Personal injury: defender in Scotland

‘A fast-growing, well-respected and energetic PI defence team. Recent acquisitions underscore that.’

‘Carly Forrest is an exceptional PI defence lawyer. Personable, responsive, innovative and hugely effective. A first class communicator in every medium. She is a great advert for Brodies in Scotland.’

‘Lynn Livesey brings a common sense and pragmatic approach to cases and her advice is always well-considered, generally leading to successful outcomes for her clients.’

‘The team appears to be truly united and seems to get on very well, and this is reflected in the quality of the service we receive from them. The claim handling process is extremely clear with regular updates from the firm. 

‘The team is knowledgeable and helpful for all cases they handle on our behalf, as well as generous in their sharing of information relating to changes in case law and the differences between the application of law in Scotland and England & Wales.’

‘The main strengths relate to the team’s knowledge of a fairly specialised area of maritime law, combined with their knowledge of Scottish personal injury procedure and legislation.’

‘Duncan MacLean is always willing to assist with general questions and enquiries. Good service and response times with a good knowledge of the area of law and the joint client.’

‘I personally feel the expertise is second to none from Brodies, their knowledge and guidance has always found to be the correct course of action.’

‘They are all very approachable, very experienced, very flexible and fully understand the needs of their clients.’

‘Top-end firm with an enviable array of talent from partner level down and through its offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Probably the market leader in the Insurance – PI: Defender sector. Just a cut above the competition, given its strength in depth.’

‘Broad range of skills covering motor, EL, PL(both injury and property damage) and products liability. Very good in all those disciplines. Senior members of the team are well versed in personal injury claims of the utmost severity and are go-to people for them in Scotland.’

‘Vikki Melville is a proven performer, always on the lookout for protecting client’s position and intensifying the relationship.’

‘This practice is preeminent in personal injury work. It was a pleasant surprise to work with such an organised firm.’

‘They handle the claims proactively and try and deal on a consensual basis with their opponents. They settle claims for the optimum amount and have good knowledge of the relevant law required whether it be EL, PL, Motor.’

‘Tanya Gordon is extremely knowledgeable and a good negotiator achieving good results.’

‘A team of approachable individuals with a range of knowledge not only across the field of personal injury, negligence and practice but also of opponents and tactics. All are engaging and aware of the need of insurer clients.’

‘Knowledgeable, personable, experienced and hard-working solicitors determined to work along with their clients to secure the best possible outcome.’

‘Frank Hughes is excellent. He has a pragmatic approach to getting a good outcome for his clients.’

‘The level of training provided and jurisdiction and third-party solicitor knowledge is exceptional and has always been like this.’

‘Suzanne McGarrigle is very hardworking, dedicated and tenacious. She appears to have a good relationship with her clients who trust her judgement about matters. This is well deserved, given her extensive experience in this field.’ 

‘Suzanne McGarrigle has a terrific work ethic and focus on the client interest and brings a keen understanding of litigation.’

‘Suzanne McGarrigle has considerable experience in this field. She is very professional and competent in the field. She is quick to get to the heart of the issues raised by a case.’

‘Suzanne McGarrigle is the main focus with support and back-up from Amy Dickson. They provide helpful advice and ad hoc comment from a Scottish perspective, which is most welcome for those who have to work in all four jurisdictions, so have to stay nimble and updated.’

‘The standout features of this firm are their extensive knowledge of the offshore industry giving them and exceptional ability to understand working conditions and processes in the North Sea, and their ability to handle complex cases in particular where difficult psychiatric and other medical conditions are involved. They are knowledgeable, organised and efficient. It is a pleasure to work with them.’

‘Lynne Moss is very knowledgeable. She has an excellent rapport with her insurer clients who clearly respect her ability, her hard work and appreciate her advice. She is a first-rate lawyer who knows how to conduct a vigorous defence.’

