Professional negligence

When you instruct any professional, be that an accountant, solicitor, or surveyor, you trust their expertise. Sometimes that service may fall short of professional standards with financial or other implications.

Examples of this include:  

• Your accountant might have made a mistake, resulting in HMRC penalties.
• Your broker may have not followed your instructions when securing insurance, meaning when you need to make a claim you aren’t covered.
• Your conveyancing solicitor might have missed something during the house purchase process, resulting in you not even owning what you thought you had bought.
• Your surveyor might have valued the land you bought at more than it is worth, leaving you out of pocket.

Examples of work

• Advised on a professional negligence claim arising from a defective administrator appointment, resulting in loss of a six-figure insolvency instruction and write-off of substantial work in progress, ultimately resolving through a six-figure settlement.
• Advised on a professional negligence claim against an accountant relating to a flawed expert report in quantum proceedings, leading to a successful appeal and further litigation involving approximately £250,000 in damages sought.

How Napthens can help

Our team has extensive experience in this area and are able to advise whether a negligence claim can be made against a professional and guide you through the process.

This would normally follow in this order:

• Address matters requiring immediate action and assess the merits of proceeding with a professional negligence claim
• Consider alternative actions, including formal complaints and regulatory oversight  
• Consider your case and analyse the steps taken, or not taken, by your professional
• Guide you through the process and towards resolution, whether through alternative dispute resolution (ADR), litigation or a combination of both
• Work with other professionals with relevant expertise to ensure that your claim has a firm foundation and can meet rigorous evidential requirements

Get in touch today via our form to speak with an expert.