By Legal Futures Associate First4Lawyers
First4InjuryClaims, the alternative business structure (ABS) law firm set up by First4Lawyers, has recovered compensation of over £1 million for clients in its first year of trading.
First4InjuryClaims deals solely with road traffic accident (RTA) claims and is a separate company within the First4Lawyers group. It was set up to help those consumers denied access to justice when the government slashed personal injury compensation for whiplash injuries that last up to two years and are worth less than £5,000.
While, in theory, the government’s Official Injury Claims portal (OIC) allows them to bring their claim without the assistance of a lawyer, official statistics show that fewer than 10% of injured people have the confidence or ability to go it alone and need the support of a lawyer. As a result, the majority of the firm’s cases go through the OIC.
Despite the group ceasing all marketing activity in relation to RTA lead generation, First4InjuryClaims has still received over 4,000 enquiries from individuals looking for support when it comes to making an RTA claim.
Group managing director Qamar Anwar says: “When we launched First4InjuryClaims, we made it clear that we felt the reforms were ill-thought through. The number of customers turning to us for help navigating the OIC more than prove the point. We were committed to finding a way for consumers to access the support they were so clearly going to need, and I am proud that we’ve been able to help without detracting from the core First4Lawyers business.
“We’ve kept to the launch pledge made to our panel members that First4InjuryClaims would focus exclusively on RTA, ensuring that our panel firms have certainty that all non-RTA leads are for the sole benefit of our marketing collective.”
Since launching under the leadership of Andrew Wild, who joined from WNS Legal Assistance LLP in June last year, the firm has grown to 16 staff, including Lee Hamilton who joined from National Accident Law as operations manager and senior legal practitioners Helen Jolly from Lyons Davidson and Julie Hughes, formerly of Lance Mason. The remainder of the team comprises five fee-earners, six claims assistants and a senior legal cashier.
Andrew Wild says: “I am delighted with the first year of trading at First4InjuryClaims. We’ve focused heavily on process and people, both recruiting and developing the right legal talent and ensuring the best possible consumer experience.”
