A question we are often asked at Pinto Potts Solicitors is “How much compensation will I get for my personal injury claim?”.

This is a difficult question to answer as the amount of compensation awarded in a personal injury claim varies from case to case depending on a number of different factors.

The main factors taken into account when the amount to be awarded in an injury claim is assessed are:

• Type of injury (broken bones, bruising, muscular injury etc’) 
• Length of time spent recovering from the injury
• Impact on the victims day to day life (ability to work, social life etc’)
• Cost of any out of pocket expenses incurred

In general terms a fairly minor injury, such as bruising or mild whiplash will attract a compensation award somewhere between £1-£3000.

Pinto Potts Solicitors offer property conveyancing services from our offices in Fleet and Aldershot, Hampshire, this means we can help anyone in the area who is looking to buy, sell or re-mortgage a property.

Anyone looking for a conveyancing Solicitor should be wary of cheap deals advertisied on the internet, or large “factory firms” offered by mortgage companies or estate agents. 

When buying, selling or re-mortgaging a property it can be a huge benefit having someone you can vist and talk to face to face as you go through the process.

Pinto Potts Solicitors have had a presence in Fleet, Hampshire since the 1970’s and our highly skilled property conveyancing team are mainly local and know Fleet and the surrounding area well.

Conveyancing services are something that should be handled by someone local who you can go and meet with, the process can often by an emotional affair and it is important to ensure you are kept fully aware of what is happening at all times throughout the pricess.

If you are buying, selling or looking to re-mortgage property in Fleet or Aldershot in Hampshire or the surrounding area Pinto Potts Solicitors can help you, contact our property conveyancing department for free advice about how we can make the process as smooth as possible on: 01242 361200.

Pinto Potts Solicitors offer will writing services from our offices in Fleet and Aldershot in Hampshire.

Anyone looking to have a will written should be wary of cheap offers on the internet, they aren’t always what they may seem, it is essential a will is correctly drafted and meets the strict legal requirements to make it binding.

An incorrectly drafted will could lead to your estate being frozen or held upon your death and not passed onto your beneficiaries (intestate) while legal enquires are made into whether the will is a valid document or not.

By visiting a specialist will writing Solicitor like Pinto Potts in Fleet and Aldershot, Hampshire you will be able to sit down face to face with a will writer so you can discuss and tailor the will to your exact requirements.

Using Pinto Potts specialist will writing Solicitors also means that wills are properly registered on a national wills database and original documents are kept in a secure fire proof environment, this means the will documents will definitley be located upon death. 

When the time comes for beneficiaries to deal with probate and passing on the estate after death it is much easier to be able to sit down face to face with a local legal expert who understands what to do and can handle everything on your behalf.

There are a staggering number of people who have no will, it is relatively cheap to have a will written and once it is done you have the peace of mind knowing that matters will be taken care of after you have gone.

To find out more about probate and will writing services in Fleet and Aldershot, Hampshire and the surrounding area call Pinto Potts Solicitors on 01252 361200 or pop in and see us at our Fleet office on Reading Road South, Fleet, Hampshire (free parking at rear).

Over £4m injury claims compensation  has been paid out by Manchester Council in the last two years, with the majority on claims for slips, trips and falls.

Recently released figures show the Council paid out on 353 claims in 2009/2010, with an average settlement figure of £5,159.

The majority of cases brought against the Council were for personal injury claims, such as slips and trips on the public highway, accidents in the workplace and industrial disease claims.

The highest sum paid out was £175,170 to a former employee who had contracted Mesothelioma, a fatal illness contracted from past exposure to asbestos.

Anyone working with asbestos should be provided with the correct safety equipment to ensure they are not exposed to the harmful substance.

If an employer fails in its duty of care by exposing workers to dangers such as asbestos there is a high liklehood they will be faced with a compensation claim if the employee becomes unwell. 

It is essential that anyone looking to make a claim against a Council seeks professional legal advice. Especially as  many Councils have a policy of robustly defending all claims brought against them, this means it is critical claimants have someone with considerable experience handling their case.

Pinto Potts Solicitors are specialist personal injury lawyers with many years experience handling cases against Councils and Local Authorities, some examples of the most common types of claims we have won are:

• Trips on uneven or broken pavements and kerbs
• Slips on floors in Council buildings (Leisure Centres, Community Buildings)
• Injuries to Council workers while carrying out their job
• Road accidents involving Council vehicles 

If you, a friend, colleague or family member have been injured and want to discuss making a claim for compensation you can call Pinto Potts Solicitors in the strictest confidence on 0800 316 4434.

