Donoghue Solicitors accepts personal injury referrals from other lawyers whose clients want to pursue accident claims.
This is why, and how, we help both clients and lawyers alike.
Why Many Solicitors Don’t Take Personal Injury Claims
Things have changed in the personal injury field over the past decade or so. Not too long ago, many lawyers represented clients in their no win no fee accident claim cases. This was because the solicitors were paid fairly for their work if the claim succeeded.
Not anymore.
In 2010 (for road traffic accidents) and 2013 (for employers and public liability claims) the government introduced fixed costs in personal injury claims. Overnight, many claims became unprofitable. Things got worse in May 2021 with the introduction of “the whiplash reforms”. They reduced many innocent people’s compensation in road traffic accidents to small, fixed amounts, with no legal fees paid.
The consequence of these so-called “reforms” was that many solicitors’ firms were unable to make money helping clients with their personal injury claims, no matter how hard they tried.
As a result, many law firms stopped representing claimants in low value road traffic accidents. (Read all about the reforms and why they matter to claimants and their lawyers in this blog post by Thomas O’Sullivan: How the Whiplash Reforms Could Affect You.)
The problem is not limited to road traffic accidents, and it is going to get worse. Under the Civil Liability Act 2018, the government raised the small claims limit for road traffic accident personal injury claims. It is now £5,000 for personal injuries, and £10,000 overall. It is likely that employers and public liability claims will follow suit, harming this important legal sector even more.
Law firms are businesses like any other. They have duties to their staff, shareholders, regulator, insurers, and clients to make sure they remain profitable and solvent. The reforms meant that many firms stopped taking personal injury work completely. Some closed.
Why Solicitors Make Personal Injury Referrals to Donoghue Solicitors
The financial impact on the legal sector has had knock-on effects for claimants. It means that innocent accident victims have fewer choices for representation when bringing compensation claims.
Lawyers at firms without personal injury departments can struggle to find suitable representation for their existing clients, as well as those who contact them “out of the blue” seeking legal help.
This is where we come in.
Here are seven reasons why lawyers trust us with their personal injury referrals:
1. We represent claimants, never insurers
The consolidation of the personal injury sector means that now, many firms represent both claimants and defendants. Not us. Donoghue Solicitors is proud to represent claimants only.
As we explain on our Why Us? page, we are a solicitors’ firm (not a claims management company). We represent accident victims from start to finish. Unlike claims management companies or insurers, we never sell claims on to others.
Our focus on claimants means that we do not pay personal injury referral fees, enter into fee sharing arrangements, or offer any other in-kind incentives.
Nothing, especially referral fee arrangements, should come between the best interests of a solicitor and their client.
2. We are highly rated by our clients. Read many genuine reviews by clicking on the link. You can also see reviews on Google, Facebook, and elsewhere on the internet.
3. We’re winners
Our lawyers fight hard for the rights of accident victims, as you can see in our case reports.
Focusing on claimants means that we help on a no win no fee basis where appropriate, giving claimants the peace of mind they need, and referrers the confidence that we will pursue the claim aggressively.
This funding method reflects our confidence in our abilities. It means that we take cases others pass on. For example, read how we helped a client win nearly £25,000 compensation after transferring his case to us in this case report: Why Changing Solicitors in a Personal Injury Claim Can Help.
4. We take pride in our work
We are proud members of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and committed to its aims, including that APIL:
Believes passionately that victims deserve committed, well-trained lawyers to support their fight for justice.
Our lawyers are dedicated to their vocation and treat each claimant’s case as if it was their own.
5. We represent claimants throughout England and Wales
We make sure that geography is no barrier to getting the right legal help. Even before the pandemic we used skype, Teams etc. to communicate “face to face” with clients, counsel, and others throughout England and Wales. We are a digital-first firm, and use email, digital signatures, text messages, phone, video etc. to keep clients informed and keep their cases moving.
6. We understand the pressure you’re under
We know it’s not easy being a lawyer with a case to refer. You want to know that your client (or prospect) is going to be well-looked after. Where you send the client reflects on you after all.
We know what it takes to win personal injury claims and the expectations of prospective clients.
We act quickly and don’t waste anyone’s time. If we can help, we will. If not, we will tell your client why.
It’s the least we can do.
7. We have a strict no-poaching policy
Some solicitors are reluctant to refer clients to other firms for fear of losing them. We understand that and have a strict no-poaching policy in place to prevent it from happening.
This policy doesn’t just help solicitors who refer clients to us. Poaching is counter-productive in our opinion. We develop good relationships with our referrer solicitors, helping many of their clients, which benefits both parties in the long term.
How to Refer a Personal Injury Case to Donoghue Solicitors
Referring your personal injury client (or prospect) to us is easy. Contact us today by completing the online form below or call 08000 124 246.
In the Tell Us What Happened section, say that you are a lawyer who wants to refer a client. We’ll call you to get all the details.
Don’t risk your client’s case, or your reputation, with anyone else. Contact us today.