Unlocking OIC Portal Potential
Motor insurers are under significant pressure to deliver reductions in premiums. Whiplash reforms were intended to reduce premiums, yet they’ve...
Scotland
Headed up by Steven Smart and Val Pitt, with over 30 years of experience combined, our Scottish Office offers a broad range of services to insurer clients and their insured.
Expert Legal Advice and Representation
As one of the leading law firms in Scotland, we are dedicated to providing our clients with the highest quality legal services, tailored to their individual needs. With a team of highly skilled lawyers, we have the knowledge, experience, and expertise to advise and represent clients across a range of legal areas.
We understand that legal issues can be complex and stressful, which is why we provide our clients with clear, concise advice, and support throughout the legal process. We pride ourselves on our attention to detail, our focus on our clients’ needs, and our commitment to achieving the best possible outcome for them.
Our Approach
Client-Centered: We put our clients’ needs first, providing them with clear, concise advice, and support throughout the legal process.
Accessible: We don’t hide behind legal jargon or keep you in the dark. We’re open and honest throughout the process of a claim and explain things in the simplest terms possible.
Results-Oriented: We are committed to achieving the best possible outcome for our clients, and we work tirelessly to achieve this.
Procedural Differences
Those who deal with claims in other UK jurisdictions will be aware of the procedural nuances in Scotland. We can clearly set out what those differences are and the impact they may have on overall cost and the handling of claims, allowing us to work with you to develop approaches to avoiding the pitfalls of, for example, “not proceeding with a defence”, Pursuers’ offers, the use of counsel throughout straight forward actions, etc.
Tailored Strategies
Utilising our experience of the Scottish market along with our innovative claims approaches, we can help tailor claims strategies pre and post-litigation to minimise your overall spend. This can involve adopting methods for dealing with certain types of claim, specific firms or solicitors, or to try and develop the law in specific areas in Scotland, for example, in relation to expenses (costs) and fraud.
Steven
Smart
Partner & Head Of HF Scotland
I am proud both of the achievements of my colleagues in the team and developing relationships with our clients which have resulted in some memorable victories and happy customers. However, we do not rest on our laurels but continue to identify areas where we can improve and provide an even better service.
Our expertise
Headed up by Steven Smart and Associate Partner Val Pitt, with over 30 years of experience combined, our Scottish Office offers a broad range of services to insurer clients and their insured.COUNTER-FRAUD
Highlights include having developed a strategy to deal with claims from a problematic firm for a client which doubled their nil-rate claims in a year, developing HOLT for the jurisdiction, adopting a strategy to assist an insurer client facing an unusual number of “supercar” accident claims and multiple trial victories, including most recently for a local authority after a three day trial. We have successfully pursued fraudsters for costs recovering hundreds of thousands of pounds for our clients to date.
CATASTROPHIC INJURY
We are regularly instructed in the most serious injury claims, including actions involving amputations, paraplegia and brain injury. Our specialist catastrophic injuries team works to identify latest trends, approaches to handling claims and innovations in handling claims to secure the best possible outcomes.
MOTOR CLAIMS & CREDIT HIRE
We handle the full range of motor claims, from straight
forward injury and damage claims to complex indemnity issues. In addition, our expert credit hire handlers have developed pre and post litigation strategies to secure swift, efficient settlements where appropriate, or take advantage of procedure and costs rules to apply maximum pressure to CHOs in claims where good offers have been made or where the claim is questionable.
DISEASE CLAIMS
We have represented companies in different industries
against whom claims have been made for pleural plaques, asbestosis and mesothelioma. We also have extensive experience of representing companies against whom claims have been made for HAVS/VWF, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Noise Induced Hearing Loss, as well as less frequently encountered conditions such as Silicosis.
RECOVERIES
The Scottish-Insured recoveries department has grown
exponentially, recovering nearly £1.5m for clients during
2021 despite Court closures and an inability for long periods to raise proceedings.
PROPERTY DAMAGE
We handle property damage claims for major insurer clients ranging from more run of the mill claims to more complicated examples such as a seven figure claim concerning damage to a hotel.
EL/PL
Instructed through insurers, nominations and direct by
commercial clients, we handle claims across a broad
range of sectors including in the construction industry,
agricultural industry, local authorities and the leisure
industry.
PRODUCT LIABILITY
We represent insurers in both defending such claims,
including a defective beauty product provided to clients,
and pursuing them, presently seeking a recovery against a major company after a software failure on a product resulted in a serious accident.
TRAVEL LAW
We represent a major holiday operator in a range of matters, from pursuing disruptive passengers ejected from flights resulting in financial charges being sustained, to defending claims by holiday makers who have sustained injuries, food poisoning or who have made claims for alleged breaches of contract.
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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