
Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Professional Negligence
In the modern business environment, businesses and individuals are increasingly reliant upon their professional advisors. When that advice is inadequate or simply wrong, you need an experienced team to resolve the problems that arise.
Edwin Coe has a long established reputation for excellence in the conduct of professional negligence and professional liability disputes. Members of our team have been at the forefront of many of the leading cases in this developing area of law. We regularly act in claims against insurance intermediaries, financial advisors, solicitors, accountants and surveyors. Furthermore, because we are not tied to any particular insurer, we rarely have to turn down instructions due to conflicts of interest.
Lawyers from the team are members of the Professional Negligence Lawyers Association – an association formed to help resolve disputes that arise between professionals and their clients.
Insurance – Professional Negligence and Professional Liability
Our expertise in insurance means that we are also instructed by individuals and firms seeking coverage advice on their D&O and professional indemnity insurance and in connection with liability and regulatory issues. We are advisors to the Insurance Brokers’ Standards Council and a number of leading organisations dedicated to refining the scope of the duties owed by professionals in specific sectors.
Legal 500 UK 2022 Ranking
- Professional Negligence
Chambers UK 2022 Ranking
- Professional Negligence
Examples of our recent work include:
- We advised two claimants. The first Claimant was a large waste recycler and the second Claimant was the property owner. The firm was instructed in their claim against the insurance broker following a large fire at their premises. The insurers repudiated liability for alleged breach of policy conditions. The claim against the broker was in negligence for failing to advise on disclosure issues, policy conditions, and for failure to arrange cover which provides an indemnity in relation to lost profit. In addition the second Claimant claimed against the broker in negligence, for failure to arrange cover for loss of rent and for incorrectly arranging cover on a joint names basis.
- The firm acted for the trustees of a pension fund over negligent advice given to them by their investment adviser which caused them to invest substantial sums in property investments which were entirely out of keeping with their risk profile. The claim also involved allegations of deliberate concealment as far as the trustees rights of action were concerned arising from advice from their investment adviser to the effect that any claims against it were not actionable until losses in the property investment had crystallised which occurred after the expiry of the primary limitation period. The claim was settled on the basis of a substantial payment being made to the trustees together with their costs.
- A claim against a firm of solicitors in negligence for failing to identify the absence of planning permission for a large extension to restaurant premises in north west London. The dispute involved primarily issues of causation and quantum with detailed arguments concerning the measure of damages and the precise quantification of the client’s extrication costs and lost profit. Following a mediation the claim was settled on the basis of a payment representing wasted renovation costs, loss of profit and costs.
Contact our Litigation & Dispute Resolution Team
telephone: 020 7691 4000
or email: enquiries@edwincoe.com