Charter can put the brakes on the ambulance chasers

Leanne Keating

A PAN-HUMBER law firm has signed up to an industry initiative aimed at putting a stop to unethical marketing practices such as cold calling and spam texts and emails.

Bridge McFarland, which employs around 200 people in Hull, Grimsby, Lincoln, Louth and Market Rasen, is backing the Ethical Marketing Charter which was drawn up to promote professionalism in dealing with personal injury claims.

Chancellor George Osborne fuelled the controversy surrounding the sector when he announced that the ceiling on small claims for personal injury cases will increase to £5,000.

The Association of British Insurers says the announcement is a significant breakthrough in tackling the growing compensation culture, but the Law Society voiced fears that the Chancellor’s proposals will undermine the right of ordinary citizens to receive fair compensation from people who inflict injuries through negligence.

Leanne Keating, Head of Personal Injury for Bridge McFarland and Managing Partner of the firm’s Hull office, said the dispute demonstrates the benefits of signing the Charter.

She said: “We are not affected significantly by the changes because most of our work has a much higher value than £5,000 but it doesn’t help anyone to see the portrayal of whiplash Britain.

“The national tabloid press feed us tales of nuisance calls to recruit new clients, claims days to coach the uninitiated in how to present their injuries, and cash-for-data bribes being offered to insurance company employees. No-win, no-fee, no ethics, no scruples, just foot to the floor chasing those ambulances.”

Bridge McFarland’s personal injury caseload is largely around catastrophic consequences, and clients who are awarded money by the courts after a successful personal injury claim generally use the proceeds to ease the burden which they face as a result of their injury. It might be loss of a limb, or it may be a hidden impairment, but the impact on their lifestyle will be long term or permanent.

The firm also specialise in nautical cases which, given the international nature of the sector, can involve dealing with three different legal jurisdictions.

Leanne added: “Whatever the monetary value of our personal injury work and however sophisticated our sectors and procedures we recognise the importance of emphasising our credentials and integrity. We do that by underlining the history and reputation of Bridge McFarland, and by putting our name to the Charter.”

The firm’s origins can be traced back to 1851 when Haddon Owen & Son were established in Louth. More than 160 years later Bridge McFarland is recognised in the Legal 500 as the highest-ranked firm in Grimsby in the joint category of personal injury and clinical negligence work and the highest-ranked Hull firm for personal injury claimant work. Lorraine Taylor, one of the Hull-based Partners, is listed as a recognised practitioner in the Chambers guide.

Leanne said: “The provisions of the Charter can put an end to nuisance marketing, unethical buying and selling of accident data and exerting pressure on people to make a claim. It enables companies to demonstrate their commitment to working ethically and professionally, and to encouraging others to do the same. And as an industry initiative, it is likely to be more enthusiastically adopted than media campaigns and Government diktats.”