Claims
Our civil litigation team is able to offer friendly advice (extending from informal advice through to full representation in court if required) in connection with any dispute or legal problem which you may be experiencing, whether you wish to start proceedings or are subject yourself to a claim made by a third party.

Our main aim is to assist and guide you towards a cost effective and speedy resolution of any disputes or issues which affect you.

We have a wealth of experience to call on and can provide advice and assistance with the following:
  • Building disputes
  • Debt claims
  • Landlord & tenant disputes
  • Consumer protection/credit/sale of goods
  • Professional negligence claims
  • Boundary issues and related problems
  • Disputed probate/inheritance claims.
If you find yourself involved in any type of dispute or potential claim, speak to us to see if we can help. If we find (unusually) that we cannot, then we are happy to help refer you to another specialist who can, such as an accountant, an insolvency practitioner or a surveyor, with whom we have close professional contacts.

Court proceedings can be expensive, so we offer clients advice on a variety of dispute resolution options. These include arbitration, mediation (both formal and informal) and other forms of alternative dispute resolution - as well as the more traditional forms of court proceedings.

We are all familiar with the expense and the pressures which can be created by any form of dispute, and we will always do our best to minimise the impact of these issues.

Legal costs can become an additional burden, so we are flexible about funding arrangements. We recommend, for example, that clients initially check their own household insurance policies, as increasingly these do provide cover for certain types of dispute.

Meet the team:
David Mallinson | Andrew Watson
Nigel McDavid |  Pat Unwin

Personal Injury & Accident Claims
Please see the Accident or Injury Claims page.

Meet the team:
Peter Morgan |  Jan Bird |  Jonathan Pidduck | Brian Cowell

For further advice and to make an appointment with a member of the team,
e-mail lindatrim@girlings.com or telephone Linda Trim on 01843 220274.

Motoring & Other Offences

Motoring

As motoring solicitors, if you have been prosecuted for a driving offence and are due in court we can provide practical advice and/or representation.

For motoring offences you are unlikely to qualify for legal aid and could find yourself with no legal assistance at all. You may not even be eligible to ask for help from the duty solicitor at court.

If you are summonsed for driving without due care and attention or speeding, for example, you could be on your own - even if the circumstances or your driving records are such as to warrant a potential disqualification order.

If you are summonsed for driving with excess alcohol, which ordinarily would attract an automatic driving ban if you are convicted (and potentially even a custodial sentence) then you could be left to explain yourself to the court without legal help.

We can provide you with legal advice and assistance at a competitive rate. Acting as your motoring solicitor, we will take instructions from you about the circumstances of the motoring offence, consider the prosecution documents, give you detailed advice and arrange (if appropriate) for you to be legally represented at court when you are sentenced or if you plead not guilty and go through the whole trial process. If your motoring offence case is not straightforward and involves more than one court hearing, we will provide you with an estimate of the total costs and you can decide, depending on how much you wish to spend, how many hours of help you would like us to give you.

Other Criminal Charges

The Majority of criminal charges, other than motoring offences, brought against individuals entitle the Defendant to legal aid. Legal Aid is now means- tested but if you do qualify for legal aid then instruct a firm on the Legal Aid Panel, as Girlings does not offer representation under Legal Aid.

If you do not qualify for Legal Aid but require advice/or representation from a team with experience in all aspects of criminal cases from lesser offences, which are nevertheless embarrassing or worrying to you, to the gravest of crimes, both for individuals and for business including public limited companies, then contact us. We can help.

Meet the team:
Francis Elton

Will & Probate Claims
In recent years, the rise in property values has not only led to estates of much greater value, it has also resulted in an increase in the number of disputes associated with such estates. Our specialist contentious probate team deals with all kinds of problems and disputes related to wills and estates, including:
  • Whether the will has made adequate provision for dependent relatives/co-habitees or others
  • Whether the will has been properly executed
  • Whether the person making the will had the necessary mental capacity at the time
  • Getting the court to clarify a will where terms are not clear
  • Removing and substituting personal representatives.
  • Revoking and testing the validity of a will.


Meet the team:
Andrew Watson | Daniel Shelock


Claims Employment Law Financial Planning Family Law
Dispute Resolution Landlords & Tenancy Wills & Inheritance Property
 
About Us      Profile      News      FAQs      Join Us      Links      Search
                             Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
                                     Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.