Claims Competition


I must respond to Keith Hardington's letter, in which he bemoans the fact that the 'most disheartening aspect of practicing personal injury work... has been the trend towards profit from injury' (see [2006] Gazette, 7 December, 16).



He predictably has a pop at 'claims farmers' but less obviously at advertisers and 'some solicitors' too. Once again comes the cry, if only all the others would go away (or be forced to, by legislation), solicitors would be left to 'practise properly' in a 'procedurally predictive' and streamlined system that will ensure that the claimant is property advised. For some reason, Mr Hardington thinks that 'costs will [thereby] become more proportionate'.



With respect to Mr Hardington, it is folly to believe that the public does not turn first to solicitors in the event of suffering injury in an accident purely because of all the 'baddies' that get to them first.



People turn to others first because the profession still has an unapproachable, stuffy and aloof image, one which sadly too many in the profession are still prone to promote. Secondly, a majority of solicitors are poor at marketing themselves and their firms. When I had my own practice, I was always disheartened at the lack of entrepreneurial awareness displayed by the majority of the solicitors whom I interviewed as prospective employees. The days of the subservient public flocking to the respected pillar of society that is the local solicitor are long gone.



As a solicitor but also a director of an accident management company, I welcome the increased regulation of all those involved in the claims industry that is being brought about by the Compensation Act. Ethical companies like ours have nothing to fear from increased regulation. But I have a question; who will properly regulate those firms of personal injury solicitors which own their own accident management companies/car hire firms? Is not the potential for conflict of interest in such cases not a more pressing cause for concern than any that might be posed by regulated, independent claims management companies?



Carl Waring, Impact Assist Ltd, Northumberland