News

5 November 2008

Winners of the Brand New Personal Injury Awards Announced

Some of the UK's most talented individuals and companies working in the Personal Injury sector were last night (Tuesday 4th November) applauded by their peers when the winners of the inaugural Eclipse Proclaim Personal Injury Awards were announced.

Organised by Barker Brooks Media, the glittering black tie ceremony at the Café Royal was hosted by Joshua Rozenberg, Legal Editor of the Daily Telegraph and regular contributor to The London Standard and The Law Society Gazette and former BBC Legal Affairs Correspondent. More than 300 PI professionals comprising solicitors, barristers, insurers, rehabilitation providers, and claims management companies, gathered to honour the winners and celebrate excellence within the industry.

The winners are:

Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year (Claimant)	*Hilary Meredith of Hilary Meredith Solicitors (Wilmslow, Cheshire)
Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year (Defendant)	**Andrew Underwood of Keoghs LLP (Bolton, Lancs)
Personal Injury Team of the Year	Fletchers Solicitors (Southport)
Claims Management Company of the Year	Evolution Legal Service Ltd (offices in Talbot Green, Mid Glamorgan, and Kirkby, Merseyside)
ATE Insurance Broker/Provider of the Year	80e (Bristol)
Medical Agency of the Year	Doctors Chambers (Windsor)
Rehab Provider of the Year	Papworth Trust (Cambridge)
Barrister of the Year	Andrew Ritchie of 9 Gough Square (London)
Barrister Chambers of the Year	Park Lane Plowden Chambers (offices in Leeds and Newcastle)
Outstanding Case of the Year	Thompstone series of cases (Robin Oppenheim QC, Doughty Street Chambers; David Allen QC and David Heaton QC, Byrom Street Chambers; John Grace QC, 3 Serjeants Inn; Harry Trusted, Outer Temple Chambers; Stephen Grime QC, Deans Court Chambers; Richard Barcan, Barcan Woodward Solicitors; Trevor Ward, Linder Myers; Jennifer Cawthorne, Irwin Mitchell; David Tweedie, Lees LLP)
Outstanding Achievement	***Nicholas Bevan of Bond Pearce LLP (Plymouth office)

The panel of judges consisted of a host of leading industry insiders and representatives of professional bodies providing expertise in insurance, law, rehabilitation and medicine. The panel of judges comprised: Joe Pendle, Director of Client Services for Insurance Services Office (ISO); Michael Napier, CBE QC, Senior Partner of Irwin Mitchell; Helen Spillards, Board member of Case Management Society UK (CMSUK); Neil Beck, CEO of Alexander Samuel; Bippon Vinayak, Director of Doctors Chambers; Hilary Meredith, Senior Partner at Hilary Meredith Solicitors, and Senior Fellow of Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL); Norman Cottington, President of BICMA and Chairman of The Injury Care Clinics; Professor Robert Douglas, Chairman of The Society of Expert Witnesses; and Matthew Game, Chief Executive of Mobile Doctors.

The headline sponsor of the awards is Eclipse Legal Systems. Other sponsors include: Kindertons Accident Management; Mobile Doctors; Nuffield Health Diagnostics; TICCS; Doctors Chambers; Alexander Samuel LLP Solicitors; Evolution Legal Service; Just Costs Solicitors; Rehab Prosthetics; Towry Law; Papworth Trust; ISO; and Aquarium Software. To find out more, visit www.legal-medical.co.uk/piawards/

As well as honouring hard work and talent in the PI profession, the awards also raised money for Candlelighters, the children's cancer charity based at St James Hospital in Leeds.

For further press information, please contact: Susan Reid or Jane Burgess Barker Brooks PR (01423) 851150, susan.reid@barkerbrooks.co.uk or jane.burgess@barkerbrooks.co.uk

Editors' Notes
*Hilary Meredith of Hilary Meredith Solicitors - Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year (Claimant) Hilary is renowned for her work with the armed forces worldwide, and in particular for her involvement in the Gulf War Syndrome claims, both here and in the USA. She has over 20 years' experience of pursuing traumatic personal injury claims on behalf of those in the Armed Forces. Hilary holds a number of key public positions including Senior Fellow of Association of Personal Injury Lawyers; Fellow of the College of Personal Injury Law; member of MAAS; Panel Member of the Spinal Injuries Association and of the Brain and Spinal Injuries charity. Prior to setting up Hilary Meredith Solicitors in 2003, she was managing partner of Donns law firm in Manchester. Since 1991, she has held the position of Secretary to the Royal British Legion Solicitors Referral Group and is a member of the Gulf War Royal British Legion Parliamentary Committee.

**Andrew Underwood of Keoghs LLP - Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year (Defendant)
Andrew has dealt with defendant personal injury litigation throughout his legal career and is currently the Client Relationship Manager for a number of Keogh's insurer clients. His areas of expertise include catastrophic injury and large loss claims and he is nominated to deal with such cases on behalf of a number of major insurers. He specialises in neuro injury and amputee cases. In the earliest part of his career, Andrew headed the disease unit, with particular expertise in VWF and industrial carcinogens. In more recent years, he has developed an expertise in complex high-value injury claims and is a named individual on a number of restricted panels. Andrew qualified in 1987 and became a partner of Keoghs in 1990. A founding member of Forum Of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL), he was President 2004-2005 and instigated a market debate on the multi track personal injury process. This has now progressed to a market initiative (the Multi Track Code) which is being piloted by a number of major insurers. Andrew has been heavily involved in the MoJ Process Reforms initiative; and is chair of FOIL's Process and Rules Special Interest Group; and a member of BICMA.

***Nicholas Bevan of Bond Pearce LLP - Outstanding Achievement
Nicholas is a senior solicitor with over 20 years' experience as a personal injury lawyer acting on behalf of claimants and a number of major insurance companies, seeing both sides of a case. This includes a specialist expertise in pursuing and defending high value personal injury claims, claims against uninsured drivers and maritime accidents. In his current role as an Associate for Bond Pearce, Nicholas carries out the role of professional counsellor, a lawyers' lawyer. He advises both the firm's personal injury team and insurance department on legal issues making sure all of the team stays ahead of the game on all up and coming legislation.
Nicholas has a national reputation as an established leader in his field of practice. Extensively published and a regular lecturer for other professionals Nicholas works with legal experts such as APIL and the Law Society not just to clarify the law but to help shape it.