David Sears joins Hudgell Solicitors
Experienced catastrophic injury specialist David Sears says Hudgell Solicitors’ ever-enhancing reputation– and its dedication to ‘doing the right thing’ – were the reasons behind joining what he describes as a ‘firm on the up’.
Having served Minster Law for close to 11 years, Mr Sears had a caseload including many claims valued between £5m-£10m, representing people who had, predominantly, suffered brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, brachial plexus injuries, amputations or other life-changing orthopaedic injuries.
He joins Hudgells believing it will increasingly become the firm of choice for people who suffer serious and life-changing injuries, given the clear commitment it has demonstrated to putting clients first in a number of high-profile recent cases.
“Hudgells’ work and its dedication to doing the right thing by its clients in recent years has been exceptional and has not gone unnoticed within the industry, and by people who need legal expertise in times of need,” said Mr Sears.
“The firm has established a great reputation on the back of the work it has done for the victims of the Post Office scandal, for those who lost loved ones and were seriously injured at the Manchester Arena bombing, and in other cases such as representing the families of the victims of Stephen Port.
“The firm’s commitment to client care has shone through in all of these cases, so when the opportunity came to join Hudgells it was one I felt I had to take, as it is a firm on the up.”
‘Taking on the difficult cases’”
Mr Sears has almost 20 years’ of claims experience and a track-record of representing catastrophically injured clients, and successfully resolving their claims.
He says it is an area of work that requires not just expert legal knowledge, but also a great deal of understanding and empathy for people who are facing difficult and challenging times, possibly for the rest of their lives.
“There will always unfortunately be accidents causing serious injuries, and our job is to do our very best to help our clients live the best possible lives in the future,” he said.
“Many cases are difficult and challenging, but I’ve always been a lawyer who doesn’t shy away from difficult cases, and in that sense Hudgells’ ethos and approach matches my own.
“The firm does the right thing and doesn’t shy away from the cases which are difficult to win, or cases that are difficult to manage.
“Often in serious injury claims you know there will be many challenges to overcome, from difficulties in the legal aspects of a claim to challenges in supporting clients who are left with behavioral issues because of the injuries they have suffered.
“I’m always very aware of just how important our support is, as for some people, there is no family network around them. They need our help, and the help of people we can introduce them to.
“Hudgells already has a great team of serious injury lawyers, and they do some fantastic work in terms of both the compensation they secure and the rehabilitation programmes they establish to help people towards the best possible recovery.
“The aim now is to grow this area of work and ensure more people who suffer catastrophic injuries benefit from the expertise and dedication Hudgells are able to offer, and I am looking forward to being a part of that.”
Links with charities a key part of work
Mr Sears says he has been impressed by Hudgells’ dedication to helping charities and organisations providing vital support to those who suffer life-changing injuries, and how lawyers themselves are heavily involved.
“It’s great to see the campaigning, fundraising and awareness work being done by Hudgells to help the likes of the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA), Day One Trauma Support and The Limbless Association, as they provide such vital support to people after life-changing injuries,” he said.
“Signposting clients to charities such as these is an important part of our work, and I have been impressed at how the legal team at Hudgells have established these relationships, and gone out of their way to support them.
“It’s another example of doing the right thing, not just doing the job itself, and I am looking forward to working alongside those organisations, and supporting people who find themselves in need of their help and advice,”
Rachel Di Clemente, chief executive of Hudgell Solicitors, worked with Mr Sears when she was previously at Minster Law herself, leading their serious injury teams.
She said: “We’re delighted that David has agreed to join our growing serious injury claims team at Hudgells.
“I was privileged enough to work directly with David many years ago when I joined Minster Law to run their catastrophic injury team. It soon became clear that David was an incredibly talented lawyer alongside providing incredible support to his clients.
“He is a lawyer I would definitely want to look after any of my friends and family if they were unfortunate enough to need legal support following a serious injury.
“He will be a hugely valuable asset to our serious injury team and, equally importantly, I know that he holds the same values that are integral to being part of our team at Hudgells.”
