Covid-19 and Your Personal Injury Case

Written by Mumtaz Hussain

One of the major events that has not gone unnoticed as a result of Covid-19 is the number of sectors across the business world that have been forced to leave their offices and adapt to working from home. Law firms were also affected. As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, there have been lockdowns and various levels of tiered restrictions which have inevitably brought with them new ways of operating, to include working from home, remote client contact and creative thinking when it comes to treatments and remedies for clients. Here at Anthony Gold our injury and medical claims team has seen a tremendous shift in how our clients’ cases are managed on a day-to-day basis.

All the team has stepped up to the challenges brought on by the measures put in place to control the pandemic, whilst always continuing to prioritise the clients’ needs. Here are some examples of how three of our 19 solicitors have achieved this.

Jackie Spinks, a partner at Anthony Gold who is an expert in high value, complex personal injury cases always puts her clients at the centre of her adjustments to her working day to accommodate lockdown.   From the outset she made sure they were all contacted and that they understood that it was business as usual.  Jackie was instrumental in supporting the business as a whole in adapting to remote working and was able to take her experience of working flexibly for many years to move quickly to full remote working.

Embracing change and being able to adapt quickly have been key to her being able to continue to offer the high standards of client care for which Jackie is known.

Elizabeth Kinsey is a solicitor at Anthony Gold and assists Jackie Spinks in her high value, complex personal injury cases. Elizabeth qualified as a solicitor just ahead of the first national lockdown in 2020, and her priority was to migrate her cases electronically to allow for effective remote working.  Elizabeth has made full use of the firm’s various new digital communication platforms which have allowed client meetings, conferences with barristers and medical expert assessments to proceed smoothly, and in turn have allowed Elizabeth to continue to progress her clients’ claims with minimal disruption.

Amanda Hopkins was promoted to partner in December 2020 and has worked in the sector for almost 20 years. She has particular expertise in working with those suffering from brain injuries, as well as orthopaedic injuries and clients pursuing major amputation claims.  She also runs complex fatal accident claims involving dependants. Amanda, who has similarly experienced a shift in her working day, also considers the flexible and creative use of technology at Anthony Gold has been key.  Clients have not experienced any disruption to their cases, and the progress made in remote procedures is a major positive at what has proved to be such a difficult time.

A key factor for clients who instruct a personal injury lawyer, in what is already a distressing set of circumstances, is having absolute confidence in their ability to maintain a comprehensive service even when there are disruptions to manage.

Between them, Jackie, Amanda and Elizabeth have successfully navigated their clients’ cases through the legal process, despite the restrictions imposed by Covid-19.  Amanda was the first of the department to have a trial conducted remotely by Skype and we are pleased to say this was a success. Jackie took the lockdown measures in her stride, being able to successfully conduct two settlement meetings in the first three weeks of the 2020 lockdown, achieving a combined total of £5.75m for her clients.

*Disclaimer: The information on the Anthony Gold website is for general information only and reflects the position at the date of publication. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be treated as such. It is provided without any representations or warranties, express or implied.*