Innovative law firm ‘pushes boundaries’ to land top industry award just two years after launch
By Legal Events
A Yorkshire law firm set up just two years ago to help injured road users affected by the whiplash reforms has won a prestigious industry award
First4InjuryClaims was commended for “pushing boundaries” as it was selected from an eight-strong shortlist to be crowned ‘Claimant Team of the Year’ at this year’s Personal Injury Awards.
The firm which launched in 2021 solely to support victims of road traffic accidents (RTA), has to date secured over £4 million in compensation for more than 1,800 people. Settlement times are also typically around 100 days faster than the market average faced by claimants using the government’s Official Injury Claim (OIC) portal.
Andrew Wild, head of legal practice at the Huddersfield firm, and his team, joined colleagues from across the sector for the hotly anticipated annual awards ceremony at Manchester’s Deansgate Hilton Hotel.
He said: “We are all absolutely thrilled to receive this recognition, particularly in such a relatively short space of time and when we were up against such a strong field of competitors.
“First and foremost, the success we have seen is testament to our team whom I am proud to work with on a daily basis, but it also shows the clear need for the services we offer, both from consumers and increasingly from other law firms who are finding it is no longer viable to handle the claims themselves.”
First4InjuryClaims was created to deal with the RTA enquiries that continued to come through the First4Lawyers group, despite it ceasing marketing activity in that area following the whiplash reforms.
Since its launch, demand has driven significant expansion including hiring 10 local graduates and apprentices, demonstrating the firm’s commitment to investing in homegrown talent.
First4Lawyers’ managing director, Qamar Anwar, says: “We didn’t want to turn consumers away at the very point they needed our help and, although the OIC portal has been live for two years now, that still holds true, with the vast majority of injured people still instructing a lawyer.
“The number of law firms handling these types of claims has fallen drastically in the last two years due to the reduction in compensation awarded and subsequent impact on profit margins.
“We are fortunate in that, with none of the legacy issues others faced, we have been able to build a system from scratch that works with the OIC, and I am immensely proud of the team who work tirelessly to deliver such swift, seamless and positive outcomes for our clients.”