What can I do for you?
I am a senior solicitor based in our Norwich office. I specialise in professional negligence claims, primarily against solicitors of all disciplines, but also against brokers, accountants and auditors, and surveyors. My work covers a broad range of claims, in terms of their complexity, value and work type, from dealing with claims involving solicitor trustees, residential and commercial conveyancing, probate and commercial deals. I am experienced in dealing with policy interpretation and coverage issues, court proceedings and ADR, including mediation. In addition, my experience on secondment with insurers enables me to consider claims from the viewpoints of a lawyer and an insurer.
Supporting my clients’ objectives
In February 2008, I acted on behalf of a firm of solicitors defending a multimillion-pound claim by a group of joint venturers in a series of complex multi-party actions which reached the Chancery Division of the High Court in London Richard Jack Daniels & Others v Alan Charles Deville & Others (2008). Following a substantial amount of preparation not only for the trial but also for a strike-out application we brought at the beginning of the trial, the claim against my client was dismissed with an order for costs. The fact that we took the bold step of applying to strike the claim out at an early stage was vindicated not only by its success but also by the fact that we were able to extricate my insurer and insured clients from trial in its third week while the other parties endured another eight weeks of trial. This minimised my client’s unrecoverable costs.
The culture of the team in which I work is to know the client’s business and identify solutions that fit with their business needs, always bearing in mind the challenge that can present looking at matters from the perspectives of insurer and insured.
What do others say?
Something we often hear, and are proud of, is how friendly and approachable all members of the team, and indeed the entire group, are. Clients tend to appreciate the fact that we are a national firm, able to act on behalf of insureds in all parts of the UK, and are able to offer a wide range of services, including real estate, tax and construction.
“Clients return to this firm time and again for its regional reach and the ‘experience, dedication and tenacity’ of the lawyers.” – Chambers UK