We are proud of our achievements and have worked hard to gain some of the most prestigious awards and standards in the legal profession. To provide the highest quality of client care, we subject ourselves to rigorous external audits. In addition, we have maintained a consistently high rating in both Chambers and the Legal 500, two of the legal profession’s own benchmarks for excellence, which are re-assessed every year.
Lexcel is the Law Society’s international practice management standard. It is a scheme for any type of practice to certify that certain standards have been met following independent assessment.
The Lexcel practice management standard is only awarded to solicitors who meet the highest management and customer care standards. Lexcel accredited practices undergo rigorous independent assessment every year to ensure they meet required standards of excellence in areas such as client care, case management and risk management.
The Clinical Negligence Accreditation Scheme covers all work undertaken by solicitors and suitably qualified Fellows of the Institute of Legal Executives (FILEX) arising out of any act of negligence, breach of contract and/or statutory duty as a result of which the victim has sustained injuries in the course of medical or dental care.
Members will have shown, to the satisfaction of the Law Society, that they have and will maintain a high level of knowledge, skills, experience and practice in the area of clinical negligence.
The Personal Injury Accreditation Scheme covers all work undertaken by solicitors and suitably qualified Fellows of the Institute of Legal Executives (FILEX) on behalf of victims and their dependants arising out of any alleged act of negligence or breach of statutory duty as a result of which the victim has sustained personal injuries or fatal injuries.
Members will have shown, to the satisfaction of the Law Society, that they have and will maintain a high level of knowledge, skills, experience and practice in the area of personal injury.
Bolt Burdon Kemp have been listed as one of the Top 20 specialist law firms in London, based on their client service offering, in a large-scale survey undertaken by the Legal 500. The survey found that boutique firms were providing clients with better service than much larger, well-known, firms. The Legal 500 said their “data provides hard evidence that smaller specialists are doing a better job of giving clients what they actually want.” Bolt Burdon Kemp is recommended in the Legal 500 for:
Bolt Burdon Kemp is noted for handling complex brain and spinal injury cases and is particularly known for its niche military claims specialism. Our personal injury teams attract praise for being a ‘dedicated and highly specialised’ group of solicitors with ‘fantastic expertise’ and ‘significant experience’. They say our ‘excellent clinical negligence team’ have ‘a superb level of technical knowledge’ and act with ‘total dedication to every client’. We attract praise for the great work we do within specialist departments such as military claims, which focuses on the needs of ex-service personnel and the provision of mental health care within the armed forces and the directory cites us as ‘one of the best lawyers in the market for military personal injury work’. Our child brain injury team is described as ‘first-class’ and ‘full of talented, committed and experienced individuals who put 110% into every case.’
Caroline Klage is ‘the best birth brain injury solicitor in the country. I have never come across another solicitor so hardworking, passionate, knowledgeable and caring.
Suzanne Trask ‘has a very good reputation in clinical negligence – very specialist and high profile’.
Jonathan Wheeler is ‘one of the leading lawyers for abuse claims’.
Ahmed Al-Nahhas is ‘one of the best lawyers in the market for military personal injury work’.
Joshua Hughes – is ‘an energetic, motivated and highly astute claimant solicitor who always ensures that his clients’ cases are presented persuasively and realistically. He is always willing to go the extra mile for clients.’
Ahmed Al-Nahhas has been listed as a leading individual within the personal injury sector.
Josh Hughes has been listed as a next generation partner within the personal injury sector.
Alex Dabek has been listed as a rising star within the clinical negligence sector and is recognised for her outstanding work for spinal injury.
Claudia Hillemand is listed as a next generation partner.
David McClenaghan, Cheryl Abrahams and Suzanne Trask are all listed as key lawyers within the personal injury sector.
Jo Chapman, Claudia Hillemand and Suzanne Trask are all listed as key lawyers within the clinical negligence sector.
