Friday, May 17, 2013

Supporting Kirkcaldy Sands Racing, Saturday 18th May

Motorcycle Beach Racing returns to Kirkcaldy this Saturday and Digby Brown are pleased to be supporting the event, which is being organised by Kirkcaldy and District Motorcycle Club.

The event, which is completely free and has something for all ages,  starts at 10am and will include mini-motos and motorcycle trials in the morning, with racing on the beach itself starting around 1pm. The Digby Brown team will join other local businesses in supporting the event, which, for motorcycle enthusiasts, features trade and club stands and custom and classic road and race bikes.

Last year, Digby Brown expanded its presence in Fife, moving from an office in Glenrothes to a new shop front location in the centre of Kirkcaldy. Since them, we have helped hundreds of people in the region gain compensation after an accident.  Through our Fife office and our specialist motorcycle law team, who have experience and expertise in representing motorcyclists across Scotland, we have a commitment to both the region and motorcycling, including a long-standing association with Kirkcaldy and District Motorcycle Club.

August 2012 saw motorcycle racing held on the beach in Kirkcaldy for the first time in several decades and we are looking forward to supporting and playing a part in an even bigger and better event on Saturday.

You can contact our Fife team by calling into our Kirkcaldy office at 23 Whytescauseway, Kirkcaldy, KY1 1XF, phoning 0333 200 5925 or by clicking here to complete a short enquiry form.

Click here to find out more about our specialist Motorcycle Law team. You can read the team’s blog and follow them on Twitter @BikeLawScotland 

If you're in the area on Saturday, drop by to meet the teams and say hello.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Successful first Highland Head Injury Information Day

Tuesday 14th May saw over 200 hundred people attend the inaugural Highlands Head Injury Information Day held at Eden Court in Inverness.

The event, the first of its kind to be held in the Highlands, brought together people living with brain injuries, families, carers and professionals working in the field of brain injury.  Mary Scanlon, Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Highlands and Islands Region, opened the event, with Digby Brown’s Robert Swanney, Partner in our Serious Injury Department and Kathleen McMonagle, the lead organiser of the event, also on hand to welcome those attending.

Mary Scanlon MSP opened the innugural Highland Head Injury Information Day

The day wouldn’t have been possible without the support of NHS Highland, Headway Highland and organisations from across the region – Also exhibiting were Bobath Scotland, Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust, The Brain Tumour Charity, Capability Scotland, Case Management Services, Child Brain Injury Trust, Citizens Advice Bureau, Epilepsy Scotland, The Huntercombe Group, Self Directed Support Scotland and The Shirlie Project.

Digby Brown's Robert Swanney welcoming attendees

In addition to exhibition stands, a wide range experts in the field of brain injury made presentations, including Dr Louise Blackmore and Dr Barbara Chandler from NHS Highland, Robert Swanney,  Gaille Gray, Headway, Susan Whyte, National Managed Clinical Network Manager, Neil MacLeod from The Shirlie Project and Connecting Carers’ Tina McGarvell.

Speaking at the end of the event Kathleen McMonagle said:

“Brain Injury can all too often be a ‘hidden disability’, which means that people living it with it don’t get the attention they deserve or know about the wide range of organisations that can help. It was fantastic to see so many people attend, share their own experiences and have the chance to speak to so many organisations and experts in the field.

"The day wouldn’t have possible without the support and involvement of NHS Highland, Headway Highland, all of the exhibitors, experts who gave of their time and Mary Scanlon MSP and I would like to thank all of them for contributing to such a successful day.

"I look forward to continuing to work with all of all of these individuals and groups in the future to support people living with brain injury in the Highlands.”

Click here to see a full gallery of photos from the event

Over 200 hundred people attended the event at Eden Court in Inverness

Thursday, May 09, 2013

Welcome commitment to help Mesothelioma victims in Queens Speech

Digby Brown has welcomed the announcement in the Queen’s Speech that the UK Government will introduce legislation to help people suffering from an asbestos-related cancer who currently cannot claim compensation because no liable insurer can be identified.

The Mesothelioma Bill, details of which were announced in yesterday’s speech outlining the UK Government’s programme for the next Parliament, would establish a payment scheme for people diagnosed with Diffuse Mesothelioma after 25th July 2012, who were negligently exposed to asbestos and where their employer or employers’ liability insurance company cannot be traced. Payments would be funded through a levy on live Employers’ Liability insurers.

Last year, Digby Brown welcomed the announcement by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) of an Employers’ Liability Insurance Bureau scheme for mesothelioma claims and called on the DWP to amend the scheme to cover victims of other asbestos-related conditions. 

Digby Brown has represented thousands of people who have suffered the consequences of being negligently exposed to asbestos during their working lives and works closely with organisations such as Asbestos Action Tayside, who provide essential support and advice to individuals and families affected by an asbestos-related condition.

Fraser Simpson, Head of Digby Brown’s Industrial Disease department, said:

“Asbestos-related conditions such as asbestosis, diffuse pleural thickening, asbestos-related lung cancer and mesothelioma are not illnesses of the 1950s, they are real conditions which affect thousands of people across Scotland in the 21st century. 

“Far too many sufferers have been unable to claim compensation for horrible illnesses they developed due to lack of care on the part of their employers, simply by going to work over the years, because of difficulties identifying liable insurers. The scheme is an attempt to correct past failures of the insurance industry to maintain records of insurance at the time when the greatest levels of asbestos exposure was taking place. This bill is a welcome announcement which hopefully will help suffers of a particular condition -  Diffuse Mesothelioma – claim fair and appropriate compensation.

“As always, it remains to be seen how the scheme will operate and I look forward to seeing the details of the bill when it is introduced to parliament. In particular, although this is a UK-wide scheme, it is hoped that it will afford all bereaved family members the same legal remedies as are presently available under the law of Scotland where negligence is established and where an insurer is identified. I hope the bill will be brought forward quickly and enacted into law as soon as possible.  Parliament owes it to sufferers of Diffuse Mesothelioma to take action.

“Diffuse Mesothelioma is just one condition. I would hope this is just a first step to similar payment schemes allowing victims of other asbestos-related conditions to claim fair compensation.”