At hospitals
It can be extremely hard to find a good quality solicitor with the specialist expertise needed to support you with one of the difficult and complex problems you may face as a result of a brain injury or other neurological condition.
For this reason, The Brain Charity works with a panel of trusted legal partners to ensure our clients have access to the highest-quality service possible.
They are Alderstone Solicitors, Coulthursts, Irvings Law and Irwin Mitchell. You are not required to work with any of our partner firms and are free to use any solicitor of your choice.
Qualified & trusted professionals to support you and your family
It is of vital importance we only offer our clients a service which is experienced, trustworthy and reliable.
We have chosen to work with these law firms because we are confident they are well-respected and have the skills you need, as well as being understanding, friendly and above all excellent within their specialist areas.
Please get in touch using the form at the bottom of this page if you would like to contact our legal team, or click on the firm names below to find out more about their solicitors.
As well as specialist legal expertise and experience, you will need a legal team that supports you and your family’s financial, emotional, and practical needs.
Every injured person is different and faces unique challenges, but we work to put a legal, clinical and care network around you and your family to give you the best chance of living a full life.
Whenever possible, Alderstone Solicitors will quickly secure early interim payments to ensure that financial, education and rehabilitation needs are addressed. We are experts in recovering maximum compensation and putting everything in place to help you and your family to rebuild your future.
We can also help you:
- Access private medical insurance policies
- Get pay-outs from critical illness policies
- Obtain early interim payments to alleviate financial burden on clients and their families
- Arrange early rehabilitation
- Open up an early dialogue with insurance companies
- Help suspend payments with debts, mortgages, banks, utility companies and mobile phone providers.
Meet some of the team at Alderstone Solicitors:
Quentin Underhill
Quentin is a Partner and head of our Serious and Catastrophic Injury Department.
He has more than 30 years’ experience in helping people who have suffered life-changing injury and clinical negligence.
He works with empathy and builds trust with clients to help them make claims for brain injuries, spinal injuries, amputations, psychiatric injuries, chronic pain, and fatal accidents.
Quentin focuses on speedy access to rehabilitation by obtaining early interim payments and using a collaborative approach to achieve the very best outcome for you and your family.
Chris Bolton
Chris is a Partner with more than two decades of specialist experience in serious injury compensation cases involving brain injury, spinal injury, chronic pain, and fatal accidents.
Whenever possible, Chris’ approach is rooted in recovery, rehabilitation, and empathy.
He supports our clients and their families to go on and live the best life possible.
He has helped hundreds of injured people secure appropriate medical, financial, and emotional assistance including loss of income, prescriptions costs, adaptable housing and vehicle costs and much more.
Claire Cully
Claire is an Associate Solicitor and a senior member of our Serious and Catastrophic Injury and Clinical Negligence departments.
She is not only a dedicated and experienced legal expert, but she is also approachable and will work closely with you and your family to guide you through the challenges of the legal process.
Claire aims to secure compensation to fund a quality support network of carers and other clinical professionals who you will help you make the most of life after a serious injury or medical negligence.
Mervin Smith
Mervin is an Associate Solicitor in our Serious and Catastrophic Injury Department. He is an
experienced Serious and Catastrophic Injury lawyer.
He specialises in complex cases that not only require expert legal knowledge but also empathy and compassion.
He works with and supports severely injured people and their families through very difficult times. With professionalism and sensitivity, he focuses on gaining swift access to rehabilitation to ensure the best future possible for families affected by brain injury, spinal injury and medical negligence.
Leanne Tattam
Leanne is an experienced Partner with the firm specialising is a wide range of catastrophic injuries arising from both traumatic accidents and clinical negligence.
She guides, not only our clients, but also their families through the complicated and lengthy legal process whilst taking a hands-on approach.
Leanne works closely with families to liaise with rehabilitation, therapy, medical and care professionals, dedicating time to finding the right people to work with you and your family to get the most from your future.
The Brain Injury Lawyers
Speaking to solicitors can feel daunting at the best of times, especially when you or a loved one are facing a potentially life-changing, traumatic and uncertain time following a traumatic brain injury.
As specialist brain injury lawyers, our focus at Coulthursts is to support individuals, families, and carers from the moment you need it most.
We are here to help you navigate your way through the complexities of this journey and achieve the very best recovery and life outcome for you and your loved ones.
We are different in that we only deal with claims involving a brain injury, and were founded by brain injury solicitor Philip Coulthurst and medical practitioner Dr Richard Newland, both of whom had a passion for specifically supporting people recovering from traumatic brain injury.
In addition to offering our highly specialised and friendly legal services, often in many personal injury claims, we will be able to fund the rehabilitation and support that you need with our Rehabilitation and Support Service.
How Are We Different?
SPECIALIST LEGAL: We deal exclusively with brain injury claims.
