Tag Archives: access legal from shoosmiths

Accidents, Administrative, Compensation, Employment Law, Legal Services, Personal Injury

Access Legal From Shoosmiths Hooks Up With Biker Group

Access Legal from Shoosmiths is to help the 50,000-strong Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) become the UK’s leading consumer organisation for bikers, as the consumer legal services provider announces it has teamed-up with MAG to offer free legal advice to its members.

Access Legal From Shoosmiths Hooks Up With Biker Group

Comprising volunteers, MAG lobbies to protect motorcycling from legislation it believes threatens riders’ pleasure; while its charitable arm – The MAG Foundation – promotes motorcycling through research, representation and collaboration.

Access legal from Shoosmiths is providing a dedicated 24/7 legal helpline to MAG members, their friends and family, offering free legal advice on a range of issues, including road traffic accidents.

Then, for every personal injury instruction received via MAG, Access Legal from Shoosmiths will donate £100 to the Foundation, while £50 will be donated for conveyancing instructions, £25 for motor defence, and £15 for wills.

Partner and head of consumer services at Access Legal, Judith Dorkins said: “Not only are we boosting funds for a worthwhile cause, we’re also helping MAG members pursue their rights, have easy access to justice, understand the legal process, and make informed decisions.

“It’s great example of our commitment to investing in the community.”

MAG general secretary Nich Brown said: “MAG members know their right to ride is one of the most important things in life. Every day we’re asked for advice on how to fight injustices by riders who’ve had a raw deal. This partnership means our members can quickly find expert legal advice of all kinds whenever they need it.”

Via EPR Network
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Accidents, Administrative, Compensation, Employment Law, Legal Services, Personal Injury

Access Legal Calls For More Help For Asbestos Disease Victims

Access Legal, consumer legal services provider from Shoosmiths, is calling for more to be done to help victims of mesothelioma, as it believes that not enough is being done to help sufferers of fatal asbestos-related diseases.

Access Legal Calls For More Help For Asbestos Disease Victims

Access Legal wants to see more done to help victims of mesothelioma, an asbestos-linked cancer common in builders, plumbers, joiners, and teachers.

The call comes in the midst of a Health & Safety Executive awareness-raising campaign aimed at those workers most at risk. Sara Hunt, associate and asbestos specialist at Access legal from Shoosmiths, said: “With some people already hit by this creeping disease, and with many others potentially at risk, not a lot seems to be getting done.

“There are calls for government funding for a national centre for asbestos related diseases, and a 24,000-signature petition was presented to 10 Downing Street last year, but there’s been little positive reaction.”

Hunt also believes Alimta – a drug that extends the life expectancy of mesothelioma sufferers – should remain available on the NHS. In 2007 the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) said the drug was not cost effective. However, following successful lobbying that decision was overturned, and Alimta was made available on the NHS. Now, that decision in turn is being challenged.

Hunt said: “If that challenge succeeds, suffers will no longer have NHS access to Alimta.

“Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer, and sufferers often have a very short life expectancy. Is it right to deny them access to a drug that may extend their life?”

Asbestos was used extensively as a building, insulating and fireproof material, particularly from the 1950s to 1980s. People exposed as long ago as 40 years might only now be developing asbestos-related conditions.

Asbestos remains in around 500,000 UK buildings, with people exposed when asbestos is disturbed and asbestos fibres become airborne. It can also be disturbed by pushing drawing pins into walls, and it is thought a single drawing pin can release 6,000 fibres. Mesothelioma can be caused by exposure to just one fibre.

Teaching unions are campaigning for asbestos to be removed from schools, after figures revealed 228 teachers died from asbestos-related diseases between 1991 and 2005.

Via EPR Network
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Accidents, Administrative, Compensation, Employment Law, Legal Services, Personal Injury

Shoosmiths Has Launched A New Brand For Its Consumer Legal Services

Shoosmiths launches new brand, Access Legal, to bring together more than 100 legal services for consumers.

Partner and head of consumer services at Shoosmiths, Judith Dorkins, said: “Consumers lack easy and reassuring access to legal services and advice. The consumer legal market is fragmented and without a leading legal brand, leaving it open to new entrants as a result of the Legal Services Act. We recognised an opportunity in that we were ideally placed to put our stake in the ground as the professional law firm that wants to attain a share of this ‘new’ market.

Shoosmiths Has Launched A New Brand For Its Consumer Legal Services

“We already had the expertise, track record and infrastructure in place, but what we hadn’t fully refined was our customer care and the integration of our core conveyancing; wills, family and wealth; and personal injury services into a complete product range.”

The new Access Legal website also brings all of the Shoosmiths’ services, whether it is helping people buy a house or advising on a £multi-million corporate deal, under the Shoosmiths’ name.

“Marketing to consumers and to commercial clients requires different approaches, and we felt the time was right to wrap up our distinct consumer services in a standalone brand that’s accessible and friendly, yet highly professional, and which has over 150 years’ history and experience to back it up.”

Access Legal from Shoosmiths is for people who take responsibility for their lives, and who recognise the value of specialist professional advice.

The new logo for the brand has been created by Shoosmiths’ in-house design team and the typeface reflects both the modern and traditional elements of the new services, whilst retaining the Shoosmiths blue.

Dorkins said: “Our research amongst consumers identified that they wanted the reassurance of a law firm but with modern service delivery which fitted around their busy lives, so our helpline will be operational seven days a week. Research also revealed that very few law firms were providing added value to clients in terms of staying in touch and providing relevant and timely information.”

Access Legal is a fundamental move away from the old fashioned lawyers’ view of the client as a ‘transaction’ and a move to recognise that people have legal needs throughout their life – Shoosmiths’ aim is to earn and retain that loyalty. Ultimately, Shoosmiths wants to provide consumers with the solutions to their complete lifetime legal needs.

Shoosmiths’ commercial and consumer operations complement each other because some of the firm’s larger commercial clients offer their employees discounted legal services as part of a benefits package.

Crucial to the brand’s success will be the new website which was developed by Shoosmiths’ in-house IT and creative teams.

Dorkins said: “Internally, people see the sense in doing this because we’re making our service offering clearer with separate websites and brands for our different stakeholders, whether they are commercial organisations, consumers, or our own employees.”

Via EPR Network
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