A claim for professional negligence can be brought where a client has suffered damage as a result of the failings of his professional adviser whether this is his solicitor, accountant, architect or surveyor. They are instructed by clients for their expertise in their particular expertise and accordingly the Courts will expect stringent standards to be met. If these are not, then there may be a claim. 

What Criteria is required to bring a Claim?

In order to be able to claim that you have been a victim of professional negligence, you need to demonstrate that:

1: The professional owed you a duty of care. Any professional that you instruct has to provide these services pursuant to your contract with reasonable skill and care. The standard that the professional is expected to meet is normally that of the reasonably competent professional. In certain cases, if the professional holds themselves out as having a greater expertise than normally to be expected from his peers, then the Court will require the professional to be held to that higher standard.

2: The professional has breached the duty of care owed to you. You have to be able to show that the level of service or standard of work that has been provided is not up to the standard that would reasonably be expected from a professional working within the circumstances applicable to the service or work you required.

3: You have suffered loss as a result. You have to establish that you have incurred some kind of loss as a result of a breach in the duty of care. Perhaps you have received poor legal advice that has resulted in failed litigation or you have not been properly advised on the purchase of your property by your conveyancing solicitor.

4: Causation. It is necessary for you to be able to show that the breach of duty by the professional is the actual cause of your loss rather than other factors such as the fall in property prices. If the loss would have been incurred even if the solicitor was not negligent, then the professional is likely to have a causation defence.

Carelessness by professionals can have serious consequences for an individual. While most of the time, the damage will be a financial one, there are circumstances when there may also be physical and emotional damage. Under any of these circumstances, the skills of experienced professional negligence solicitors with the necessary expertise should be appointed.

You can be assured, if you have suffered loss as a result of professional negligence, we have a team of experts that are ready to fight your case. We pursue each individual case with vigour and determination in an effort to obtain redress for you as a client and in certain cases; we can act for you on a no win no fee basis.