Professional Negligence Claims Against Solicitors

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Suffered loss due to negligent solicitors? Our specialists can help you claim.

When you hire a solicitor, you trust them to provide you with competent legal advice. If you’ve received substandard legal support from a solicitor, and have consequently experienced a loss, whether financial or otherwise, we may be able to help you to claim compensation.

At Levi Solicitors, we have much experience in assisting clients with solicitor negligence cases. We always take a direct and practical approach, tailoring our support to your circumstances. When you work with us, you can rest assured that we will work to take the stress out of the situation. We will advise you on all aspects of your claim and give you clear costs advice.

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Our Successes

Take a look at some of our successful claims

Commercial Property Solicitors

Successful settlement after tenant falls into arrears

 

Solicitors

Claims against solicitors leading to excellent settlements

Conveyancing Solicitors

Conveyancing solicitors’ error leads to successful claim

 

Personal Injury Solicitors

Personal injury claims result in settlements up to £175,000

 

Suing A Solicitor

Our expert team of professional negligence solicitors has many years of experience in advising businesses and individuals on professional negligence claims. We can help you if your solicitor has caused you loss.

We appreciate that clients may feel a little overwhelmed by the idea of suing a solicitor, and are likely to have many questions about their rights and the processes. When you work with Levi Solicitors, you will receive bespoke support every step of the way.

Solicitor Duty Of Care

All professionals owe their clients a duty of care. This means that they must perform their jobs to a reasonable standard and with reasonable care. However, if your solicitor’s advice falls below the standard that you should reasonably expect, you may be able to make a professional negligence claim against your lawyer.

When you first make contact with us, we will start by establishing whether your solicitor has breached their duty of care. Where we believe you have a case, we can discuss funding, and the next steps.

If you do not have the basis of a professional negligence case, we may still be able to guide you to make a complaint against your solicitor, depending on the circumstances.

 

Solicitors Regulation Authority

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is an organisation that exists to regulate solicitors in England and Wales. The role of the SRA is to ensure that solicitors perform their role to acceptable standards, including, adhering to the Solicitors Code of Conduct, and acting with honesty and integrity.

The Code of Conduct for Solicitors covers a wide range of different areas, a few of which include:

  • Maintaining trust and acting fairly: for instance, a solicitor should not take advantage of their clients, this would be considered an abuse of power/position
  • Service and competence: for example, a solicitor should ensure that their service is both competent, and delivered within acceptable time frames

If you would like to report a solicitor to the SRA, we can guide you through the process, as well as assisting you to build a professional negligence claim against a solicitor.

Solicitor Professional Negligence

Businesses and individuals frequently use solicitors to advise and act on a range of matters. We expect that advice and their actions to be accurate, and in most cases they are. However, sometimes things go wrong, meaning that you lose out financially as a result. Examples of solicitor negligence include:

  • Failing to advise on issues affecting property transactions
  • Missing deadlines including limitation dates and court deadlines
  • Mistakes in drafting legal documents including wills and property documents
  • Not advising on the outcome of surveys, searches or valuations in property transactions
  • Solicitor’s dishonesty
  • Under-settling claims (including personal injury claims)
  • Giving legal advice which causes you a loss
  • Causing a claim to be struck out by the courts
  • Not following instructions properly
  • Failing to perform to professional standards

 

If you feel you have a claim against a solicitor, it is important to seek specialist legal advice from an experienced professional negligence solicitor. There are strict time limits for professional negligence claims including those against solicitors. Generally, this is six years. However, there are some exceptions, so it is worth getting in touch to discuss your claim. We always recommend that you contact us as soon as you become aware of any negligence.

 

Complaints About Solicitors

If you have a complaint about a solicitor’s service, you may be able to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman. As part of our advice, we will consider whether you may have a valid Legal Ombudsman complaint.

Even if you have had a negative decision from the Legal Ombudsman, we may still be able to help you.

If you feel you have a claim against a solicitor, it is important to seek specialist legal advice from an experienced professional negligence solicitor. There are strict time limits for professional negligence claims including those against solicitors. Generally, this is six years. However, there are some exceptions, so it is worth getting in touch to discuss your claim. We always recommend that you contact us as soon as you become aware of any negligence.

 

Licensed Conveyancer Professional Negligence

In other cases, you may have instructed a licensed conveyancer (as opposed to a solicitor) to help you buy or sell your home. We have experience in bringing claims against conveyancers as well as solicitors. Therefore, if you think that your conveyancer may have been negligent, we can help.

Professional Negligence in Personal Injury Claims

When you have suffered an injury or feel that the medical treatment you received was substandard (known as medical negligence), it is understandable that you will want to take legal advice. As with other solicitors, we expect those dealing with personal injury or medical negligence to act in our best interests and to give good advice. Examples of negligence in a personal injury claim include:

  • Missing deadlines, including limitation dates and court deadlines
  • Failing to obtain all the correct medical evidence
  • Under-settling claims. Where the compensation you received fell short of what you had expected or had been led to believe you would receive, your lawyer may have under-settled your claim
  • Solicitor unexpectedly deducting money from your compensation
  • Failing to appreciate the severity of your injuries
  • Instructing the incorrect expert, leading to you receiving less compensation
  • Giving you unreasonable advice.

