
Thompsons Solicitors LLP
About
Our Firm
Thompsons NI is a renowned firm in the fields of personal and serious injury, medical negligence and employment rights. Based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Thompsons NI brings together a team of experts who are committed to providing an efficient and professional legal service. From personal injury representation through to employment law advice, conveyancing, criminal and probate, we offer a comprehensive package of legal advice and support. Our team combines a wealth of experience with a commitment to provide optimal results and maximum compensation for our clients as quickly as possible. We recognise that every case is different and we deliver a client-focus service that caters to individual clients’ needs.
Thompsons NI is dedicated to only ever acting for the injured or mistreated party as evidenced by our long-standing history of acting for Trade Unions and their members. We are proud to be the firm of choice for leading Trade Unions in Northern Ireland such as the Fire Bridge Union (FBU), UNISON, UNITE and USDAW. We are proud to act for those who need us most. We do not represent employers or insurance companies, and we never will!
Personal Injury and Workplace Claims
Our personal injury work ranges from minor and moderate injuries to life-changing injuries. We specialise in all forms of personal injury claims ranging from workplace accidents, road traffic accidents and minor accidents elsewhere to occupational and industrial diseases.
We appreciate that the injuries suffered by individuals involved in road traffic accidents can vary greatly from minor whiplash to fatal injuries. We have a wealth of experience of bringing successful claims against negligent road users for our clients who have been drivers, passengers, cyclists, motorcyclists, pedestrians and children.
The majority of our personal injury work is for individuals who have suffered an injury at work or who develop occupational or industrial diseases such as asbestosis and deafness as a result of their employment.
We are proud specialists in industrial disease claims ranging from respiratory and lung diseases, to vibration injuries and skin diseases. We undertake thousands of cases each year against negligent employers by supporting injured employees during the course of their duties in order secure compensation. We are a leading firm of asbestosis litigation solicitors and our priority is to settle any claim as quickly as possible, in the lifetime of the affected client where possible.
All solicitors within our Personal Injury Department are members of the Belfast Solicitors Association and we are accredited as a firm by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers.
Serious Injury Claims
Individuals who have suffered serious injuries as a result of a third party’s negligence may not be unable to return to work and may require significant adaptations to their home or vehicle which can be expensive. Our priority is to help clients rehabilitate and recover in order to begin rebuilding their lives. Our specialist team has secured substantial compensation payments, including interim payments, as quickly as possible for individuals with serious injuries ranging from acquired brain injuries, spinal and spinal cord injuries, limb loss and injuries leading to loss of life.
We are proud to be associated with Shine, a registered charity which provides information and advice about spina bifida and hydrocephalus to individuals, families and carers. We are proud panel members of the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) and Headway, the brain injury association. We work closely with Headway to raise awareness of traumatic brain injury. We wish to promote understanding of the impact it has on individuals and families, and to improve safety policies in an attempt to reduce the incidence of traumatic brain injuries.
Clinical Negligence Claims
Thompsons NI is renowned for ‘pushing the boundaries’ in clinical negligence claims and we are well known for our work on behalf of Plaintiffs. Over the past few years, our team has significantly expanded enabling us to deal with an array of claims including, inter alia, Gynaecology, Obstetrics, A and E, Cardiology, Neurology and Orthopaedics. We represent multiple clients in respect of the insertion of mesh devices such as TVT/TVTO/TOT and act on behalf of a number of ex-patients of disgraced neurologist, Dr Michael Watt.
As a firm, we are a proud member of the Law Society’s Clinical Negligence Accreditation Scheme and a panel member of Action Against Medical Accidents.
Employment Rights
Thompsons NI offers employment rights advice to more than twenty Trade Unions including UNISON, UNITE and USDAW. We use our significant expertise to identify solutions for workers in an attempt to avoid the need for formal, lengthy litigation. Should there be a need for litigation, our clients are represented by our team before the Industrial and Fair Employment Tribunals. We understand that employment rights is a complex area of law and we provide our advice in lay terms in an attempt to aid our clients’ understanding. Our team has a record of successful claims in matters such as Contracts of Employment, Unfair Dismissal, Redundancy, Discrimination and Equal Pay.
In addition to working for individual workers, we also act on behalf of Trade Unions in collective matters such as TUPE, Holiday Pay and Protective Award cases. Our team continues to progress a number of multiple claims including complex pension-linked Discrimination cases and complicated wage claims around partial performance. We are currently pursuing Tribunal claims for several hundred UNISON members employed by the NHS in respect of alleged underpayments for sleepover shifts. If the cases are successful, the compensation recoverable for our clients could run into millions of pounds.
Our expertise is widely recognised within the profession. George Kilpatrick, who leads the team, is currently representing 28 part-time members of the Judiciary in Part-Time Worker Discrimination claims in respect of pension and non-pension rights. We regularly respond to government consultations on Employment Law.
George Kilpatrick and Derek Kane of our team are members of the Employment Lawyers Group (NI) and George is a former member of the Group’s Committee. George is also the author of a chapter on Disability Discrimination in ‘Human Rights in Northern Ireland: The CAJ Handbook’ (edited by Brice Dickson and Brian Gormally) [Hart Publishing].
Languages
- English
- Polish
Memberships
- Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL)
- Headway
- Spinal Injuries Association (SIA)
Staffing Figures
- Nine Personal Injury Team
- Two Employment Rights Team
- Nine Support Staff