Bolt Burdon Kemp is recommended by Chambers & Partners 2024 for it’s dedication to ‘progressing complex and serious injury claims swiftly and tenaciously whilst providing the highest levels of client care. Direct access to solicitors and meetings at times and places to suit the client are standard features of the service. The approach is holistic, with interim payments being sought at an early stage to alleviate financial hardship and to enable clients to access the professional support and specialist targeted intervention they need at the very earliest opportunity.’
Jonathan Wheeler is cited as an Eminent Practitioner and is the Managing Partner at Bolt Burdon Kemp. In 2006 he was named one of the ‘Hot 100’ lawyers of the year by The Lawyer magazine, recognising his campaigning work for survivors of child abuse, work which continues today. He appeared alongside Sir Kier Starmer who was similarly honoured in the same issue! Jonathan went on to represent two claimants in the landmark House of Lords case A v Hoare & others (2008) changing the law to extend the time limits for anyone wishing to bring a child abuse claim. He now has an over-arching role developing and approving the strategy for all personal injury cases handled by the firm.
Caroline Klage is head of the birth and child brain injury department at Bolt Burdon Kemp, where she has been a partner since 2006.
Caroline specialises in cases involving child brain injury and has achieved strong results in a number of high value complex matters. She feels privileged to act exclusively for children who have sustained brain injury due to substandard medical treatment during pregnancy, labour, birth and the early years or as a result of a traumatic accident including road traffic accidents. Caroline relishes a challenge and has won a number of cases rejected by other firms on the grounds that they had poor prospects of success.
Suzanne Trask focuses her practice on complex adult brain injury claims, while also advising on cases involving surgical negligence and psychiatric care. She is cited as someone who is ‘exceptionally client-focused. She’s very experienced and achieves excellent results for her clients.’
Joanna Chapman is noted for her representation of children in acquired brain injury claims, such as those arising from obstetric negligence and delayed treatment. She is particularly noted for being ‘easy to work with and responds quickly to requests for more information.’
Cheryl Abrahams is a widely respected practitioner with extensive experience handling child brain injury claims. She is ‘always very clear about what is happening, offers great support and I really feel that she does put her all in and works with her clients’ best interests at heart.’
Ahmed Al-Nahhas heads the firm’s military claims team. He acts for military claimants in complex personal injury matters such as PTSD from training and serious accidents. He is particularly noted as ‘utterly professional and knows his field inside out. He works hard to stay current with the ever-changing policies in his field and is always two steps ahead in the process so I know what’s coming next.’
Victoria Oliver heads up the firm’s spinal injury team. She specialises in representing claimants who have suffered spinal injuries, especially cases arising from motor accidents. She is ‘happy to engage in further explanations and to gain deeper insight into the matters at stake and their circumstances. She is comfortable with communication at all stages’
Rhiannon Daniel specialises in spinal cord injury claims, whether they arise from RTAs, accidents in public liability spaces or at work, or surgical procedures. She also has expertise in claims on behalf of clients who have suffered from missed or delayed diagnosis of cauda equina syndrome. She is particularly cited for her ‘compassion dealing with sensitive individuals and is able to give compassionate advice. She is efficient and acts on complex matters that are not straightforward.’
Costs Lawyers rankings
The firm’s Costs team have been ranked in Band 2 of the Chambers and Partners 2023 Costs Lawyers rankings, which forms part of their UK-wide Litigation Support guide. One interviewee said ‘Each individual within the team is sharp and keen to develop their knowledge base and advocacy skills.’
Sam Hayman is recognised as a leading individual in the field and ‘stands out for his ability and capacity to deal with technicalities and to engage with legal arguments’ and continues to say that: “He has good advocacy experience and likes to think outside the box.”
Headway is a UK-wide charity that works to improve life after brain injury. It has branches and groups nationwide, providing support, services and information to brain injury survivors, their families and carers.
We are listed in the Headway Head Injury Solicitors Directory 2020. In order to be included in this directory we have been thoroughly assessed on our expertise in the field of brain injury and our commitment to this area of work. We support Headway’s work across a number of their branches in the South East and London.
Many of our Personal Injury, Clinical Negligence, Military and Child Abuse lawyers are accredited by Association of Personal Injury Lawyers. An Accredited Specialist is a person who has achieved APIL Senior Litigator status or higher and has demonstrated further competence in their specialist field.
