In this edition of Meet the Lawyer, we hear from Robin Patey, principal partner, road traffic accidents at Express Solicitors.
With over 20 years of experience, the firm is one of the largest specialist personal injury solicitors in the UK.
How would you summarise your approach to serious injury clients and the importance of your role in supporting the best possible rehabilitation outcomes?
Each client is different and what they need from me will determine my approach.
My role is to facilitate not only financial compensation for their injuries but to also get justice when a crime has been committed against them.
One way I can best support clients is to try to obtain them interim payments.
These payments are partial compensation that can be awarded before the claim is settled fully; they’re advancements on the total compensation.
We often hear about ‘patient-centred care’ in neuro-rehab. What does this mean to you as a legal professional, and how do you help to support it?
Patient-centred care from a legal point of view means treating the client as just that, a client.
They are not just case numbers or injuries; they are people who have had their lives turned upside down.
I never lose sight of the fact that it’s their case and it’s up to the lawyer to understand what the client wants, not for the client to understand what the lawyer wants.
When I get a case, I go and meet with the client and their families at the earliest possible stage.
There is no substitute for sitting with the client, in an environment they are comfortable in, to try and understand what happened and what rehabilitation needs they have.
It is also important to make sure that we get interim payments for the client as these are vital for neurorehabilitation.
Access to the best medical treatment and advice at an early stage is key but is often out of budget for families who have had serious injuries.
Alongside this, we help get our seriously injured clients access to a team of experts.
This includes a case manager to organise day to day support as well as adaptions to their homes and 24-hour round the clock care if this is needed.
Finding the right legal partner can be daunting for families affected by serious injury. What advice would you give to help navigate this process?
Finding the right legal advisor can be difficult and, for some clients, the reason they put off starting the claim process.
The first thing I would suggest is to go directly to a personal injury specialist law firm.
Many high street firms won’t have the scope to deal with complex and serious injuries and this can waste valuable time.
Before starting a claim, it is important to gather as much information, medical records and notes on the accident as you can as this will make the evaluation of the case smoother.
By having access to these documents from the get-go, the law firm you’re instructing will be able to evaluate the claim fully and explain to you the likelihood of your success.
Finally, when you think you’ve found a law firm, meet with the lawyer as soon as possible and quiz them.
Have they done similar cases? What were the outcomes? What’s their level of expertise for this type of case?
You need to be comfortable with your lawyer and their team as you and your family could be dealing with them for a number of years.
Could you provide some context on your relationship with other brain and spinal professionals and MDT members, and how you see these relationships evolving?
My team and I work closely with Ontime Reports, a sister company to Express, to access the best medical experts in country.
They support us by gathering the necessary medical evidence from the best quality experts.
This evidence helps us value the case based on the long-term outcome of the injuries.
They also arrange further evidence gathering appointments such as X-rays and MRI scans that may be required for the case.
Not only is this important for the case but it takes some of that strain off the client and their families.
It is important for their recovery that the case is as stress free as possible.
We also work closely with Headway, a charity dedicated to supporting survivors of brain injury and their families throughout rehabilitation and recovery.
We are proud to be a Headway recommended law firm, helping survivors at the earliest opportunity to improve outcomes.
Can you share an example of a particularly challenging case you’ve worked on, how you overcame the challenges, and the positive outcome achieved for the client?
I represented Margaret Scaldwell, a grandma of three who two years ago was run over by an electric motorcycle that was doing 40mph in a 30mph zone as she crossed the road near her Wigan home.
She suffered multiple life-changing injuries including needing 10 steel plates to her face.
The driver was sentenced to 27 months after pleading guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving without a helmet or licence as well as fleeing the scene.
The passenger also plead guilty to dangerous driving and aiding and abetting the driver to cause serious injury while driving a defective bike since the passenger was the owner of the vehicle.
He received a suspended sentence.
What was challenging about this case was that there was no precedent for a passenger of an electric motorcycle to be prosecuted.
Yet the court found that as the bike belonged to the passenger, he too was liable for the injuries caused to Margaret.
Another complication to the case was the fact that the sentencing was pushed back a number of times.
Are there any developments within the brain and spinal care landscape that a) give you encouragement about the future of neuro-rehab, and b) raise concerns for you?
I think there is a growing awareness of the importance of neurorehabilitation in serious injury PI claims and that is great.
Advances in technology and medical science are improving which means clients who are less well-off can still access the treatment that they need.
Something that concerns me as a claimant PI lawyer is that some insurers still approach cases with a lack of awareness of the vital impact neurorehabilitation can have for a seriously injured person.
Personal injury claims can take many years to reach a conclusion, when run properly, so it is essential that clients are not left in financial difficulty during this time.
A lot of my clients really feel the pressure of the increased cost of living and even a loss of earnings for a few weeks can have a massively detrimental impact on the entire family.
Could you share a couple of your personal career highlights?
I am fortunate to work for an award-winning law firm and I have personally been recognised in the Legal 500 as well as Northwest Insider’s 42 under 42.
Yet I’d say my career highlight was when I represented a young tradesman who was involved in one of the worst motorway collisions in UK history.
A firework display in Taunton caused smoke to blow over the nearby M5 motorway carriageway causing a massive car pileup.
He unfortunately lost a leg due to his injuries. I helped him secure a life-changing seven figure settlement as well as the rehab and equipment to make his life, and the life of his young family, easier.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I’m a long-suffering Manchester United fan and the occasions when they win soaking up the atmosphere of the stadium with my son makes the season ticket worth it!
Aside from that, my family and I ramble through the hills of north Wales.
Find out more about Express Solicitors at expresssolicitors.co.uk
