How we helped turn things around for these injured Unite members

Unite the Union members have free access to the trade union’s legal scheme, Unite Legal Services. It provides members with full representation for all personal injury cases - road accidents, injuries at work, medical negligence to name but a few. Members’ families also benefit from a free service for all personal injury claims aside from injuries sustained at work. Allan McDougall Solicitors has been a Unite panel law firm for many years.

There have been occasions when some members have been unaware that they can take advantage of this legal services benefit. The following examples are of members who sought alternative legal advice first, but for whom their Unite membership and use of its legal services saved the day.

Janette is an office worker. As she walked along the corridor at work, a heavy radiator fell onto her foot, causing a very painful injury. She didn’t know that her Unite membership covered her for legal advice and support. She consulted a small law firm that claimed to have specialism in personal injury cases. After a year of investigating it, they told her she had no case. They said the accident wasn’t foreseeable, and it was just her bad luck. She then learned that Unite may be able to help. Her case was transferred to Unite Legal Services, and Allan McDougall Solicitors acted on her behalf. Of course she had a case! The accident spoke for itself. This was clearly her employer’s negligence. We obtained expert medical reports and sued her employer. In the end she received damages of over £25,000, whereas without Unite she would have received nothing.
Iain works in a manufacturing plant and injured his leg when some machinery failed. He started to pursue a claim via a high street firm that was looking to charge him 25% of his damages if he won. Despite the fact that he had a bad injury and his employers were to blame, he was receiving a poor service from his lawyer. They weren’t returning his calls. They weren’t making progress. He was frustrated. Unite Legal Services took over his case, and Allan McDougall Solicitors pursued it efficiently and robustly. He was awarded over £50,000 and didn’t have to pay a penny of it in legal costs – he would have lost over £12,000 had he not transferred his case to Unite.
Simon sustained whiplash in a car accident with three other family members who all suffered similar injuries. His motor insurers offered legal support and he nearly took that up, but decided instead to use Unite Legal Services. His family, however, stuck with the motor insurer lawyers. Within a few months, they had each received £1,000 or so. But using the expertise of Unite’s lawyers, Allan McDougall Solicitors, Simon’s case only took a little bit longer, and he got more than three times the compensation. He could have vastly under-settled his case had he not made the right decision to pursue his claim through Unite.

These are just three examples from the many members and their families who are delighted they pursued their cases through Unite, with the assistance of Allan McDougall Solicitors.

If you are a member of Unite, or are interested in becoming a member, you can find out more about our services for Unite Legal Services.

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Call our personal injury claims team free on 0808 560 0872
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