Brain injury lawyer Kirsty Mors explains how Coulthursts’ unique approach has allowed her to achieve so much more for her clients.
I joined Coulthursts in September 2020. What attracted me to the firm was that they specialised solely in brain injury and had a unique model of funding clients’ rehabilitation and treatment from an early stage. This is unusual and something I had not come across before; the norm is to wait for the other party to agree to pay for treatment, which can be often 6-12 months down the line, or longer, and in some cases, they refuse to pay for any rehabilitation at all.
At Coulthursts, our focus is on what our clients need to enable them to start rebuilding their lives. In most cases, this is early rehabilitation, which we can arrange quickly, and in many cases even whilst the client is still in hospital, enabling them to be discharged to home where they are much more comfortable to begin the next stage of their journey.
Our rehabilitation and support service also extends to financial support, not only paying for treatment, but also emergency funds. Most of our clients are unable to return to work initially following their accident and will suffer loss of earnings. We can help ease this financial burden, which is great as it takes some of the stress from them, enabling them to focus on their recovery.
Just as importantly, our lawyers only have a small number of cases at any one time, which means I am able to be there for my clients to support them emotionally. My clients are people who are often facing the biggest challenge of their life and a brain injury not only affects my client’s life, but also the life of those around them. So being able to support my clients and their families is another part of what I love about my role at Coulthursts.
My job is very varied, one day, I will be dealing with the complexities of the legal claim one day, arranging a charity to deliver cat food to a client the next, or arranging for a client’s house to be made ready for the final stage of their rehabilitation. Whilst some of these things may sound small, they make an enormous difference to my clients and I get great satisfaction from being able to help them with their needs, no matter how small.
One area particularly rewarding is working with clients who have sustained a ‘mild’ brain injury, more commonly referred to as a concussion. These types of injury do not show on a traditional CT or MRI scan, and therefore there is no ‘evidence’ of structural damage within the brain. Despite this, the effects of their injuries can be devastating. These claims are ‘controversial’, and it is highly likely that they will be robustly defended, which is why it is so important to have a lawyer with specialist knowledge of such injuries so that they can carefully interrogate and collate the evidence to support the case. Without this, claims can be under settled, leaving the client without the settlement package they deserve, and which will allow them to get the best possible life outcome. As a firm, we have often taken over these types of cases from other solicitors due to our specialist knowledge in this area.
I naturally become a big part of my client’s life throughout the claim, and I am privileged to be able to stay in touch with many of them, and see how they are getting on with their life.
Whilst it can be difficult seeing the effects a brain injury can have on my clients, my job is extremely rewarding as I can dedicate my time in helping them to put their lives back together, piece by piece.
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