Professional Negligence Solicitors

More often than not, people don’t realise they’ve experienced professional negligence until some level of damage has been done. After all, it’s reasonable to trust what a professional advisor tells you, especially if you’ve limited knowledge about a particular topic. Once the situation turns sour, it can be easy to blame yourself. Perhaps you didn’t do your research well enough or should have trusted your instincts about a person from the start.

But don’t waste time putting yourself down or questioning your actions. Professionals have a duty of care towards their client and are expected to perform their job to a reasonable standard and with reasonable care. Negligence occurs if the professional has not provided a reasonable level of skill or the standard of work that you could reasonably expect from a professional working in those circumstances. And this needs to be investigated fully.

Of course, no professional can be expected to get things 100% accurate all of the time. But if you feel that the advice you received was particularly bad and led to disastrous results, then your professional negligence claim could hold weight. Typically, you can make your case on one of two grounds:

1. You can prove that a professional in the same field would have offered completely different advice. Reasons why will also make your case stronger.
2. You can prove that the advisor you employed failed to adhere to the common standards of practice in their field.

If you’re making a professional negligence claim against someone, you’ll need to prove that they’ve breached their duty of care. This will involve collecting evidence such as emails, correspondence, documents or photographs showing the loss or damage caused and the action (or omission).

Why Does Professional Negligence Happen in the First Place?

It goes against the grain to question professional advice for many people. But sometimes it has to be done for your own benefit, particularly if you’ve been left out of pocket in any way. It’s not uncommon for professionals to dish out advice they’re not qualified to give. The information you’re looking for may go beyond their expertise, but they attempt to give advice anyway in order to get paid. Professional negligence claims also result from situations where work is passed on to a colleague who doesn’t have the necessary knowledge or time to deal with a query competently. Our experienced team of professional negligence solicitors can help identify such situations and seek compensation from those responsible. So don’t hesitate to get in touch.

What Common Mistakes Do Professionals Make?

Mistakes by professionals vary considerably according to industry. For example, mistakes by solicitors can include giving advice to clients that causes them losses, causing claims to be struck out by the courts and making errors in will drafting or failing to administer an estate in accordance with the deceased’s wishes. As another example, professional negligence claims in accountancy can revolve around incorrect tax advice, bad advice relating to pensions, missing important deadlines that lead to a financial loss, failure to value company assets correctly, giving general advice that has a negative financial impact – and more.

What Are the Time Limits for Bringing a Professional Negligence Claim?

A professional negligence claim is typically time barred after 6 years. This means you either make a claim within this period, or you’re too late. There are certain clauses which may give you more time, such as if you’ve just become aware of a particular problem. But these situations are often difficult to assess. As a rule of thumb, contact a solicitor as soon as you fear there might be a problem as this gives you the best chance of compensation.

Why Choose Satchell Moran Solicitors?

With combined experience of over 40 years and a team of professional negligence claim experts, your case will be in good hands. We prioritise integrity and treat each client with a great deal of respect. As a team, we analyse each case on its own merit and will let you know quickly whether you have a claim or not.

Speak to our solicitors in Liverpool today for more information and let us get you the compensation you deserve.