He or she is able to manage and progress a claim so as to establish, assert and enforce, in an effective and efficient manner, the rights of a client damaged or disadvantaged by negligence. He or she is competent to take, without supervision, key decisions on accepting cases, assessing risks, evaluating offers and issuing proceedings.
Action for the Victims of Medical Accidents (AvMA) is a registered charity supporting people affected by avoidable harm in healthcare; helping achieve justice for them and advocating for better patient safety.
Claudia Hillemand, Partner and Head of our Child Brain Injury team, is a member of the AVMA specialist clinical negligence panel. The AVMA clinical negligence panel ensures that patients and their families continue to have access to practitioners who are committed to providing specialist clinical negligence services which focus on the client’s needs.
As members of AvMA’s Lawyer’s Service, we have access to a range of specialist services and benefits for solicitors who work in the field of clinical negligence including their panel of medical experts and cutting edge training.
The Brain Injury Group (BIG) provides a network of dedicated brain injury lawyers & professionals. They offer a gateway to information, support & advice for brain injured people & their families by giving access to a complete package of support specialist services.
As members of BIG, we have been thoroughly assessed on our expertise in the field of brain injury and are recognised as experts in our field. Having helped numerous individuals and families, we continue our work with BIG to help improve the lives of brain injured people.
United Kingdom Acquired Brain Injury Forum (UKABIF) was created to promote a better understanding of acquired brain injury in adults and children. UKABIF promotes education, information and provides networking opportunities for professionals, service providers, planners and policy makers, campaigning for better services in the UK.
We are members of UKABIF and listed as one of their Approved Lawyers. In order to become an Approved Lawyer, members will have been assessed to show their high level of understanding of the affects of an acquired brain injury and have demonstrated their skill obtaining compensation for their clients.
Bolt Burdon Kemp is ranked as one of The Times Best Law Firms 2024 for personal injury and clinical negligence law in England and Wales. The list consists of 200 firms, solely nominated by solicitors based on the high standard of work and contribution of each firm to their area of practice.
The Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL) is an association set up for the benefit of victims, lawyers, experts and other professionals involved in the field of obtaining compensation for the physical, sexual or emotional abuse of children and adults abused in childhood. ACAL was set up by the leading solicitors in this field and has expanded over the years to include solicitors, barristers, legal executives, trainees, pupils, expert, and paralegals. ACAL is committed to the improvement of standards amongst personal injury lawyers involved in these types of compensation claim. David McClenaghan and Rebecca Sheriff have both been appointed to the Legal Panel.
Birthrights champions respectful care during pregnancy and childbirth by protecting human rights. They provide advice and information on legal rights, train doctors and midwives, and campaign to change maternity policy and systems. We are one of their legal partners and are proud to support their work.
Bolt Burdon Kemp is a corporate partner of Brake,the road safety charity. Brake’s National Road Victim Service provides a free, confidential, specialist assistance for anyone who has been bereaved or seriously injured in a road crash, or who is supporting a road crash victim. Brake also runs projects and national campaigns to help raise awareness and promote safe and healthy mobility. Their largest annual campaign is Road Safety Week, which involves thousands of schools, organisations and communities.
We support the work of Brake and help promote their cause. Our aims are strongly aligned. As serious injury solicitors, we too help rebuild the lives of those who have been involved in life-changing road traffic collisions. Like them, we also look to influence positive change.
Bolt Burdon Kemp has joined the newly formed legal panel of the charity PEEPS-HIE, effective from 1 August 2023. This partnership marks a significant milestone in our commitment to supporting children and families affected by Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) and other brain injuries.
Child brain injuries, particularly HIE, can have devastating and lifelong consequences. The impact on the child’s physical, cognitive, and emotional development can be profound, affecting their ability to lead a fulfilling life. Families are often left grappling with the emotional and financial burden of caring for a child with a brain injury, unsure of where to turn for help and support.
Want to talk to one of our experienced lawyers? We can call when it suits you for a no-obligation, strictly confidential chat.
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