REHABILITATION & TREATMENT: In many instances, we are able to pay for and arrange early treatment and support.
FINANCIAL: We provide financial advice and support, ensuring maximum compensation is obtained.
EMOTIONAL & FAMILY SUPPORT: We build our service around what you and your family need.
NO RISK: We are committed to offering a no win, no fee service.
We’re Here To Help
We are happy to speak to you whether or not you think you may have a legal compensation claim, or if you are just looking to find out more about us and how we might be able to help. We can visit you and your family at hospital, at your home, or at our office in Manchester or at a meeting office close to you. Even if you have spoken with other lawyers, please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like a second opinion or further advice.
Philip Coulthurst
Philip has more than 20 years’ experience as a solicitor, with a specialty in brain injury.
As MD and founder of Coulthursts, Philip’s vision was to create a legal firm dedicated solely to helping people with life-changing brain injuries.
With over 25 years of experience as a solicitor who has specialised exclusively in brain injury for many years, Philip is dedicated to improving the legal, support and rehabilitation services provided to individuals and their families who are facing life-changing injuries.
Kevin Walker
Kevin has handled life-changing personal injury claims for almost three decades, having attained high level positions at esteemed firms in the North West including those of partner and head of serious and catastrophic injury and clinical negligence departments.
A specialist in traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and amputations, Kevin’s expertise includes handling complex and high value claims occurring in the workplace, motorcycle accidents and other road traffic accidents both here in the UK and abroad.
Karen Hayes
Karen was attracted to Coulthursts because of its position as the UK’s only law firm dedicated to providing legal services for people recovering from traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).
As a solicitor, Karen brings to Coulthursts more than 20 years’ experience in the area of personal injury, specialising in catastrophic and serious injury claims.
Irvings Law are a national law firm based in Liverpool representing children and adults affected by brain injury and other life-changing medical conditions for over forty years. We specialise in rebuilding lives after traumatic injury.
We offer
- A no-win, no-fee service
- Free initial advice
- Home or hospital visits
- Direct access to directors and senior solicitors
- Bespoke tailor-made service to suit your individual needs.
Irvings Law provide access to the country’s leading brain injury medical experts and therapists and work as a legal team with the country’s top barristers to achieve the best possible outcomes for our clients.
We understand the specific challenges faced by our clients and their families. We work hard, with compassion and insight, to deliver the best possible medical and therapeutic management.
Irvings Law are proud to be recognised as specialist lawyers by Headway, the brain injury association.
We fight for interim payments to ease financial hardship and provide early access to good quality rehabilitation to obtain the highest quality of life for our clients and their families.
We always act with empathy and understanding and place your needs first in everything we do.
Meet some of the team at Irvings Law:
Romilly Houghton
Romilly is a director and head of the serious injury department with over 30 years’ experience and is based in Liverpool.
She specialises in severe traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries and is a tenacious litigator who fights to recover the best outcome for her clients.
Romilly works closely with charity partners and rehabilitation providers to maximise her clients’ recovery.
Romilly specialises in both personal injury and clinical negligence claims including birth injuries.
Contact Romilly
E: Romilly.Houghton@Irvingslaw.com
Nick Swales
Nick is a director and joint head of our serious injury department.
He has acted in many highly complex claims mainly as a result of road traffic accidents and has huge experience dealing with clients who have suffered life changing injuries.
Nick has an empathetic approach to help families throughout their difficult legal journey. He uses a collaborative approach to litigation to obtain specialist rehabilitation and support for his clients as well as access to early interim payments.
Contact Nick
Simon Brennan
Simon has represented both adults and children with high value complex clinical negligence claims against private doctors, GP and hospitals.
Simon is a highly recommended senior clinical negligence solicitor specialising in serious high value claims.
His main areas of expertise include brain damage, birth injuries (including cerebral palsy claims), spinal injury cases, cauda equina, fatal accidents, delay in diagnosis of cancer and amputations.
Simon is a proactive and determined lawyer who champions his clients’ best interests.
Simon is a member of the Law Society Clinical Negligence Accreditation Scheme.
Contact Simon
E: Simon.Brennan@Irvingslaw.com
Sinead Woods
Sinead is a senior solicitor who had dealt with many complex high value personal injury and clinical negligence claims, recovering millions of pounds for the families and individuals she has represented.
Sinead has worked for over two decades as a personal injury specialist. She understands the need to be perceptive and have empathy in supporting those who have suffered serious injuries and their families.
Sinead’s aim is always to ensure a good rehabilitation package is in place and achieve the maximum settlement in compensation to guarantee the best quality of life for those who have suffered life-changing injuries.
Contact Sinead
Our specialist personal injury lawyers are here to make things easier for you and your family.
Every year we help thousands of people claim for personal injury, and over the past two years we’ve helped our clients recover more than £1.5 billion in compensation.
