Professional Negligence Solicitors

When you rely on a professional for their advice or services, you are placing your trust in them to help you achieve your goals and to protect your interests. If they make mistakes, it can end up costing you money, time and a lot of unnecessary stress, so it’s only natural to expect them to make it right.

In some cases, it may be possible to sort things out through simple negotiation, with the professional agreeing to refund some or all of their fees and to pay compensation where appropriate. In other situations, you may need to take court action to secure compensation for professional negligence.

Glanvilles’ professional negligence solicitors can quickly assess the situation, get a clear understanding of your concerns and priorities, then help you find the right way forward. In most cases we can resolve professional negligence claims out of court, but where necessary we have the experience and expertise you need to secure the best available outcome in court.

No matter how simple or complex the dispute, our friendly, pragmatic professional negligence lawyers can help you find a swift, cost-effective solution that brings the matter to a satisfactory conclusion and allows you to move on.

Speak to one of our expert professional negligence claims solicitors in Chichester, Fareham, Havant or Petworth or use the contact form below to ask us a question and get a quick response.

Our expertise in professional negligence claims

We can provide clear, effective guidance for all types of professional negligence claims, including those involving:

• Accounts
• Architects
• Builders
• Civil engineers
• Financial advisers
• Insurance brokers
• Lawyers
• Surveyors
• Tax advisers

How we resolve professional negligence claims

We will generally seek to resolve professional negligence claims out of court wherever possible. That way you can get a positive result faster and at lower cost, as well as avoiding the stress and uncertainty of a court hearing.

Low value, simple claims can often be resolved in a matter of months using the Pre-Action Protocol for Professional Negligence. Where your claim has a higher value or more complex issues to work through, we can still usually achieve an out-of-court settlement using Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

ADR covers various methods, including negotiation and commercial mediation, that focus on taking a non-confrontational approach to resolving disputes, allowing the parties to voluntarily agree a solution that works for everyone.

Key benefits of Alternative Dispute Resolution for professional negligence claims include:

• It can save you time as you don’t need to wait for a court hearing date
• It can save you money as the legal fees are usually lower than for court action
• It keeps conflict to a minimum by focusing on both parties agreeing a solution
• It keeps the matter private as you don’t need to air the details of your dispute in a court, which is public
• It can help you maintain a professional relationship by avoiding the conflict associated with court proceedings

However, we recognise the court action is sometimes required to get a fair result for you, so please be assured that our team will never shy away from taking the necessary steps to secure the best outcome for you.

We have strong experience pursuing professional negligence claims through the courts, as well as established relationships with specialist barristers and a range of other useful professionals. This means we can always provide the best possible representation for you, no matter how your claim progresses.

Common questions about professional negligence claims

What sort of professionals can you sue for negligence?

There is no comprehensive list of who counts as a “professional” for the purposes of making a negligence claim. However, if you relied on someone’s professional expertise when making a decision or receiving a service that had financial implications for you or your business, you may potentially have grounds for a claim.

We will be happy to advise you as to whether we believe you are eligible to make a professional negligence claim, so please get in touch to find out more.

What counts as professional negligence?

To be able to claim compensation for professional negligence, you will normally need to establish 3 main points:

1. The professional owed you a duty of care – i.e. the defendant has acted for you using their professional expertise, whether a formal contract existed or not.
2. The professional breached that duty of care – i.e. that their advice or services fell below what you could reasonably expect from a competent equivalent professional.
3. The breach of care caused you measurable harm – i.e. that you suffered some sort of loss, financial or otherwise, as a result of the substandard advice or service you received.

You may also be able to make a claim if you can show that the professional was guilty of ‘contributory negligence’ i.e. that their substandard advice or services contributed to you suffering a loss, even if they were not wholly responsible for it.

How much can you claim for professional negligence?

This will generally depend on what losses you have experienced as a result of the negligence.

To calculate the value of those losses, our solicitors will generally look at what position you could have expected to be in if the professional had not breached their duty of care.

We will then base our valuation of your claim on the difference between the position you should have been in and the position you now find yourself in. As a result, a successful claim should ideally allow you to put things right and make it as if the negligence had never occurred.

Why choose Glanvilles’ professional negligence claims solicitors?

With decades of experience across our team, we know what works when it comes to resolving professional negligence claims. Our experience combined with a creative approach means we can always find an appropriate solution that lets you get a fair settlement with the minimum hassle, allowing you to move on faster.

When you use our professional negligence claims service, we promise:

• Our staff will be friendly, respectful and attentive.
• Your concerns will be listened to, your questions answered and your options explained in plain English.
• The cost of dealing with your requirements will be made clear to you from the outset.
• We will answer your phone calls and emails promptly.
• We will keep you regularly updated at all times.

Glanvilles has been awarded the Law Society’s Lexcel accreditation for the high standards of our practice management and client care. We are independently regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

Get in touch with our professional negligence claims solicitors in Chichester, Fareham and Havant

Need help sorting out a professional negligence claim? Contact our highly experienced professional negligence lawyers in Chichester, Fareham, Havant or Petworth or use the contact form below and we will get back to you quickly.