20 Jun 2022

A legal leap for brain injury survivors

Coulthursts founders’ – managing partner Philip Coulthurst and chairman Dr Richard Newland – reveal why they have combined their professional skills to fight for a better deal for accident survivors

It is common for brain injured patients, whose lives have been saved by magnificent surgery, to then face years of trauma while they fight for compensation before they can start rebuilding their lives and securing the necessary aftercare that is often so desperately lacking within the state sytem.

That is why we have combined our experience of the devastating effects that traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can have on people’s lives – Richard’s as a medical practitioner, and Philip’s as a brain injury solicitor – to set up Coulthursts. We are the UK’s only law firm dedicated entirely to providing legal  services for TBI claimants – founded on the realisation that there was a need for a fresh approach to supporting survivors. The first thing that makes Coulthursts different is that we fund clients’ rehabilitation costs up front, which can be long before any interim payments or settlement is reached. This not only means they are able to get on with their rehabilitation and recovery whilst we start working on their case, but can also expedite their discharge from hospital and therefore accelerate their recovery.

Secondly, we specialise in helping TBI sufferers by making sure our solicitors are experts in brain injuries and each solicitor never has more than five or six cases on their books at any one time.

Thirdly, we are different because we work with some of the UK’s leading charities and neurorehabilitation centres in this field which means we are well placed to help and support TBI patients throughout both the legal claim and facilitating excellent rehabilitation and care packages.

The effect of this joint legal and medical approach can produce results way beyond the expectations with which our clients begin their journey in their quest for both the compensation they need and the access they require to early and comprehensive rehabilitation and support. TBI cases can often take four to five years to reach settlement, but we are committed to getting that down to two to three years where appropriate.

For example, we recently settled a case in two years with an excellent compensation package and, equally importantly, involved a comprehensive rehabilitation and support package to help their recovery and maximise the chances of returning to work.  As well as expediting the process though our specialist knowledge and lower case load, this settlement was also reached by working closely with the Defence team who were open to collaboration and also genuinely focused on helping the Claimant with their rehabilitation.

We are always committed to getting the best possible settlement for all our clients. Philip once took a referral from a solicitor who had a client with a mild TBI and was seeking a second opinion. At the time, they had been offered a £30,000 settlement. Philip looked at the case, had the specialist knowledge to realise its complexities and the true extent of the injury’s effect on the Claimant and they went on to settle with the other side for £1 million.

That represented an increase of 3,333 per cent.

People who have suffered a TBI, and those who are supporting or caring for them, are about to embark on a legal journey that can be very variable depending on the route they take.

At present, most will either knock on the door of a local solicitor or go to one of the big personal injury firms. In the latter instance, their solicitors are could  be dealing with around 100 cases at any given time, and covering a whole range of injuries.

Unless you know what you are doing, TBI claimants can often be sold short in getting the kind of settlement they both deserve and need and may not access early and comprehensive rehabilitation and care packages that could make a difference to their recovery and outcome. Our goal is to give people the best chance of the best recovery, outcome and quality of life.

We know what we are doing and have created partnerships with some of the UK’s leading neurorehabilitation centres so we can offer the very best recovery for Claimants alongside what we believe is the very best legal support.

It’s why we pay for rehabilitation as soon as we take on a case – and long before any settlement is made or even interim payments. This means we can get on with every case immediately whilst our clients focus on their recovery.

We put the client front and centre, work to their timeline and deliver settlements in line with their ongoing rehabilitation needs and the effect a TBI has had – and will continue to have – on their life.

It’s what makes us different. It’s what makes us Coulthursts.

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