Clients rely on the solicitor handling their case to ensure that all paperwork needed for an application to the court is prepared on time – and legal documents are served on the opponent within the protocols set out by the Ministry of Justice.
A solicitor who missed the deadline for serving a claim, for example, can prejudice not only the case – but a client’s whole future.
Under the 1980 Limitation Act, there are strict deadlines for making claims – including personal injury claims, claims for Judicial Review and claims under the Human Rights Act.
If the solicitor in the case missed the deadline, a client may not have access to justice unless the court agrees to extend the limitation period for making a claim.
In court cases, deadlines may be missed for any number of reasons, from human error and drafting mistakes, to not instructing counsel in time – or not obtaining details of quantum (how much a claim is worth) from counsel in time to submit the claim to the court for consideration as to whether the case can be heard.
Missed deadlines can also affect property transactions – including conveyancing deadlines, tax, wills and probate cases and a wide range of other cases, such as time limits involved in appealing against conviction or sentencing in criminal cases.
Duncan Lewis professional negligence solicitors can offer clients who have been let down by a negligent solicitor who missed a deadline an expert assessment of any claim they may have for professional negligence – and Duncan Lewis access to its own in-house experts across all areas of law, who can help pinpoint where a solicitor who is negligent in a case and missed a deadline is liable for failing a client.
Clients who suffer financial loss or other loss as a result of a solicitor who is negligent should first make a complaint through the solicitor’s own complaints procedure.
Legal Ombudsman can also adjudicate in cases where a solicitor is negligent and missed a deadline but any compensation awarded may be modest.
Clients considering suing a solicitor for professional negligence have six years from the date of the event constituting negligence – or three years from the date they first realised negligence had occurred – in which to make a claim
Duncan Lewis understands that suing a solicitor can be a daunting prospect after the trauma of being let down in a case involving a missed deadline by the solicitor.
Duncan Lewis professional negligence solicitors take a tough stance in making a claim against negligent solicitors who fail to carry out the legal processes in a timely manner and let their clients down – and will press for maximum damages.
Duncan Lewis lawyers offer clients a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) to fund professional negligence claims.
Duncan Lewis also offers a fixed fee to cover the costs of the initial client meeting and case assessment – so our professional negligence clients know from the outset how much they will have to pay.
If a case has gone wrong because the solicitor missed a deadline and provided a negligent service that resulted in loss, call Duncan Lewis Professional Negligence Solicitors for more information about making a compensation claim on 020 7923 4020.