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Can I claim compensation if my solicitor missed a limitation date?

Has your solicitor missed a limitation date?

Can I claim compensation if my solicitor missed a limitation date? Find out by calling our free legal helpline for a case assessment and details of no win, no fee funding on 0333 888 0403 or emailing us at [email protected].

If your solicitor has missed a limitation date it is likely that you will be entitled to recover compensation. However, there are a number of legal points that will need to be considered before a claim can be made.

First, has the limitation date actually been missed? The limitation period is the length of time you have to issue a legal claim in court before the case becomes statute barred. For professional negligence claims for example, the basic period is six years from the date of the error. For most personal injury claims it is three years.

That might sound straightforward enough, but as with many legal principles, it isn’t always quite that simple and identifying the correct limitation date and confirming that it has definitely been missed can require considerable legal expertise.

Where it is confirmed that the limitation date has been missed, the consequences for the case van be fatal. More often than not there is no way back for the claimant after missing a limitation date and their chance of pursuing justice evaporates.

Regrettably mistakes are frequently made, leaving the client then asking, ‘Can I claim compensation if my solicitor missed a limitation date?’

To answer that question we will usually need to look at the specific facts of the case. However, in general if a solicitor fails to advise you on the need to issue court proceedings to avoid missing a limitation date it is likely that you will be able to claim compensation from them.

Below are some examples of recent cases involving solicitors who have missed a limitation date, leading to compensation claims being made against them.

Case study 1: Personal injury claim limitation date missed

A woman was travelling by plane and suffered injury when an air hostess ran over her foot with a trolley. The woman went along to a solicitor to bring a claim for her injuries. The solicitor got the airline’s insurance company to admit liability at a very early stage. It was then just the amount of compensation to be paid that was the subject of debate. As the claim got closer to the standard three year limitation period for an injury claim, the solicitor protected his client’s case by issuing court proceedings. This stops time from running and prevents the case from becoming statute barred.

The solicitor then received a letter from the airline’s solicitors, pointing out that the claim was out of time. The accident claim was statute barred under the Limitation Act.  The claimant’s solicitor had not realised that claims for an injury that occur either on a plane or on a ship have a two year limitation period, not three.

The solicitor was then sued for being negligent. He had to pay his client the compensation she would have been awarded for her PI case if the injury claim hadn’t gone wrong.

Case study 2: Solicitor’s Personal Guarantee time limit error

Mr D’s company had an overdraft with the bank. As it was a small company, the bank insisted that Mr D sign a personal guarantee. This was about seven or eight years ago. The company subsequently folded and the bank called in the guarantee.

Mr D went to see his solicitor who scoffed at the claim saying that the guarantee was over six years old and so the bank was out of time.

At the solicitor’s insistence, Mr D defended the bank’s court proceedings. Unfortunately he lost and had to meet the guarantee and pay all the banks legal costs as well. Why? A guarantee has a twelve year time limit which commences on default of the contract – not from the date the guarantee was entered into. Again the solicitor faced a compensation claim from his client.

Case study 3: Standstill Agreement error results in solicitor missing limitation date

A gentleman had problems with a negligent conveyancing solicitor, so instructed another firm to bring a claim against them. The first thing the new solicitors noticed was that, at the time they were instructed the limitation period on the claim was about to expire. The new solicitors contacted the original firm and invited them to enter into a Limitation Standstill Agreement, which they agreed to do.

A standstill agreement, for all intents and purposes, extends the limitation period by agreement between the parties. The agreement was drawn up and was said to last for three months.  At the end of the three months, the limitation period would expire unless another agreement was entered into, which is exactly what the parties did.  They used the same agreement as before, just updating it.  In fact, they did it a total of four times, extending the limitation period each time.

For various reasons, the client had to instruct a new firm of solicitors and chose us. His solicitors sent the file over to us. There were four standstill agreements, all back to back, which had extended the limitation period. However, on closer inspection, we noticed that there was a mistake. The Standstill Agreements had all been carefully drafted stating that they related to a claim that our client was going to bring against his former conveyancing solicitors for purchase of “5 Mawdsley Avenue”. The problem was that he had actually purchased “75 Mawdsley Avenue”.

Such a tiny, little mistake; such huge consequences. The Standstill Agreements were invalid. The limitation period therefore expired ages ago. The second set of solicitors had been negligent and we were instructed to pursue a negligence claim against them.

How we can help you claim compensation if your solicitor has missed a limitation date

We hope these case studies have helped you understand how limitation dates work and the problems that can arise. If you think your solicitor has missed a limitation date, contact us now to arrange a free case assessment. Call 0333 888 0403 or email us at [email protected]

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This website www.proneg.co.uk has been in operation for more than 20 years, making it one of the longest established professional negligence resources available on the internet.

It is run by Slee Blackwell Solicitors LLP, an award-winning firm of solicitors specialising in professional negligence law. We have been awarded Lexcel accreditation by The Law Society for excellence in client care and the firm is included in the independent guide to the legal profession, The Legal 500.

We exclusively represent claimants and provide a nationwide service throughout England and Wales. We are usually able to offer No Win, No Fee funding where the prospects of success are good, and the value of the compensation claim exceeds £25,000.

A member of our specialist team will be happy to provide you with a free assessment of your case. Simply contact us by phone or email.

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 CLAIMS VALUED BELOW £25,000 

Unfortunately, we are no longer able to offer No Win, No Fee funding for claims valued below £25,000. However, we can assist with these claims if you have legal expenses insurance and or would like to set an initial fee limit on a privately funded basis.