Festive period office opening hours
24th December 2015
Please find our opening hours for the festive period: 25th – 28th December – CLOSED 29th – 31st December – OPEN 1st – 3rd January – CLOSED 4th January onwards…
Here's where you can find out what news stories we've been mentioned in, what sort of things we've been talking about, what's been on our minds, what we've been supporting. In short, anything that warrants a Fletchers mention! Dip in.
Please find our opening hours for the festive period: 25th – 28th December – CLOSED 29th – 31st December – OPEN 1st – 3rd January – CLOSED 4th January onwards…
As reported in The Guardian recently, plans are afoot to bring in a rebate scheme for learner drivers who pass their tests at the first time of asking. Under the plans, part of the 62 fee will be handed back to first-time passers as a reward for preparedness.
Can we work with the medical profession to support injured patients and prevent poor practice?
Our CEO, Ed Fletcher, writes about the potential changes to clinical negligence fees and their impact…
Drivers and cyclists often have a chalk and cheese relationship: both use the road, and both, at times, would prefer to do so without the other one in the way. Whether you?re the one behind the wheel of a car or pushing the pedals on a bicycle, it?s important to remember that you?re sharing the road.
In a recent company-wide survey, the team members at Fletchers helped to raise £250 for Freshfields Animal Rescue, who are one of our 2015/16 nominated charities.
Congratulations to Vicky in our Medical Negligence department who, on Tuesday, qualified as a solicitor! We caught up with Vicky who told us all about what qualifying means for her and her experience completing a training contract at Fletchers.
Throughout the past month, we have been conducting in-house compliance training for all of our team members. The hour-long training sessions were developed to ensure every team member at Fletchers understands compliance matters, how to consider and report them when needed.
We were recently featured in articles by the Law Society Gazette, Solicitors Journal and Legal Features, regarding our growth and ambitions to become a top-100 firm by 2018.
Last year, we published a blog post about a looming issue within maternity care in England: there simply aren’t enough midwives. A year on and it seems the NHS is still facing the same pressures and concerns.
This week we were joined by Danniy, a graduate from the University of West London, who came to Fletchers for the week to gain experience in law to aid her with further career decisions. We caught up with Danniy at the end of her week to find out what she gained from her time being part of the Fletchers team.
In October, our CEO, Ed Fletcher, travelled to London to be on the panel at Legal Cheek?s event: Why the legal profession needs people who see the world differently. Following the event, Danniy was inspired by Ed and the Fletchers ethos, so decided to make the nearly 200-mile journey to join us for a work placement.
NHS England missed several key targets in the month of September, new data has shown.
The health service target is for 95% of patients to be seen, treated or discharged within four hours; in the lead up to the winter months, typically the busiest time of year for the already stretched hospitals, missing a key target such as this could be an indication of further troubles ahead.
With the change to contracts for junior doctors, the British Medical Association (BMA) has called for another ballot on industrial action. This could cause thousands of junior doctors across the country to down tools and walk out over contract disputes.
Today our team members took part in the Samaritan?s Purse ?Operation Christmas Child?, collecting and arranging Christmas boxes to send to less fortunate children around the world, giving them something to open on Christmas day.
We recently sponsored the annual Headway Golf Day; we have been proudly supporting the event since Headway Preston & Chorley created it in 2011. The golf day took place in Southport, at the Hesketh Golf Club with 10 businesses competing in the tournament. Overall, the event raised a fantastic 7000 for Headway.
In August, we were joined by four local law students for summer placements, to gain real experience within a law firm. The students were given the opportunity to explore the different departments and benefit from seeing a full overview of how Fletchers works and the results we achieve.
John was one of the students who joined us and has told us about his time within the Fletchers team and why he feels completing a summer placement is a valuable experience for university law students:
We were recently featured on the Daily Mirror website and Birmingham Mail, after achieving a settlement for our client, Sarah Forbes, who was left partially paralysed after a driver pulled out from a side road and crashed into her in July 2011.
For this month?s #OurApprentices feature we spoke to Gail, a supervisor here at Fletchers, about what it?s like having apprentices on her team and what she enjoys about supervising them.