Compensation is only part of the story though, and our solicitors could also help you access the rehabilitation, medical care and support your child needs to make the best recovery possible.
Not only do we offer legal services for serious injuries and medical negligence, we can also help with court of protection, public law and education issues. We have a dedicated support and rehabilitation team who will ensure that you and your family’s needs are met from all the sources of support available to you.
Expert Hand, Human Touch
Meet some of the team at Irwin Mitchell:
Deirdre Healy
Deirdre is known for her work in catastrophic injury cases and specialises in supporting those individuals and their families who have suffered serious brain injuries or spinal cord damage.
Her focus to secure funding to ensure her clients have access to prompt and appropriate rehabilitation.
She is recognised as a leader in her field : “Deirdre Healy stands out as being extremely knowledgeable and professional, always striving to seek the best for her clients“ (Legal 500 2023) and “her expertise and experience in supporting clients affected by head injury sees her leading the field; her passion and commitment to her clients , their families and their cause is to be commended; her personable nature puts clients at ease during the litigation process.” (Chambers and Partners 2019).
E: deirdre.healy@irwinmitchell.com
Matthew Garson
Matthew handles a wide range of serious injury cases including child injuries, brain and spinal injuries as well as serious orthopaedic, amputation and fatal claims.
He is APIL Brain Injury & APIL Fatal Accidents accredited.
Matthew is also the lead partner for Irwin Mitchell’s Liverpool office.
E: matthew.garson@irwinmitchell.com
Damian Hodkinson
A Court of Protection team lawyer, Damian acts as a professional deputy for adults who have lost capacity to manage their financial affairs as well as minors.
Most of his clients have received multi-million-pound settlements as a result of serious injury or medical negligence.
Saoirse de Bont
Saoirse is a solicitor in the Public Law & Human Rights team, specialising in Court of Protection and community care cases.
She acts on behalf of vulnerable adults and their families in Court of Protection matters, particularly in relation to disputes regarding capacity and best interests, and regularly advises on issues around packages of care.
E: saoirse.debont@irwinmitchell.com
Rachael Smurthwaite
Rachael is an experienced solicitor specialising in education law, advising on all areas relating to education law with a particular focus on securing the provision of suitable education and/or services for children and young people with a wide range of special educational needs and/or disabilities.
E: rachael.smurthwaite@irwinmitchell.com
Berenice Bradley
Berenice is a registered nurse (RN) and has experience of caring for patients with a variety of needs and illnesses.
As Irwin Mitchell’s Support and Rehabilitation Coordinator within the North West, Berenice supports our client’s rehabilitation needs and allows her to access the service provisions for and on behalf of our clients.
If you have a legal enquiry that you think we could help with, please get in touch using the form at the bottom of this page.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if I have a case?
The Brain Charity’s partner lawyers are friendly and approachable. They will take time to assess your case and give you the information you need to proceed, if appropriate.
What if I’m worried I can’t afford a solicitor? If I don’t win the case, will I get a large bill at the end?
There should be no charge for an initial consultation with a lawyer. Your solicitor will advise you if you have a claim or not, first, for free – its then your choice whether to progress.
Most firms offer ‘no win, no fee’ where costs are dealt with at the end of the process. If the claim is successful the defendants will meet most, if not all of your legal costs.
If the case is unsuccessful the solicitor will not charge for their time spent in dealing with the claim – hence no win, no fee.
Your solicitor should also be able to secure sizeable interim payments for medical treatment, rehabilitation and other needs such as accommodation, to take pressure of you and your family during the process.
What happens if I can’t get to a law firm’s office?
Solicitors are able to visit whenever and wherever is most convenient for you.
It’s important for them and any therapy teams to see you at home, so they know how best to accommodate you.
Is it important to find a specialist solicitor? How do I find one?
Solicitors deal with a wide range of cases and types of law, so it is very important to find a firm that specialises in the type of case you have experienced.
The Brain Charity works with a panel of trusted legal partners to ensure our clients have access to the highest-quality service possible.
You can also search the Law Society’s official database to find a solicitor, by going to solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk
My insurance company has given me the name of a law firm to use, do I have to use them?
You are under no obligation to use any particular firm. You can choose any law firm you would like to work with.
However, it is always worth checking all insurance policies you have (e.g. car, home) as legal support is often included.
Do I have to find a solicitor quickly?
There can be some time limits to claims, so sooner is better. If a claim concerns a loved one who is currently in hospital, you can start this process on their behalf.
The total timescale of a serious claim is usually around 3 to 5 years.
What is Legal Aid, and how do I know if I’m entitled?
Legal Aid is government funding which can help meet the costs of legal advice, family mediation and representation at court or tribunal.
Applicants are assessed to see whether their case is eligible for Legal Aid, the problem is serious and they cannot afford to pay legal costs. Not all firms offer Legal Aid and access is limited.