‘The point of difference with this team is their ability to listen to what the client wants and to adapt their processes to achieve this objective.’

‘We work closely with the partner, Andrew Forsyth, who is always listening to the needs of his client and ensuring that the service his practice provides is what is required by the client.’

‘Burness Paull have been working for us for a few years now and their strengths and key capabilities are first class. Their attention to detail is second to none. They provide a bespoke service in respect of historic disease claims, which is far superior to any previous solicitors that we have used.’

‘Andrew Forsyth is knowledgeable in his field and always takes the time to explain anything that I’m not sure about. He treats me with respect and nothing is to much trouble for him. He always goes above and beyond, which is fantastic, and this makes both him and the company far superior to competitors.’

‘What makes DWF Scotland unique is their tailored approach – they know our business well and listen to their client. They have considerable expertise and will achieve best outcomes as well as coach and advise.’

‘Andrew Lothian is very supportive, always responds quickly, very clear advices, will take time to explain options if complex and or have queries. Jill Sinclair is very engaging and willing and excellent advising on fraud detection and prevention.’

‘DWF Glasgow’s counter fraud team have a great knowledge of not only the law, but of the jurisdiction that they operate in and are able to give great insight.’

‘Jill Sinclair is incredibly knowledgeable and approachable, always making time to take queries from our handlers and provide advice wherever requested. Jill achieves some outstanding results, often managing to get rid of spurious claims very early in the litigation process.’

‘Lynn Macfarlane was invaluable in dealing with several complex and highly unusual personal injury cases. Her practical awareness and understanding of the law and procedure was exceptional. Lynn was attentive and diligent and was always on hand to assist with developments in the case on a daily basis.’

‘Very thorough and detailed approach to handling claims, ensuring all relevant liability and quantum enquiries are undertaken. Proactive approach in terms of trying to drive a claim to an early resolution.’ 

‘Having worked with Plexus for a decade, I can attest to their professionalism, value for money, courage, entrepreneurialism and versatility. Plexus manage to maintain excellent standards across their organisation and are particularly adept at fostering a “no surprises” culture.’ 

‘Excellent source of legal expertise, combining both practical advice in conjunction with future tactics on individual cases.’ 

‘Knowledge of the insured, their practices and policy are key in getting good results.’ 

‘The team is excellent as a whole and there are various levels of experience suitable for dealing with different types and values of claims. The level of detail provided in the reports are excellent. The team have really taken the time over the years we have been working with them to get to know and understand our business.’

‘This is a team of hard-working, highly skilled lawyers who deliver excellence.’

‘Victoria Leslie provides an excellent service to clients. She is highly skilled and thorough and leaves no stone unturned when achieving her client’s best interests.’

‘Sarah Morris is standout. She started with the firm as a trainee and is now a partner. She is really popular with clients because she demands excellence, whilst always being a pleasure to work with.’

‘Ledingham Chalmers do a huge amount of work for local authorities in Scotland, particularly in terms of defending personal injury litigations. They have an extremely able and experienced team in their Edinburgh office.’

‘Sarah Morris is a very able and experienced litigator who works extremely hard on her cases and has excellent attention to detail.’

‘Ledingham Chalmers offer an excellent service to a number of major public authority customers.’

‘Graeme Edward is a class act.’

‘Weightmans’ team in Glasgow has very wide knowledge across the claims sector, and many practitioners are extremely knowledgeable about disease cases, which can be quite specialised.’

‘I find Pamela Stevenson very knowledgeable, quick to respond to emails and always eager to help. She provides comprehensive reports, updates and training sessions and is always pleasant and professional.’

‘An excellent firm with a strong reputation in defender reparation and a significant portfolio of insurance clients. The practice handles a full range of claims from road traffic accidents to disease related litigation.’

‘Seonaid Busby is a very hard-working, knowledgeable, experienced and respected solicitor, who is extremely personable and has a very strong relationship with those insurers and companies that instruct her.’