Andrew Brooks, a leading Warwickshire divorce lawyer has joined an elite panel of specialists handling complex assets cases for wealthy individuals.

Mr Brooks recently represented an international footballer in a paternity case, has won accreditation from the Law Society as an Advanced Family Law panellist, qualified to act in cases involving clients with large and widespread assets.

Mr Brooks, who heads the family law team at Leamington solicitors Blythe Liggins, is among a handful of top flight lawyers on the panel to have attained ‘advanced’ accreditation for highly specialist cases.
“These cases would typically involve wealthy individuals with widespread business interests and assets, most probably involving foreign assets and overseas properties. They could also involve husbands and wives with joint business interests, for example as partners or co-directors,” he said.

“This accreditation means that we will now be recommended by the Law Society for such highly specialist cases, in addition to the department’s work on more local and straightforward family matters.”

CAPTION: Andrew Brooks

Blythe Liggins have held their inaugural “Great BL Bakeoff’ to raise money for The Myton Hospices.
Organised by the Family Law department, staff and partners baking skills were put to the test with over ten cakes entered into the competition.

Head of Family Law Andrew Brooks, who led the judging panel, said: “It was a really tough call. I knew we had quite a few keen amateur bakers in the office, but I didn’t realise standards would be this high.”
In September, a team of Blythe Liggins staff also took part in The Myton Hospices eight-mile Moonlight Walk. Mr Brooks said he expected the firm to have raised several hundred pounds from the two events.

The Myton Hospices – celebrating its 30th anniversary – is this year’s chosen charity for Blythe Liggins and the solicitors have already handed the charity a cheque for £1,400 raised through its participation in the Two Castles Run between Warwick and Kenilworth, which it has sponsored for the last seven years.

Caption: Cake judges (left to right) Andrew Brooks, Hannah Morris, corporate fundraising manager for The Myton Hospices, and Emma Hartnett, also from the Family Law department.

“I think you have every angle covered very well”

“Spot on service, very helpful, very friendly – Thank you!”

“I was extremely happy with the attention I was given”

“Louise was professional, efficient and understanding of my situation at all times. In comparison to other people I have spoken to in similar circumstances to myself, I feel it has been a relatively pain free experience.”

“Richard has been fantastic in what he has done for us and we are very pleased in the way he has dealt with a very difficult situation”

“I received excellent service”

“I was well satisfied with the service I received”

“Mr Lockley gave good advice and answered any questions that needed answering”

“I wouldn’t change a thing. Very friendly from start to finish. Keep up the great work you do. Special thanks to Lois Harrison and Claire Kirwan”

“You were on the ball at all times – thank you very much”

“I am very happy with the service from Blythe Liggins. Alex Khan was always available to speak to me and very kind and helpful at a hard time. Thank you”

“Excellent throughout the transaction”

“Service was excellent”

“A fast, efficient and reasonably priced service”

Patients with a new hip that utilises a metal-on-metal (MOM) system could be due substantial sums of money if they need their hip replacement replaced because of possible problems directly linked to the malfunctioning hip.

Personal injury lawyer Claire Kirwan – who has appeared as an expert on the BBC television consumer affairs programme Watchdog – is already acting for a number of clients requiring new hips to replace the Depuy ASR ones which were recalled in 2010 by manufacturers Johnson & Johnson, the multi-national supplier of medical and health products.

Ms Kirwan said: “It transpires that these MOM hip replacements have a high failure rate and where we can prove that replacement has been necessary due to health problems or malfunction caused solely by the MOM hip, a person may be entitled to compensation. This does not mean that everyone with a MOM hip replacement would automatically qualify for damages, however, as each individual case must be proved.

“I am aware that Warwick Hospital is trying to recover the cost of repeat surgery it has carried out solely due to the first hip replacement being defective and it has also written to patients fitted with MOM hips to advise them that they will be reviewed every year to check for problems.”

During the period from 2005 to 2010 the South Warwickshire Hospitals Trust performed 1,500 hip replacement operations and this product was used in 120 of Warwick Hospital’s patients. According to national figures, around 20 per cent of these would require further revision.

Problems reportedly occur when friction between the metal ball and cup into which it fits causes tiny metal filings to break off, resulting in seepage into the bloodstream and inflammation which can damage muscle and bone.

All patients that have required further surgery as a result of these hips have been contacted, state Warwick Hospital. Patients who have undergone hip surgery at the hospital and have not been contacted by the orthopaedic team do not have an ‘at risk’ replacement hip.