One of our clients, Paul, has been urging people to think twice about motorbikes when they are driving, in the hope that his story will stop someone else going through the trauma he experienced.
Our chairman, Rob Fletcher, recently took on the challenge of completing the Etape du Tour, a section of the Tour de France. During the final leg of the trip he teamed up with by Law Society CEO Catherine Dixon, who independently was also competing in the Etape, for a cheerful finish-line photo!
Throughout September we are celebrating ?#?OurApprentices? and asking them what they’ve gained from doing an apprenticeship at Fletchers.
Jak has been an apprentice at Fletchers since November 2014 has given us an interesting insight into what his job role is and how rewarding he finds it.
The New Law Journal recently featured the head of our defendant department, Katherine Gavin; with a wealth of experience working at defendant firms, she spoke to the New Law Journal about her career, and what she thinks should change in the legal profession.
Four law students joined us for August to complete a work placement, Siobahn is currently doing a Law with Criminology degree at Edge Hill University and told us what she has enjoyed and gained from her My Placement.
This month four law students have been gaining practical experience here at Fletchers. Lucy shared what her favourite part of the work placement has been so far.
We are joined this month by four law students on work placements, we caught up with one of our placement students, John, to see how he has been finding his time at Fletchers and how it will help him in the future.
We were recently featured on the front page of the Nuneaton News (and online), after achieving a settlement for our client, Miss Stephanie Austin, who suffered third-degree burns during an operation on her breast.
Throughout August we are joined by four local law students on work placements. They will have the chance to move around different departments and gain hands on experience.
Fletchers Solicitors, the serious injury and medical negligence law firm, has partnered with the UK?s leading news source for junior lawyers and law students, Legal Cheek.
With suggestions of plans for a ?seven-day NHS?, thousands of NHS staff have chosen to voice their concerns to the Government, writing letters to the Prime Minister and creating their own social media ‘selfie campaign’.
With the new summer budget being delivered and setting the tone for future spending, what impact will it have on the NHS and will ensure we are receiving the healthcare we need?
We recently spoke to Becky Barlow the very proud mother of one of our clients, Jack Barlow. Jack sustained a spinal injury in an accident that left him dependant on using a wheelchair. However, he hasn’t let his injuries stop him from being positive and independent.
Alan Blanche, an engineer from Canterbury, was riding home on his scooter when a car reversing out of a driveway collided with him. He incurred serious injuries and was in a critical condition facing an extremely challenging recovery ahead. Following the settlement of his case, Alan is now restoring his independence and told us about his ‘Life After Injury’.
Adrian Denson is Head of Serious Injury at Fletchers, we spoke with him about how his role aids in rebuilding the lives of clients
Peterborough Telegraph recently featured a story of one our clients Mr Connor Potkins and how Fletchers Solicitors achieved a six-figure settlement following a hit-and-run incident in 2009 when Mr Potkins was just 17 years old.
Wayne Jones has been passionate about motorcycles for as long as he can remember. On 13th May 2012, Wayne was out on a typical Sunday afternoon motorbike ride with his brother to the picturesque town of Llandovery when they were involved in a road traffic accident.
Paul Brand, a 34-year-old man from Chester was a regular family man before his life was seriously affected as the result of a road traffic collision on the 7th January 2014. As Paul was proceeding down the main road on his motorcycle, the other party pulled out from a side road causing a collision. Fletchers Solicitors investigations are still ongoing, whilst awaiting the police accident report.
Sam Waddington left work on the 26th June 2013 excited as he was due to attend a Kasabian gig that night. However, he doesn’t remember anything about the accident that occurred on the way there while riding his motorbike.
Mr Stephen Humphries, a 32-year-old man from the West Midlands, was a regular family man before his life was seriously affected as a result of a road traffic collision on the 9th August 2014. He sustained multiple serious injuries when he was travelling around a left hand bend on his motorcycle. The other driver was proceeding in the opposite direction and lost control of his vehicle, causing him to swerve onto the other side of the road resulting in a collision.
