Weightmans LLP leverages its national practice to deliver comprehensive support to clients across numerous sectors. Charles Heppenstall, the regional head for Leeds, specialises in serious injury cases and has expertise in counter fraud work, while Helen Brown, the firm's national head for local authorities, is an expert in the full spectrum of workplace and public liability claims. Lindsay Staddon is the technical lead for large losses and handles a broad range of claims, and Blaise Smith is noted for his work on catastrophic injury claims and fatal accident mandates.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Weightmans LLP provides a bespoke and personal service to defendant insurers in severe personal injury cases. It is obvious that the team are extremely able to deal with maximum severity cases and provide realistic and timely advice to their insurer clients.’
‘Charles Heppenstall is a stand-out individual. Now managing the Leeds office he is a superbly prepared practitioner, always on the ball and enjoys brilliantly relaxed relationships with the insurer. He commands respect and provides timely, accurate, and realistic advice on maximum severity claims. He has a deep knowledge of brain injury claims.’
‘The team are very flexible and free thinking in their approach. There is a vast level of experience amongst the team, and they are very commercially minded, and understanding of a client's needs to settle claims as quickly and as economically as possible.’
‘I have worked extensively with Lindsay Staddon, and Lindsay is a great communicator and negotiator with loads of experience of high-value claims, which has been very helpful to draw on over the years. Lindsay always thinks commercially, and this thinking has led to a multitude of great settlements over the years.’
‘Weightmans have an established, market-leading national public sector team. Many of the claims involve personal injury, including catastrophic injuries. They have a deep understanding of the particular requirements of the public sector, including the funding constraints and reputational/public confidence issues. They have represented clients in some of the leading cases concerning public authority duties of care.’
‘The level of experience within the Weightmans team is fantastic. The people are able to engage with all stakeholders with a high level of professionalism and empathy; they gain a rapport quickly, ensuring that they can run cases collaboratively towards successful outcomes.’
‘Charles Heppenstall is a very experienced solicitor with a very keen eye for detail. He is excellent at establishing relationships due to his highly personable nature. He is very good at front-end investigations and is able to deal with tricky individuals. He is a great advocate and able to run technical cases towards successful conclusions for his clients. He is a brilliant individual to have on your team.'
Key clients
- Zurich
- Motor Insurers Bureau
- AIG Europe
- AXAXL Insurance
- PwC (Chester Street Holdings)
- Municipal Mutual Insurance
- Tesco Underwriting
- HDI Global
- Gallagher Bassett
- Hundreds of Local Authorities and Police Authorities
- Hiscox Insurance
- Esure Insurance
- Prometheus Insurance
- Hastings Direct
- Markel Insurance
- DCL Insurance
- Tradex
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Charles Heppenstall