Lawyer recommendation for dealing with insurance co?
Discussion
Spartacus99 said:
Can anyone recommend a good lawyer who can advise on a potentially adversarial interaction with my insurance company? I've received notification of an incident, and I'd like to get some guidance and advice from someone who knows how these things play out.
Can you provide some details of what has happened?Assuming you need advice about a potential breach of contract dispute (i.e. insurance company potentially refusing to honour your claim) you need a dispute resolution solicitor aka civil litigation solicitor. Hourly rates for a decent solicitor will be circa £250 per hour plus VAT.
Spartacus99 said:
I'm just looking for a lawyer who has specialises in helping drivers deal with insurance companies.
I doubt such a thing exists. Consumer vs Ins Co is too niche a market to have anyone specialise in it.Larger commercial litigation lawyers will likely have the expertise to deal with the matter but they will come at commercial costs.
Tye Green said:
Spartacus99 said:
I'd rather not go into details. I'm just looking for a lawyer who has specialises in helping drivers deal with insurance companies.
that's a pretty vague..erm... brief https://excellolaw.co.uk/meet-our-lawyers/emyr-ker...
Having said that, he will come with an appropriate price tag, hence why I was asking about some further details to see if I could give you some general advice or point you in the right direction.
Bear in mind, any costs you incur with lawyers at this stage are generally not recoverable so think about proportionality.
Spartacus99 said:
I've received notification of an incident,
As you won't offer any details, are we to assume that your insurance company has contacted you to say that your vehicle has been involved in an "incident". If you refute that, and know of no "incident", then just tell them that. Why the need for a lawyer?Sebring440 said:
As you won't offer any details, are we to assume that your insurance company has contacted you to say that your vehicle has been involved in an "incident". If you refute that, and know of no "incident", then just tell them that. Why the need for a lawyer?
Exactly this. If this is the case the insurance company will be on your side. If on the other hand you know about the incident and didnt tell the insurance company you may have a problem.Canon_Fodder said:
Spartacus99 said:
I'm just looking for a lawyer who has specialises in helping drivers deal with insurance companies.
I doubt such a thing exists. Consumer vs Ins Co is too niche a market to have anyone specialise in it.But, I used them 27 years ago and paid £450/hour back then, and that was with a big mates rates discount because my firm pushed a lot of business to them. So god knows what they charge now. But they are world leaders in the field.
In the end I didn't need them. I appointed them because it was a complex case and thru work, I knew the insurer involved also used them. So if it did get tricky, the insurers would appoint them, and Clyde would have to turn them down because I'd already bagged them. That would send a message to the insurers that I wasn't f
king about here. But the insurers were as good as gold and settled the claim fairly (it wasn't motor insurance related). https://www.clydeco.com/en/locations/uk-europe/lon...
Edited by TwigtheWonderkid on Tuesday 10th May 08:38
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Canon_Fodder said:
Spartacus99 said:
I'm just looking for a lawyer who has specialises in helping drivers deal with insurance companies.
I doubt such a thing exists. Consumer vs Ins Co is too niche a market to have anyone specialise in it.But, I used them 27 years ago and paid £450/hour back then, and that was with a big mates rates discount because my firm pushed a lot of business to them. So god knows what they charge now. But they are world leaders in the field.
In the end I didn't need them. I appointed them because it was a complex case and thru work, I knew the insurer involved also used them. So if it did get tricky, the insurers would appoint them, and Clyde would have to turn them down because I'd already bagged them. That would send a message to the insurers that I wasn't f
king about here. But the insurers were as good as gold and settled the claim fairly (it wasn't motor insurance related). https://www.clydeco.com/en/locations/uk-europe/lon...
Edited by TwigtheWonderkid on Tuesday 10th May 08:38
R56Cooper said:
Shame the OP hasn't been back. Very difficult to give any real input without at least knowing the basic details.
Is it though? He just wanted some recommendations for lawyers with experience acting against insurance companies? Not surprised OP hasn't been back when the impression is that people are gatekeeping and 'needing' more infoCanon_Fodder said:
R56Cooper said:
Shame the OP hasn't been back. Very difficult to give any real input without at least knowing the basic details.
He's probably gone a bit quiet while he saves up for the £450 / hour mob that were helpfully recommended aboveTwigtheWonderkid said:
That was mates rates nearly 30 years ago. I think they were about £700/hour back then. Must be well over a grand now. But these are the top boys and girls in the field. That kind of expertise doesn't come cheap.
Yes indeed - if you want the best you must be prepared to pay for it.I suppose if the OP has some sort of personal injury or liability claim then the amounts involved could be large enough to justify the big boys.
Engaging the firm you linked to would certainly get the attention of the OP's adversary
Canon_Fodder said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
That was mates rates nearly 30 years ago. I think they were about £700/hour back then. Must be well over a grand now. But these are the top boys and girls in the field. That kind of expertise doesn't come cheap.
Yes indeed - if you want the best you must be prepared to pay for it.I suppose if the OP has some sort of personal injury or liability claim then the amounts involved could be large enough to justify the big boys.
Engaging the firm you linked to would certainly get the attention of the OP's adversary
OP said he had been notified of a potential incident and the interaction with the insurer was "potentially adversarial".
From the very brief details provided, it sounds to me like the insurer might be proposing to concede liability and the OP does not agree with this. In that situation, we are talking about a dispute where the OP's losses could potentially amount to a small increase in premium at renewal time.
On the other hand, it might be that the insurer is pulling cover and refusing to cover the cost of replacing the OP's million pound Ferrari and is alleging insurance fraud.
