The motivation behind Norwich Union's suggestion of a 'solicitor-free zone' for personal injury claims worth less than £5,000 is as plain as the steeple in its former corporate logo. It is looking to cut costs. Unfortunately, that would be at the expense of genuine claimants. Recently, an elderly client and daughter visited my office and asked me quickly to check a proposal that an insurance company had made on a personal injury claim.

In fact, they were all for accepting it and they expected my involvement to be a mere formality. The offer that the insurer was encouraging them to accept was woefully short of the proper compensation figure.


My involvement thereafter was limited and did not incur substantial costs, but my elderly client received almost 400% more in damages than she would have done if she had not received advice.



Keith Hardington, Walker Foster, Skipton, North Yorkshire