Back to rankings
England - North West • Insurance
1

Personal injury: defendant

Forbes Solicitors

More information
Clients have ‘nothing but praise’ for the personal injury group at Forbes Solicitors, which has strong capabilities in handling the full scope of complex PI cases; the team spans Central Lancashire and Manchester. Its expertise includes defending sports associations and construction and housing groups in complex and catastrophic injury claims of significant value, which is a specialist area of the ’brilliant’ litigator Ridwaan Omar. Further, it assists public sector and sporting clients in abuse cases of the utmost sensitivity and is also well-equipped to handle fundamental dishonesty fraud cases. Anti-fraud is a focus area of Chris Booth, who represents local authorities in such cases. The remit of disease, motor, and highway casualty-related cases also fall under the team’s areas of specialism. Kella Bowers and Natalie Argent stand-out for their child abuse and sexual exploitation cases, as does Alastair Gillespie, who is vastly experienced in handling complex abuse and neglect matters. Omar, Booth, Bowers and Gillespie helm the practice alongside Elizabeth Bower, Claire Opacic, and occupational disease expert Nicola Dawn. Jonathan Clay is also a key practitioner. Paul Geldard retired in May 2024.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Forbes have a wealth of knowledge and experience across a multitude of areas. Despite their vast capabilities, the personal touch is not lost and a customer centric approach is at the heart of how Forbes operates. I have dealt with many defendant law firms in my career and Forbes are top of their game.’

  • ‘I have nothing but praise for the individuals that handle our cases at Forbes and for the advice and support they provide. Nothing is ever too much trouble and I know that I always have expert advice and support on-hand.'

  • ‘The team seem more like a family. They are approachable, down-to-earth and always keen to provide advice and support. Their responses are fast and well-researched. They are precisely what we want from our lawyers.’

  • 'The team are great as a whole. I would give a nod to Claire Opacic who could not do any more for you when you have a query.'

  • ‘All the staff at Forbes seem to have a very unique talent in being able to describe very complex legal matters in the simplest of terms. There is always someone to speak to for very urgent matters and they have regularly gone above and beyond when we have had urgent, high-profile matters.'

  • ‘Kella Bowers, Elizabeth Bower, Chris Booth, Chris Threlkeld, Amy Jackson, John Myles and Katie Fox are all very patient, professional, helpful and passionate and obviously take great pride in their work.'

Key clients

  • Co-operative Group Ltd
  • Galliford Try Plc
  • Rochdale Borough Council
  • Sportscover Europe
  • AXA Liabilities Managers
  • Cunningham Lindsay International
  • Zurich Insurance
  • Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
  • Lloyds Syndicate 2525
  • Charles Taylor Adjusters
  • Phoenix Liability Services
  • Salford City Council

Work highlights

Advised the client on an inquest and civil proceedings arising out of the death of a competitor in a white-collar boxing event.
Advised a prison on an incident during a car maintenance class where a prisoner suffered hand injuries.
Advised a local authority, and their insurers, on the settlement of a claim for a claimant who lost his sight following a fall on a footpath.

Practice head

Chris Booth; Kella Bowers; Elizabeth Bower; Alastair Gillespie; Ridwaan Omar; Claire Opacic; Nicola Dawn

Other key lawyers

Andrew Ellis; Alastair Gillespie; Jonathan Clay; Chris Threlkeld; Amy Jackson; John Myles; Katie Fox; David Mayor; Natalie Argent; Louise Goss