Mark, a 50 year old man from Derbyshire, was a regular family man before his life was seriously affected as a result of a road traffic collision on the 14th May 2014. He sustained multiple serious injuries when he was proceeding along a road on his motorcycle and another vehicle exited a side right on his right causing a collision. His injuries included a fractured right elbow, fractured right humerus, compound fracture to right wrist and hand, several fractures to pelvis and cartilage and cruciate ligament damage to left knee. Not surprisingly, a full liability admission from the other driver’s insurers was received within two weeks.
Matthew Baynham was on the way to work on his motorcycle, working in Human Resources at Barnsley Council when he was involved a collision. The defendant who was travelling in the opposite direction turned across his path and apparently did not see Matthew because the sun was in his eyes.
Family man and ice hockey enthusiast Mark Cutts was thrown from his motorcycle while out on a ride with his ten year old daughter as a passenger. Despite sustaining multiple injuries including a fractured clavicle, wrist fracture, minor head injuries and injuries to his shoulder, Mark held it together until he was sure his daughter was safe. Mr Cutts underwent intensive physiotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapy sessions to assist him on his road to recovery.
We asked Mark about his life now and how he feels about the accident:
Kevin was riding his motorbike in July 2012 when a car pulled out from a parked position and knocked him off his motorbike. He fractured his ankle, knee, rib and 3 vertebrae in his back. He had to undergo several operations and the road to recovery has been quite tough.
Hanson Simon was injured on 2nd August 2013 as he rode his motorcycle down a stretch of road ominously called Devil?s Elbow in Hontion. A motorist travelling erratically failed to navigate the bend and collided head on with him. It is likely that the motorist was driving in such a manner due to medical problems, fatigue or loss of concentration/consciousness. Liability was not contentious once we had the police accident report.
Dave Holdsworth was enjoying a motorcycle ride with his son on the 1st June 2014 when he was involved in one of the most horrific pile ups to occur on Welsh roads. The pile up involved six motorbikes and one car and unfortunately claimed the lives of two motorcyclists.
Katelyn is an Assistant Fee Earner in the Serious Injury Unit here at Fletchers Solicitors so we caught up with her to ask her a few questions about her role.
Our CEO Ed Fletcher has been nominated for the Guardian’s Leader of the Year and has made it to the top 10.
Amid reports that the Coalition will leave office with the NHS in the red for the first time in 10 years, the future of the NHS looks undecided in the run up to one of the closest elections in decades.
Over 20% of women think that cervical screening is an unnecessary health test – yet cervical cancer is the second most deadly disease amongst women. More than 3,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year in the UK. It is also one of the most preventable cancers – when caught early enough; the five-year survival rate is nearly 100%.
The Daily Mirror yesterday highlighted the concerns over the performance of A&E departments across the country with the Shadow Health Secretary, Andy Burnham, seeming to blame David Cameron and his party largely.
To tie in with Mother’s Day, another social media fundraising phenomenon took over the likes of Facebook and Twitter – Macmillan’s #sozmum campaign. Like many before it, the #sozmum campaign includes posting a picture to your social media account and then donating after you have done it. Macmillan have asked people to post pictures of things they want to say sorry to their mum for, and then donating in memory of mums that due to cancer, aren’t here.
The NHS is widely renowned as one of the best healthcare systems in the world, government funded and available to all who require its care. Free healthcare for all comes at a price – the NHS is facing a huge deficit of around 30 million in the next 10 years.
Due to the outstanding level of talent who applied for the ‘Period of Recognised Training’ (PORT) contract, a decision was made to extend the number of successful candidates.
Now January is done and dusted – how did you do staying off the alcohol? It has been reported that by the 22nd January, over 50% of participants had fallen over the wagon.
A new antibiotic drug that British experts have called a ‘game changer’ is said to have been discovered. Teixobactin, a new antibiotic formulated to fight superbugs such as MRSA has used an innovative technique by growing bacteria in the place where it grows best – the soil. The research team placed diluted soil samples including the bugs in dishes in between semi permeable membranes and buried themin the earth.
The Walton Centre are one step closer to their Home from Home appeal target after it was confirmed that Rob Fletcher had raised a total of 6270 singlehandedly with a staggering 34,881.51 across the whole team for his Calais to Ventoux cycle ride.