Legal News Wales hosted a panel of law firms in Wales, business planning and RTA Portal specialists to share their insight and plans into the forthcoming ‘Whiplash Reforms’ to help your firm navigate the impact this will have on the Personal Injury sector and claimants.
Amidst the Covid-19 crisis, law firms in Wales that offer personal injury solutions for clients involved in Road Traffic Accidents are facing an added pressure: the impending Whiplash Reforms, destined to come into force in April 2021.
The MoJ intends to increase the small claims limit to £5,000 for RTA claims, meaning costs can no longer be recovered for cases worth less than that amount. While the reforms have been delayed twice this year, it is clear they WILL happen and law firms need to be prepared.
As law firms in Wales re-scope their business plans in light of the pandemic, ahead of the end of the furlough scheme, and in a bid to maximise the value of modern working methods, now is the time to consider how low value claims as a result of an RTA can work for law firms, their employees and clients.
No-one likes to turn a client away, so what are the options; send them to a competitor, invest in new technology or run Portal cases at a loss? Also, if law firms move away from this market, what happens to employees in Wales, especially Paralegals?
Legal News Wales invited two law firms to join us for a live update on their approach to the Whiplash Reforms, how low value RTA caseloads have been managed during the pandemic, their view on what’s to follow in April 2021 and how their firm has responded.
Alistair Worth, Director of Mooneerams Solicitors and Clive Thomas, Managing Partner at Watkins & Gunn were joined by legal business consultant Viv Williams, who shared a market update for RTA work and the additional pressures of PII Renewal this October amongst other funding matters. David Cederholm from CallBrian (more information below) also joined the panel to explain how this new automated claims process is helping law firms across the country do more, with less.
Catch up on the event
Our one-hour Legal News Exchange event:
- Provided an overview of what’s happening in the market and common concerns for law firms in this field;
- Shared market intelligence;
- Shared the experiences and plans of law firms here in Wales, and;
- Introduced potential solutions to help your firm, and your clients.
Live recording:
About CallBrian
For law firms specialising in personal injury, the current pandemic as well as the long-anticipated increase to RTA claims limits next year, will sadly be a make or break situation for many.
CallBrian is happy to speak to Legal News Wales readers to offer unique help and support for those managing RTA caseloads, to help you overcome the pressures you’re facing now, and those you’re set to face in the future.
A new service, Call Brian (from BMS Funding) hopes to provide a much-needed lifeline to legal firms and teams specialising in RTA cases both now and in the future.
Call Brian is an innovative automated claims management system with built in communications for all parties, to enable legal firms to push stagnant cases over the finish line; to boost cashflow and get the resolution their clients need and deserve.
How can we help?
Over the past few weeks, CallBrian has been working hard to develop a solution which they wholeheartedly believe will offer both short and long-term resolution. The new service essentially automates all client liaison, whilst providing our partner law firms with full and complete visibility of all ongoing cases. Its team has a long history of partnering with law firms to help them process claims faster and with greater ease.
CallBrian is offering to do all of the legwork on existing cases, freeing up solicitors’ time to focus on bigger, more profitable cases – and we’ll work with you on a 50/50 basis.
Call Brian allows us to provide an efficient, effective, and fully automated means of processing RTA claims – of any size or volume. It means that instead of having a backlog of RTA cases on your files, and facing the need to turn away further cases, you can continue to provide clients with a hugely positive experience — and continue to generate valuable additional cashflow for your business.
If you think CallBrian may be able to help in any way at all and would like to explore the opportunity further, please contact David Cederholm, Sales Director on 07809 447 958 or email dcederholm@bmsfunding.co.uk.
Speaker profiles
Alistair Worth, Managing Director, Mooneerams Solicitors
Alistair was one of the founding partners of Mooneerams solicitors in 2002. At the time it was the only law practice in Wales that dealt solely with personal injury claims on behalf of Claimants – and 18 years later, that still remains the case!
Alistair is now the Managing Director of the firm. He has a fierce passion for helping individuals to get the compensation that is rightfully due to them, whether they have been involved in road traffic accidents, accidents at work or accidents in public places.
Clive Thomas, Managing Partner, Watkins & Gunn
Clive is the Managing Partner and Head of Personal Injury at Watkins & Gunn.
He has worked as a specialist PI Solicitor for 29 years and is a Member of the Law Society’s Personal Injury Panel and a Fellow of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers. He is recommended in both Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500.
Clive also sits on the Law Society’s Law Management Committee and the Wales Committee.
Viv Williams, Director, Viv Williams Consulting
Viv Williams is a leading consultant to law firms on the topics of strategy, management, practice, development and marketing.
Viv’s experience as a Managing Director of two floated plc companies adds a new dimension to law firms. He has the experience necessary to provide an invaluable practical management insight that applies to all professional firms. He is a specialist in strategy, merger and acquisition and “lean management” theory helping law firms to evolve. Viv is involved with several businesses serving the legal profession; Chairman of AWH Legal; Director of Ampersand which provides merger and acquisition solutions for the legal profession. Consulting Director of Symphony Legal and a member of Anza Solutions providing offshoring legal services in Bangalore. Viv has written two books on law firm management and is regularly interviewed by the Law Society Gazette on a host of topics.
David Cederholm, Sales Director, CallBrian
David works closely with law firms across England & Wales to support them and their clients through a new service, CallBrian (from BMS Funding). CallBrian hopes to provide a much-needed lifeline to legal firms and teams specialising in RTA cases both now and in the future.
Call Brian is an innovative automated claims management system with built in communications for all parties, to enable legal firms to push stagnant cases over the finish line; to boost cashflow and get the resolution their clients need and deserve.
