets a bit rough.‘

‘Tania Sless has an amazing grasp of detail, outstanding judgement.’

‘Danielle Singer has excellent and sound judgment.’

‘Andrew Parker is a fountain of knowledge regarding the industry and legal developments.’

‘Michelle Traxler and the team she runs is efficient and effective. The advice given is transparent and realistic.’

‘The DWF team is fantastic: it takes on important cases, seeking to uncover insurance fraud where there is cogent evidence of it, and runs its cases in an efficient manner.’

‘It has a level of knowledge and understanding beyond compare and is known throughout the industry as leaders.’

‘One of (if not the) top firms in the defendant insurance market, a vast pool of talent with a sharp commercial mindset, capable of servicing all needs for defendant insurers.’

‘Some excellent individuals in personal injury litigation with a breadth of expertise in dealing with claims in all jurisdictions worldwide.’

‘Rhys Sanchez leads a very experienced and knowledgeable team which deals with serious and catastrophic work. Rhys and his team are meticulous and have a fine eye for detail.’

‘Rhys has an invaluable range of experience in dealing with both UK and cross-border disputes; he is always available when required and is commercially focused, personable and adept at putting clients at ease.’

‘The team at Kennedys has a very good understanding of not just the legal aspects of a particular claim but also the commercial and economic. It has, with increasing regularity, identified the correct claims to run to trial and our success rate at trial using Kennedys is very high.’

‘Kennedys is a longstanding player in the defendant personal injury sector. It has an excellent understanding of complex injury claims and always provides a robust and forensic defence of claims.’

‘Its advice is always tailored to the size and complexity of the claim and it is always looking for innovative ways to resolve claims.’

‘It is head and shoulders above its competitors in this marketplace in terms of the breadth of its expertise at all levels of seniority, its commitment to technology and pushing the boundaries of the law and its results in resolving complex and high-value injury claims.’

‘Mark Burton drives innovation in claims handling and the use of rehabilitative technologies in catastrophic injury claims.’

‘Charles Martin is a highly experienced and robust litigator who is prepared to take matters to trial to secure the best outcome for the client and protect itsreputation in the sector.’

‘Joanne Kelly as supervising partner of the team we use at Kennedys stands out, she provides exactly the service we need and has a very good understanding of our business.’

‘Clyde & Co is an excellent city practice offering exceptional service for our company across a broad spectrum of business requirements.’

‘Strengths and key capabilities are the knowledge and experience of the team in handling and defending personal injury claims in a practical and economic way.’

‘Its customer focus is excellent and you feel that you are in safe hands when it is conducting legal cases on your behalf.’

‘It has a very strong team of practitioners who are able to handle a variety of challenging cases.’

‘Jennette Newman and Leanne Conisbee are highly competent in the area of defendant personal injury litigation and regulatory work. Their experience in handling claims in these fields is excellent. Their customer service is superb.’

‘Leanne Conisbee has great attention to detail and a pragmatic approach to the cases she handles.’

‘The team is excellent at subtle brain injury claims and chronic pain cases.’

‘Jo Pizzala is unquestionably one of the very best defendant PI lawyers in the country.’

‘Jo Pizzala is a litigator with outstanding negotiation skills and attention to detail.’

‘Anthony Bushell is an exceptional practitioner with an excellent grasp of all aspects of personal injury litigation.  He has the skill to assimilate information and communicate his recommendations to clients in a clear, concise and efficient manner.’

‘The insurance team at RPC is extremely engaging. It does not operate in the volume market but is more of a boutique operation and meets the needs of the smaller insurers extremely well.’

‘More than a match for the bigger firms, they get good results in catastrophic PI claims through a mixture of hard work and experience.’

‘The team is approachable and is always happy to provide advice.’

‘The RPC team maintains a good relationship with the claims team, and ensures that contact is maintained and any issues are swiftly addressed.’

‘Gavin Reese is the go-to partner in the catastrophic PI team.  An extremely engaging and commercial individual.’

‘Steven Aitken is thorough, sensible and approachable.’

‘The team is at the forefront of keeping clients informed of case law, regulatory and legislation changes that may impact the industry, particularly public sector clients.’

‘The group is approachable and readily available to offer advice and will listen to concerns and fully explore any issues.’

‘Through the team’s interaction with clients and with each other there is a family feel and that the group is all working to the same aim, to deliver an excellent service to clients.’

‘Extensive knowledge in their respective areas, reliable and approachable and have a good understanding of our client needs.’

‘This is a longstanding professional relationship and, as such, this firm has a deep knowledge of our company’s business and history which enables them to provide a level of service that we would be unlikely to find elsewhere.’

‘The stand out quality of the personal injury team at Hill Dickinson is their sheer breadth of knowledge and expertise, coupled with their straightforward advice which makes them a go-to firm of lawyers.’

‘The comprehensive knowledge and the thorough analysis John Caddies provides on occupational illness claims is unrivalled.’

‘John is always extremely responsive and accessible and his advice is always thorough and clear. He has negotiated very effectively for us on settlements and always delivers the best possible result.’

‘Tony McDonach possesses a wealth of experience, specifically in the defence of noise-induced hearing loss claims, has a unique gift for setting out the weaknesses of a claimant’s case and the hurdles that they may face in pursuing their claim ensuring that many cases go no further.’

‘The team is conscious of the client’s needs and ways of working as opposed to delivering a ‘one size fits all’ approach.’

‘John McGowan is very aware of the end game (rather than adopting a very procedural approach which is not helpful in resolving claims). He is very thorough, personable and easy to work with.’