Frequently asked questions about professional negligence claims against solicitors

Can I make a claim against my solicitor?
If you have suffered financial loss (which we can help identify) as a result of your solicitor, you may be able to sue your solicitor for negligence. For a successful professional negligence claim, you must be able to show that the solicitor breached their duty of care to you and that you suffered loss as a result.

In some instances, a solicitor will instruct a barrister on your behalf. If you think their advice was incorrect, we can advise you whether to bring a professional negligence claim against the barrister as well as, or instead of, the solicitor.

Solicitors’ and conveyancers’ negligence can arise from all sorts of different transactions and scenarios. We will work to resolve any issue that has arisen out of a lawyer’s negligence, and to ensure that you are adequately compensated for your losses.

How do I make a negligence claim against a solicitor?
If you would like to make a professional negligence claim against a solicitor, first and foremost, you will need to find a lawyer that specialises in professional negligence claims.

Your specialist professional negligence lawyer will begin by reviewing the circumstances of your case. If they believe that you have the basis of a claim, your lawyer will gather the appropriate evidence, draft a letter of claim to the defendant, and start to build your case.

On what grounds can you sue a solicitor?
All solicitors owe a duty of care to the clients they work with, meaning that they should provide proficient legal support. Where a solicitor provides a substandard service, and the client experiences a loss, this is considered a breach of that duty of care.

Under these circumstances, the solicitor’s client may be able to sue them, on the grounds that the owed duty of care was breached.

Cases like these are referred to as instances of professional negligence. To bring a professional negligence claim against a solicitor, you will need to hire a lawyer to assess, build and pursue your claim, eventually securing compensation if successful.

What are examples of solicitor negligence?
There are many different ways that solicitor negligence can occur, including:

  • A solicitor provided a client with incorrect legal advice, and as a result the client experienced damages or financial loss
  • A solicitor did not correctly follow Court orders
  • A solicitor did not investigate key evidence relating to a case
  • A solicitor represented a client in a personal injury claim, and they significantly failed to secure the client as much compensation as they were rightfully entitled to
Is there a time limit to make a solicitor negligence claim?
Yes, clients have six years to issue a professional negligence claim. The time frame begins when the client first experienced the loss, or the date when the solicitor acted negligently, depending on what’s appropriate to the case.

There are certain circumstances where a different time frame might be applied, for example, if evidence only arises after the six-year time frame, the client will have three years to make a claim, starting from the date of knowledge.

How much can I sue my solicitor for?
Generally, a professional negligence claim tends to be a claim for damages. This refers to an amount which can compensate you for the loss you suffered, aiming to put you into the position that you would have been, if it had not been for the negligent solicitor.

There are many different ways of determining damages in a professional negligence claim. For instance, if you were to receive substandard service from a conveyancing solicitor, you might be able to claim for the difference between how much you paid for the house, and how much you would have paid if an error had not occurred. In another scenario, where an individual has had to pay a new solicitor to solve the issue caused, they will be able to claim these additional fees.

It is hard to determine exactly how much compensation you can receive for a claim against a solicitor. At Levi Solicitors, we handle claims between £10,000s to £1,000,000s.

Is my solicitor insured?
Every solicitor’s practice needs professional indemnity insurance. The insurer is likely to pay the damages, providing that your claim is successful.

At Levi Solicitors we have much experience in making professional negligence claims against solicitors. If you believe that your previous solicitor has acted negligently, please get in touch with our experts, using the contact details below.

What can I do if I have received a poor service from my solicitor?
Receiving a poor service from a solicitor could mean something like poor communication issues. And whilst this can be frustrating, it is unlikely to amount to negligence by itself. If you have received a poor service, you should look to the firm’s internal complaints procedure. If you cannot resolve your complaint this way, you should be able to settle your issue via the Legal Ombudsman.

Professional Negligence Team

Ed Smith

Partner

0113 297 1875
 esmith@levisolicitors.co.uk

Ed is head of our professional negligence department and a member of the Professional Negligence Lawyers Association. Read More.

Gemma Horner

Partner

0113 468 4099
 ghorner@levisolicitors.co.uk

Gemma is a partner in our Dispute Resolution team, based at our Leeds City Centre office. Read More.

Zoreen Aziz

Solicitor

0113 532 7184
 zaziz@levisolicitors.co.uk

Zoreen is a solicitor in our Dispute Resolution team, based at our Leeds City Centre office. Read More.

Amelia Fragola Hunt

Dispute Resolution Paralegal

0113 297 3187
 afragolahunt@levisolicitors.co.uk

Amelia Fragola Hunt is a Dispute Resolution paralegal in our Leeds office. Read More.

Sasha Taylor Bolshaw

Dispute Resolution Paralegal

0113 297 3187
 stbolshaw@levisolicitors.co.uk

Sasha Taylor-Bolshaw is a Dispute Resolution paralegal in our Leeds office. Read More.

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