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Ireland
HF Ireland offers the full suite of personal injuries defence services and advice to insurers who write business in the Republic of Ireland (“ROI”) or who have exposure to ROI claims, as well as to self-insured clients, for whom we offer a ground-up service.
Our experience includes dealing with cross-border litigation/Rome II cases. Indeed, through Eva Bashford, Partner (based in Northern Ireland), we have considerable expertise – with which few others can compete – on issues such as credit hire which regularly features in Rome II cases.
HF’s vision is to be the most client-focused and innovative law firm in our service areas. In Ireland, we offer similar services to those offered across the UK.
HOLT
We are delighted to introduce our award-winning HOLT product to Ireland, and it will be game changing in the fight against fraud. We have developed strategies to deal with LSI, phantom passenger and induced claims. In Ireland, all injury claims (save for Garda Compensation Claims, as things currently stand) must be submitted to the PIAB (also known as the Personal Injuries Assessment Board and the Injuries Board) with assessments taking around a year.
HOLT will enable claims handlers to make an early assessment of the merits of defending the claim in-house at an early stage. Costs increase significantly when claims are litigated therefore early identification of these claims will focus resources and minimise indemnity spend.
Pre-action assistance and advice
The team often provides pre-litigation assistance to clients whose cases are at the preliminary Injuries Board stage. The personal injuries claim process in Ireland commences through the Personal Injuries Assessment Board, soon to become the Personal Injuries Resolutions Board (“PIRB”). Introduced in 2003, the aim of PIAB is to, amongst other things, facilitate early conclusion of cases, where appropriate, and prevent unnecessary litigation from backlogging the courts. It is mandatory for all personal injury claims (save for in certain exceptional circumstances) to commence through PIAB. Our team have strong experience in dealing with disputes at the Injuries Board stage and are well equipped to assist clients in this respect, where necessary.
Industry impact
Our Ireland team have presented to a wide array of clients and industry professionals such as insurers, loss adjusters, claims handlers, etc, on various matters, such as the developing personal injuries landscape in Ireland. In April 2021 and March 2022, they presented talks to members of the Insurance Institute of Ireland during the Institute’s Spring lecture series, focusing on the evolving quantum landscape in Irish personal injuries litigation, as well as the impact of the new Personal Injuries Guidelines.
Martin
Browne
Partner & Head Of HF Ireland
Our business strategy is focused on continually improving the quality, cost, effectiveness and range of services we offer to our clients with the aim of minimising their total indemnity spend and supporting their customer service objectives.
Our expertise
Employers' Liability
We have significant experience in Employers’ Liability cases, with a large proportion of their work based in workplace related injury claims. The majority of these are Circuit and High Court actions; however, with the introduction of the Personal Injuries Guidelines (“the Guidelines”) in April 2022 – and their emphasis on a reduced level of award for personal injury actions – there is expected to be a surge in District Court based Employers’ Liability cases over the coming months and years.
Public Liability
A lot of our work comes from Public Liability instructions – both litigation and coverage based. In addition to handling litigated files from inception at Injuries Board level to conclusion, the team regularly advise on a range of coverage issues for clients and have significant experience acting for a diverse array of clients, such as those based in the hospitality and services industry, from restaurants to shops to bars and hotels, and from facility & security service providers to event organisers and supplier and delivery-based entities.
Motor
We can assist with all types of litigation arising from motor claims to include serious injury; cross border litigation; LVI; counter fraud; credit hire and material damage including challenging inflated repair invoices. We can also provide guidance and strategies to manage motor claims to increase efficiency and take control of the process at an early stage to ensure that you set the pace and influence the choice of repairing garage or hire provider.
Property Damage
We have extensive experience in dealing with claims involving property damage including from fire, escape of water and other perils. We advise on: indemnity disputes arising from first party property damage,
the defence of policyholders against incoming property damage claims, the pursuit of subrogated recoveries where you have paid out for property damage potentially caused by another.
Credit Hire
Credit hire is not common within the Irish market and for that reason significant savings can be made via early negotiations, particularly in injury cases. The PIAB doesn’t make full provision for large credit hire claims, and most of the hire providers pursuing claims in this market know this. We have a wealth of experience in reducing credit hire claims and challenging spurious additional charges, unlike many firms in the jurisdiction, who are unlikely to have had the same level of exposure to hire claims across Ireland.
Counter Fraud
Our experience and well-honed strategies implemented across the UK means we are uniquely placed to aggressively tackle fraud within the Irish market. Ireland has a reputation as the claims capital of Europe and there are many reasons for this: the high awards compared to other jurisdictions; the simplicity of the PIAB process; the apparently pro-plaintiff courts and eye-watering legal costs, amongst other things.
Policy Coverage & Indemnity Issues
We regularly advise on an array of policy indemnity-based issues; from queries surrounding potential late notification, to the operation and effect of certain conditions precedent to liability, to niche queries concerning the interpretation of clauses and their retrospective application in policy disputes.
Recoveries
We recognise that an insurer’s ability to recover their outlay is fundamental to enhancing their customer’s journey, as well as growing their business and improving cash flow. We are experienced and, importantly, very efficient at carrying out this essential function on behalf of our clients. We aim to reduce lifecycles and change behaviours in the market.
Large & Complex Injury
Given the complexity of these claims we work closely and collaboratively with our clients throughout the life of a claim. Early advice is crucial for these claims along with sensitive handling. Our team is experienced in many types of claim, including fatal accidents, spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries, complex multiple injury cases and abuse claims.
Contact us
For expert legal advice from real people in our specialist teams, get in touch – we look forward to hearing from you.
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