Bolt Burdon Kemp LLP

Bolt Burdon Kemp specialises in only representing claimants in the fields of serious personal injury and clinical negligence, with dedicated teams focusing on adult and child brain injury, spinal injury, abuse and military claims.

The firm: With over 35 years’ experience, this innovative firm is dedicated to progressing complex and serious injury claims swiftly and tenaciously while providing the highest levels of client care. Direct access to solicitors and meetings at times and places to suit the client are standard features of the service. Its approach is holistic, with interim payments being sought at an early stage to alleviate financial hardship and to enable clients to access the professional support and specialist targeted intervention they need at the very earliest opportunity. The firm seeks to support clients in all aspects, from welfare benefits through to special education needs advice. It has a track record in groundbreaking cases and in successfully fighting high-risk claims.

Types of work undertaken: The abuse team is led by partner and solicitor-advocate David McClenaghan; it is the UK’s largest group of solicitors exclusively acting for survivors of abuse seeking compensation. It is renowned for pursuing landmark cases to improve the law in this area, and brings actions against individual abusers, their employers, foster parents, operators of children’s homes and schools, social services departments which placed children in care or failed to protect children from being abused at home, religious organisations, sporting clubs and charitable foundations.

The firm has a dedicated military team, led by Ahmed Al-Nahhas, with experience of advising on the often complex and uniquely challenging needs of claims for injuries arising from bullying through to providing defective equipment and inadequate medical care. Its client base is composed of serving and retired armed services personnel and their families, as well as members of the civilian services linked to the Ministry of Defence. It is currently bringing a test case for individuals who experienced psychiatric symptoms due to Lariam, an anti-malarial drug prescribed by MoD doctors.

The child brain injury department, led by Claudia Hillemand, continues to grow, and represents many families with birth injury claims. The team’s dedication to its clients is evidenced through its developing expertise in the area of special education needs. Members have successfully appealed a number of education, health and care plan decisions made by local authorities to ensure clients are educated at the most appropriate local specialist schools. Real emphasis is placed on the needs of the whole family, obtaining the support needed to ensure an injured child’s future is secure.

Caroline Klage heads the firm’s adult brain injury department, which specialises in acting for individuals who have sustained a brain injury through an accident or negligent care. This experience extends to those affected by brain infections or stroke. The team is committed to working closely with groups which support these individuals. The team works swiftly to put appropriate multi-disciplinary care packages in place to ensure a client’s needs are met as a priority and to restore as much independence as possible.

The spinal injury department is headed by Victoria Oliver, and has seen some exceptional successes, including a £5.3m settlement for negligent treatment in respect of scoliosis. The team continues to campaign for improved awareness of the issues faced by those who have mobility issues.

The complex injury team, led by Joshua Hughes, undertakes the full range of personal injury and clinical negligence work and has particular expertise in claims involving catastrophic injuries, psychiatric injuries, disfigurement claims, amputations, the late diagnosis and misdiagnosis of cancer, obstetric and gynecological injuries, women’s health matters, orthopedic injuries and amputations, pressure ulcers, and fatal injuries. Members of the team have had particular success in developing experience in group actions against rogue doctors.

Bolt Burdon Kemp aims to further develop its expertise in its specialist areas and is committed to expansion through investment in excellent staff.