In the first scenario, he could probably get some basic advice from his local CAB, or a generic high street litigation solicitor who may be kind enough to do a free half hour consultation. Equally, there are many on PH with experience of these matters who could assist him with a general overview of the process.
In the second scenario however, it might be worth running off and instructing the big guns from the start.
Not trying to be difficult with anyone but in the real world - just keen to direct the OP to the appropriate tool for the job!
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Canon_Fodder said:
R56Cooper said:
Shame the OP hasn't been back. Very difficult to give any real input without at least knowing the basic details.
He's probably gone a bit quiet while he saves up for the £450 / hour mob that were helpfully recommended aboveHe was pulling your plonker. Clyde's main business is indeed insurance litigation, and insurance companies are notoriously mean payers.
There's no way on earth ordinary partners there were charging £450 p.h. 30 years ago, let alone £700. It's just possible that a couple of the most senior people there might have very occasionally got up to £450, but most partners would have been very happy to bill at around £250, and most solicitors there doing everyday insurance litigation would have been charging far less than that.
The ability to recover legal costs in litigation is governed by the `Guideline Rates'. These were revised in October last year and the maximum recoverable for a senior solicitor in Central London is £512 p.h. In practice, a judge would only allow that in heavy commercial litigation, certainly not the sort of dispute the OP's likely to be involved in. Insurance companies will very rarely pay their solicitors more than they can recover from their opponents, so these rates put an effective cap on charges for insurance litigation.
Quoting such Alice in Wonderland solicitors' charges is hardly helpful, as it gives people like the OP a completely false idea of the cost of legal advice, and probably puts them off seeking it.
In any case, he probably doesn't need a specialist insurance lawyer, though the fact that he's disappeared having given so little information makes it difficult to judge. There are plenty of good, competetent litigation lawyers around who will give a free consultation, and if he has a decent case they may well be willing to work on a no win no fee basis.
R56Cooper said:
This is the point of why I was asking for more details though as I was keen to signpost the OP to an appropriate advisor.
OP said he had been notified of a potential incident and the interaction with the insurer was "potentially adversarial".
From the very brief details provided, it sounds to me like the insurer might be proposing to concede liability and the OP does not agree with this. In that situation, we are talking about a dispute where the OP's losses could potentially amount to a small increase in premium at renewal time.
On the other hand, it might be that the insurer is pulling cover and refusing to cover the cost of replacing the OP's million pound Ferrari and is alleging insurance fraud.
In the first scenario, he could probably get some basic advice from his local CAB, or a generic high street litigation solicitor who may be kind enough to do a free half hour consultation. Equally, there are many on PH with experience of these matters who could assist him with a general overview of the process.
In the second scenario however, it might be worth running off and instructing the big guns from the start.
Not trying to be difficult with anyone but in the real world - just keen to direct the OP to the appropriate tool for the job!
This is exactly why people ask so many questions of an OP.OP said he had been notified of a potential incident and the interaction with the insurer was "potentially adversarial".
From the very brief details provided, it sounds to me like the insurer might be proposing to concede liability and the OP does not agree with this. In that situation, we are talking about a dispute where the OP's losses could potentially amount to a small increase in premium at renewal time.
On the other hand, it might be that the insurer is pulling cover and refusing to cover the cost of replacing the OP's million pound Ferrari and is alleging insurance fraud.
In the first scenario, he could probably get some basic advice from his local CAB, or a generic high street litigation solicitor who may be kind enough to do a free half hour consultation. Equally, there are many on PH with experience of these matters who could assist him with a general overview of the process.
In the second scenario however, it might be worth running off and instructing the big guns from the start.
Not trying to be difficult with anyone but in the real world - just keen to direct the OP to the appropriate tool for the job!
Being vague and coy when seeking help will usually yield worse quality suggestions and improper advice.
Ok, as OP is being vague Coy etc I'll be rude & barge in...if i may.
Similar problem , not mine but BIL, involved in an RTL , the other driver takes responsibility for the bump , the Insurance company of the other driver tells BIL to take car to a garage of their choice. he did. They then tell BIL the quote from their approved garage for damage is to high & he has to go through his own Ins Co...3 months later his insurance company are telling him they cannot get an answer from the other Ins company ??? He's on the phone pulling what little hair he has out...His company is a Big company Direct Line I forget who the other drivers company is...he has legal etc ...?
OP sorry for barging in tell me to Foxtrot Oscar & i will...
Similar problem , not mine but BIL, involved in an RTL , the other driver takes responsibility for the bump , the Insurance company of the other driver tells BIL to take car to a garage of their choice. he did. They then tell BIL the quote from their approved garage for damage is to high & he has to go through his own Ins Co...3 months later his insurance company are telling him they cannot get an answer from the other Ins company ??? He's on the phone pulling what little hair he has out...His company is a Big company Direct Line I forget who the other drivers company is...he has legal etc ...?
OP sorry for barging in tell me to Foxtrot Oscar & i will...
Pro Bono said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Canon_Fodder said:
R56Cooper said:
Shame the OP hasn't been back. Very difficult to give any real input without at least knowing the basic details.
He's probably gone a bit quiet while he saves up for the £450 / hour mob that were helpfully recommended aboveHe was pulling your plonker. Clyde's main business is indeed insurance litigation, and insurance companies are notoriously mean payers.
There's no way on earth ordinary partners there were charging £450 p.h. 30 years ago, let alone £700. It's just possible that a couple of the most senior people there might have very occasionally got up to £450, but most partners would have been very happy to bill at around £250, and most solicitors there doing everyday insurance litigation would have been charging far less than that.
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