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Professional Negligence Solicitors

When a solicitor, accountant, surveyor, financial adviser, architect, or other professional gives advice that falls below the standard their profession requires — and that failure causes financial loss — the client has a right to compensation.

Professional negligence is the legal basis on which a client can claim compensation from a professional adviser whose negligent act or omission caused them financial loss. Every professional owes their client a duty of care — grounded in contract (the terms of engagement) and in the common law duty of care recognised in tort. Where the professional's advice or conduct fell below the standard of the reasonably competent practitioner in their field and that failure caused a loss the client would not otherwise have suffered, a professional negligence claim lies. A solicitor will advise on the merits of the claim, obtain expert evidence as to the standard of care, and pursue the claim for compensation.

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Professional Negligence Services

Every profession covered — select the type of professional whose negligence caused your loss.

Solicitor Negligence

Claims against solicitors for missed limitation dates, negligent litigation advice, poor conveyancing, and other legal professional failures that caused financial loss to the client.

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Accountant Negligence

Claims against accountants for negligent tax advice, audit failures, incorrect financial statements, and advisory failures that resulted in HMRC penalties or financial loss.

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Surveyor Negligence

Claims against surveyors for negligent property valuations, missed structural defects, and RICS survey failures that caused property buyers or mortgage lenders financial loss.

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Financial Adviser Negligence

Claims against IFAs and financial advisers for unsuitable investment recommendations, pension transfer failures, and regulated advice that resulted in avoidable financial loss.

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Architect & Engineer Negligence

Claims against architects and engineers for negligent design, specification failures, project management errors, and construction oversight failings that caused loss.

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Insurance Broker Negligence

Claims against insurance brokers for placing inadequate cover, failing to secure a material risk, or failing to advise on the terms of the policy — leaving the client uninsured.

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Builder & Tradesperson Negligence

Claims against builders, contractors, and tradespeople for defective workmanship, structural failures, and building contract breaches that caused property damage or financial loss.

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How It Works

Professional negligence claims require expert evidence and careful pleading — and are subject to time limits that can extinguish valid claims if not observed. A solicitor will advise early to preserve the claim and pursue it to the best possible outcome.

A solicitor will advise on whether the professional's conduct fell below the required standard, obtain expert evidence to support the claim, and manage the litigation or settlement process from pre-action protocol through to trial.

Submit Your Request
1

Describe the professional's failure and your loss

Tell us about the professional, the advice or service they provided, how their conduct fell below the required standard, and what financial loss you suffered as a result.

2

Solicitor assesses the merits and advises on the claim

A professional negligence specialist assesses whether the professional's conduct breached the duty of care, whether the breach caused your loss, and what quantum of damages may be recoverable.

3

Free initial consultation

You receive clear advice on the merits of the professional negligence claim and the prospects of recovering compensation — at no cost and no obligation.

Free Initial Consultation

Professionals are paid for their expertise — and held to its standard. Where their advice causes loss, the law provides a remedy. A solicitor will pursue it.

Get specialist professional negligence advice — and find out whether the advice or service that caused your loss gives rise to a viable compensation claim against the professional.

Assess My Negligence Claim

Common Questions

Professional negligence — what people ask us.

How long do I have to bring a professional negligence claim?

Professional negligence claims are subject to a limitation period — typically 6 years from the date the cause of action accrued (the date of the breach or, if later, the date when the damage became actionable). In latent damage cases (where the claimant did not know and could not reasonably have known about the damage), the limitation period is 3 years from the "date of knowledge" — subject to an overriding 15-year "long-stop" from the date of the negligent act. For claims against solicitors or other professionals where the limitation date is itself the subject of the negligence, the limitation position can be complex. A solicitor will advise on the applicable limitation period and take steps to preserve the claim if the limitation date is approaching — including issuing proceedings to protect the claim if necessary.

Do I need an expert to bring a professional negligence claim?

Expert evidence is almost always required to establish that the professional's conduct fell below the standard of the reasonably competent practitioner. The court assesses the standard of care against the benchmark of what a competent practitioner in the same field and discipline would have done in the same circumstances. Expert evidence is obtained from a practitioner of equivalent standing in the same profession — a surveyor expert for a surveyor negligence claim, an accountant expert for an accountant negligence claim. A solicitor will identify an appropriate expert, instruct them to review the professional's file and conduct, and obtain an expert report setting out whether the standard of care was breached and how. The expert report is a prerequisite of the pre-action protocol letter — it cannot be sent without first obtaining expert evidence.

What is the pre-action protocol for professional negligence?

The Professional Negligence Pre-Action Protocol sets out the steps that must be taken before proceedings are issued — to encourage settlement before the costs of litigation are incurred. The protocol requires: a preliminary notice letter (notifying the professional of the potential claim); a formal Letter of Claim (setting out the allegations in detail, with supporting expert evidence); and a response period of up to 4 months. Where the professional's insurer denies liability, the claimant may then issue proceedings. Where the response admits liability or makes a settlement offer, the protocol provides for a further period of negotiation. A solicitor will manage the pre-action protocol process — ensuring the Letter of Claim is well-pleaded, the expert evidence compelling, and the negotiation with the insurer conducted effectively.

Can I fund a professional negligence claim on a no-win no-fee basis?

Many professional negligence claims can be funded by a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA — "no win, no fee") — where the solicitor takes a success fee (an uplift on their normal fee, capped at 25% of the damages recovered) only if the claim succeeds. After-the-event (ATE) insurance can be arranged to protect against the risk of paying the other side's costs if the claim fails. CFA funding is available where the claim has reasonable prospects of success — a solicitor will advise on the merits of the claim at the initial consultation and, where the prospects are good, offer CFA funding as a funding option. Funding by way of before-the-event (BTE) legal expenses insurance (often included in home insurance policies) should also be checked.

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