You will be able to speak directly to a fully qualified Solicitor for immediate advice about making a claim and find out about obtaining private medical treatment to ensure the quickest and most thorough recovery from the injuries sustained.

Huge congratulations to Anna Reed, Legal Executive at Pinto Potts Solicitors who is now officially an “Ironman” after completing the latest gruelling event in the Ironman series.

Since it began as a challenge between a group of Navy Seals, the Ironman has grown to become one of the most recognised endurance events in the world.

Anna took part in the Bolton Ironman event and put herself through a course consisting of a 2.4 mile open water swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run along with some 1500 other competitors.

Anna cycling at the Ironman event in Bolton 2010

The Ironman endurance race began on February 18, 1978, when John and Judy Collins, triathletes from California, introduced triathlon to Hawaii by creating and staging the first endurance triathlon, the Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon, a swim,bike and run course that circled the island of Oahu.

Anna is already busy planning her next endurance event and we look forward to supporting her in her future challenges.

During the working day Anna can be found at the Aldershot office of Pinto Potts Solicitors, she specialises in dealing with personal injury claims and has partcicular expertise handling road traffic accident claims.

This season the Pinto Potts Solicitors pitch-side boards have been changed to a striking new design.

Good luck to the Shots for the season ahead from all at Pinto Potts Solicitors!

Aldershot Town Football Club

The EBB Stadium in Aldershot

The BBC has reported this week that Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) payouts from banks and lenders could reach as much as £2.7 billion as more and more people realise they are victims of  PPI mis-selling.

Tough new rules are being implemented by the Financial Services Authority to ensure victims of PPI mis-selling are correctly and fully compensated.

If you have taken a loan in the last 6 years (even if it is now paid off) it is recommended that you check your documentation to see if Payment Protection Insurance was added, lenders often added it without making consumers aware.

Anyone looking for free advice about reclaiming their PPI premium on a loan or mortgage should speak to the specialist PPI claims team at Pinto Potts Solicitors.

The PPI claims team at Pinto Potts have considerable experience of dealing with numerous banks and loan companies and have an excellent understanding of the complexities often involved in making a PPI claim.

Congratulations to Mr L Chapman of Raynes Park who has won a bottle of fine champagne after being selected at random from Pinto Potts Solicitors claimants who took the time to complete a questionnaire they were sent on behalf of the Motor Accident Solicitors Society (MASS).

Pinto Potts Solicitors would like to thank everyone who completed a questionnaire and entered the competition.

Anyone who works at height or employs people who work at height needs to ensure they fully understand and comply with the Working at Height Regulations.

Some of the more common jobs that involve working at height are - window cleaners, roofers, television ariel installers and tree surgeons to name just a few.

The Working at Height Regulations were introduced in 2005 to ensure anyone exposed to height during the course of their job would be properly protected and that employers would take all reasonable steps to prevent accidents and injuries occurring.

Personal injury claims are our specialist area of law, we have many years experience dealing with all types of injury caused by all types of accidents.

We have recovered over £100 million in compensation for our clients and helped get thousands of injured people back on the road to recovery.

Anyone who has been hurt in an accident may be entitled to claim personal injury compensation, claims can be made not only for the actual injury sustained but also for lost earnings, travel expenses and the cost of expert private medical treatment to ensure the quickest possible recovery.

One of the most common type of accident claim in the UK is made by people who are hurt in road accidents, either as a passenger, driver, pedestrian or cyclist. Other common types of accident claims are accidents at work, slips, trips and falls, industrial illness and accidents on holiday.

As well as having considerable experience dealing with the more common types of accident claims our team of legal experts also handle the less well known, such as accidents involving animals (dog bites, horse kicks & falls), hospital superbugs (MRSA & C Difficile), accidents in gyms, leisure centres, swimming pools and ice rinks.

Sustaining an injury in an accident can be a major, life changing experience, not only for the victim, but also for their friends and family, we aim to help take the strain and make things as easy as possible by providing the best private medical treatment and ensuring the maximum compensation payout.

We offer free advice about making a claim, simply call 0800 316 4434 to speak to one of our legal experts in total confidence.