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Professional negligence for businesses and individuals

Businesses and individuals depend on their professional advisors to help them to understand and then to protect from areas of risk. However, if a professional fails to protect their interests, the entity seeking their advice can suffer severe financial harm.

Professional negligence claims can arise from simple administrative errors, technical errors or even a wilful disregard for a client’s best interests; and can result in significant financial losses, wasted costs, hours of management time and considerable personal distress.

Clarke Willmott has a specialist professional negligence team, within its litigation division, helping people and organisations of all sizes to recover these losses. It is one of the largest claimant teams in England and Wales and includes members of the Professional Negligence Lawyers Association (PNLA).

We act for a wide range of clients, including private individuals, private and listed companies, major financial institutions, pension funds, construction companies, Local Authorities, the Crown Estate, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), unions, professional organisations, property management companies, engineering companies, law firms, insolvency practitioners, and health trusts. We advise on claims brought by or against a wide range of professionals including solicitors, barristers, accountants, auditors, insurance brokers, financial advisors, architects and surveyors.

Talk to our team

Contact a member of our specialist professional negligence team today.

Call 0800 652 8025 Send us an enquiry

How we can help

We advise our clients at all stages of professional negligence disputes and employ the dispute resolution processes that afford them the greatest certainty in terms of cost, timing and outcome. This includes:

  • Analysing the role of the advisor in providing specialist professional advice in business and personal decisions to assess the basis for claims.
  • Assessing the case for negligence, including assessing claims of contributory negligence.
  • Assessing the compliance of professionals to the demands of their regulatory bodies and national/EU regulators.
  • Providing an early, detailed evaluation of the merits of a claim and pragmatic advice on the most effective strategy for resolution.
  • Assisting in the calculation of the client’s loss. We have a wide network of experts who can assist ius with that calculation, if required.
  • Pursuing Pre-action Protocols to explore the possibilities of resolving disputes before proceedings are issued and preventing the abuse of those protocols by defendants.
  • Engaging in alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation, to try and get a sensible and commercial outcome at the earliest stage of the proceedings, and before significant costs are incurred;
  • Advising on insurance coverage issues where insurers attempt to avoid cover.
  • Advising on other ancillary issues arising out of the Limitation Act 1980, third party rights against insurers, Civil Contributions Act 1978.
  • When cases do reach the courts, we ensure that our clients have the best chance of a positive outcome. And we have a strong track record of success in the courts at all levels.

Why choose Clarke Willmott for professional negligence claims

The success and reputation of our professional negligence practice derives from:

  • The depth and breadth of our experience and our ability to draw on a wide range of specialist disciplines from across the firm.
  • A thorough understanding of the tactics deployed by the professional indemnity insurance companies that control the defence of claims.
  • Ability to understand and pursue our clients’ commercial objectives.
  • Network of working relationships with independent expert witnesses and specialist .
  • Open and pragmatic advice about how to bring a claim to an early resolution with the right result.
  • Innovative approach to cost effective management and funding of disputes without compromising quality.
  • A willingness to underwrite our advice with our fees. Where appropriate, we will offer conditional fee arrangements to clients where we advise that their claim should

We also pride ourselves on the fact that we are often instructed to assume conduct of claims from other firms where clients have become dissatisfied. We have an impressive record of ‘turn arounds’ where we have applied our specialist experience to rescue claims that were failing before they came to us.

‘Clarke Willmott have an outstanding litigation team. They bridge the gap between regional and national, with expert lawyers who can take on everything from planning and property issues in the South West to heavy commercial litigation in London.’

The Legal 500, 2025

‘An excellent team of dedicated, proactive, very tough yet very pleasant people.’ –

The Legal 500, 2025

‘Personal and tailored service, very easy to work with.’

The Legal 500, 2025

We work well with the whole team which is very helpful and knowledgeable.

– Chambers, 2025

Contact a professional negligence solicitor today

Our specialist professional negligence solicitors based in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, London, Manchester, Southampton and Taunton, are ready to discuss your case. Call for a free initial consultation today on 0800 652 8025 or get in touch online.

Your key contacts

Darren Kidd

Partner

Bristol and London
Darren is an experienced litigator specialising in high value and complex disputes. He has particular experience of structuring and progressing group litigation and litigation funding.
View profile for Darren Kidd >

David Stedman

Partner

Bristol
David Stedman is a Partner. He advises in a range of disputes including professional negligence, breach of contract, partnership disputes, misrepresentation, breach of confidence and claims for defamation.
View profile for David Stedman >

John Flint

Partner

Manchester
John Flint is a Partner in Clarke Willmott’s commercial & private client litigation team, specialising in defamation and reputational management as well as director, shareholder and partnership disputes.
View profile for John Flint >

Louise Goodwin

Partner

Manchester
Louise Goodwin is a Partner in Clarke Willmott’s commercial & private client litigation team, advising on all areas of dispute resolution from defamation and reputational management to encompassing injunctive proceedings.
View profile for Louise Goodwin >

Meet our wider professional negligence team

With seven offices throughout England and Wales, Clarke Willmott is a national law firm with a local presence. Click to learn more about our wider team of legal professionals and how they can support you.

Meet the team

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