A partner at Blythe Liggins with an outstanding reputation in the fields of personal injury and clinical negligence, Ms Kirwan wants to hear from people who are experiencing problems with their hip replacements, as well as those who have received letters from the hospital where they underwent surgery – both NHS and private – warning them of the potential for problems or advising that a replacement will be needed.

She said: “We can claim compensation for pain and suffering and additional scarring, the cost of revision surgery, care, rehabilitation and other associated losses.”

Ms Kirwan also plans to set up a register of people who have had MOM hip replacements but have not yet developed any problems. This will enable her and her team to act swiftly once patients report they are experiencing difficulties which are of a kind linked to faulty hip replacements.

Mr Thornton has undertaken an intensive course to qualify as a mediator, a new initiaitive to settle disputes quickly and cost-effectively.

Mr Thornton, who is also head of civil litigation, is now accredited by the London School of Mediation to mediate between opposing parties who want to find a solution yet for some reason can’t reach agreement.

“Mediation is one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways of achieving a settlement. Going to trial can be expensive and stressful and often takes months or years of costly litigation – with no guarantees of satisfaction at the end – whereas mediation can be underway in weeks at any stage of the dispute,” he said.

“Most people involved in a dispute would rather reach a settlement than go to trial and it is my job as a mediator to bring together the opposing parties and their advisers in a relaxed atmosphere and encourage them to be flexible in looking for a solution. We want to move away from the old adversarial and confrontational way of settling a dispute and replace it with a more relaxed and principled negotiation; getting the parties to talk things through rationally and constructively so that they can reach a mutually acceptable compromise.”

The process is proving successful in almost all fields of law, such as commercial contracts and professional negligence, workplace and employment, personal injury and commercial disputes.
“In fact, complainants are now being encouraged by the courts to enter into mediation, which is entirely confidential and can also therefore avoid unwanted publicity,” he added.

Anyone wishing to know more can call 01926 831231, email mediate@blytheliggins.co.uk or visit www.blytheliggins.co.uk

Donna Bothamley, head of wills & probate here at Blythe Liggins, one of the participating firms in Coventry and Warwickshire, said the campaign would run from now until the end of May.

Mrs Bothamley said: “We will be writing free simple wills – or amending existing ones – and the hope is that people taking advantage of the offer will leave a gift to Marie Curie in their will – although there is no obligation to do so.

“A will written by a solicitor is the best way to ensure that your family, friends and favourite charities will benefit exactly as you would wish”, said Mrs Bothamley, adding that two-thirds of people above the age of 50 didn’t have proper updated will.

Sally Young, legacy advisor with Marie Curie, said that gifts in wills were single largest source of voluntary funding for the charity. “These gifts are vital to ensure that Marie Curie Nurses can continue to provide free care to people with terminal cancer and other illnesses in their homes and in hospices.”

To make an appointment for a free will contact Sally Young on 02920 426045.

Other Coventry and Warwickshire solicitors taking part in the free wills scheme are Angels, Newsome Vaughan, Ward & Rider and Wright Hassall.

The firm first attained the national Law Society’s Lexcel management quality mark in 2010. Less than one in ten law firms currently hold the accreditation.

Joint senior partner Richard Thornton said his firm had received the accolade for delivering a consistent, high standard of service to its clients and for being able to demonstrate a commitment to quality business management.

He said: “For a law firm to gain – and then to retain – Lexcel accreditation as we have done, it must undergo a rigorous initial – and then annual – application and assessment process. This includes conducting careful checks and an on-site visit from a Lexcel assessor.”

The scheme is developed specifically for the legal profession. It is an optional, recognised accreditation scheme which gives assurance that a practice meets high standards of client care and business management.

“This is a fitting tribute to all the staff here who have worked so hard towards maintaining the highest standards” said Mr Thornton.

“There is a lot of choice in the legal services market, but by maintaining this accreditation we’ve demonstrated again our deep-seated commitment to the highest standards of client care, staff development and best practice.”

Emma, who has more than 10 years legal experience and specialises in private client work, has joined Blythe Liggins.

Department head Donna Bothamley said that Emma – who has worked for law firms in Birmingham and Warwickshire – had experience of dealing with a whole range of estates and of advising clients on wills, lasting powers of attorney, deputyship and trustee orders and elderly client matters.

Emma lives in Leamington with her husband Myles, who works for a Birmingham law firm. She has competed in a number of charity events, including the Two Castles Run, whose main sponsor is Blythe Liggins.