Alyson France & Co. Solicitors

Personal injury solicitors on the Wirral with a cycling and motorcycling focus

Alyson France & Co. Solicitors is a personal injury practice based in Bromborough, on the Wirral, handling accident and injury claims on a no win no fee basis. The firm states that it has specialised in personal injury and cycle accident work for more than twenty years and reports a 99% success rate, a figure it describes as based on an average of all cases handled.

The practice is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under number 287787, and its proprietor is Aidan Jones LLB, a solicitor. The firm's own account of its history places its founding in 1998 by a keen biker and former professional racing cyclist; Aidan Jones took over the practice in 2005, arriving from a background in personal injury law with a specialisation in motorcycle accident and serious injury cases. The site notes that he has ridden motorcycles for over forty years and is a recreational cyclist.

Types of accident claims handled

The caseload is organised around the circumstances in which injuries occur, and the firm lists the following areas:

• Cycle accident claims, including collisions with pedestrians or with other cyclists
• Motorcycle accident claims
• Road traffic accident claims involving cars
• Claims against uninsured and untraced drivers
• Trips, slips and pothole injury claims
• Accidents at work
• Fatal accident claims

Beyond these categories, the site also addresses general questions about claiming, including what happens where the injured person may be partly to blame, and publishes a section described as a word of warning.

How the firm works with clients

Alyson France & Co. presents its service as personal but efficient, with a team handling both legal and non-legal queries in plain English and without complicated jargon. The firm notes that many clients prefer to have claims handled mainly by email and telephone, and says it accommodates that. It also states that it acts for clients throughout England and Wales and that distance is not an obstacle to taking on a claim.

On the practical side of a case, the firm explains that clients are expected to attend a medical appointment arranged on their behalf in their own locality and to supply requested information promptly. It distinguishes this examination from treatment by a client's own doctor or hospital: the report is intended to set out the injuries and give a prognosis, which is how compensation is valued, and a treating doctor would not usually be considered independent for the purposes of a claim.

Fees and funding under no win no fee

The practice sets out how costs work in a no win no fee case. If the claim succeeds, the opponent's insurers pay a contribution towards legal costs together with disbursements such as medical report fees and court fees, as well as the compensation itself. The firm states that it can no longer recover the success fee from the opponent, nor the cost of any after the event insurance policy a client may choose to take out. If the claim is lost, the firm is not paid, although disbursements still have to be met; where there are strong doubts about a case, the firm says it is cautious about incurring those expenses unless legal expenses insurance is already in place.

Timing, court proceedings and pothole claims

Asked how long a claim takes, the firm links the duration to the cooperation of the defendant's insurers and to the client's recovery, warning that settling before full recovery is against the claimant's interests because claims are settled once and for all. It states that it does not permit avoidable delays and will issue civil court proceedings to pressure a dilatory opponent. Pothole and road or pavement defect claims are flagged as invariably slower.

Issuing proceedings, the firm explains, means sending a claim form to the court and setting a procedural timetable the opponent must follow; a final hearing is possible but rare, and the likelihood of actually attending court is described as low.

Reputation, client comments and campaigning

The firm says it relies on its reputation and on recommendations from clients, and the site reproduces a series of short client comments praising professionalism, regular updates, clear explanations and transparency about the progress of claims. One comment describes repeat instructions to the firm, specifically to Aidan Jones, following cycle accidents.

Alyson France & Co. also declares its support for the Rebuilding Shattered Lives campaign, which the firm describes as working to ensure that the law helping victims of negligence is not eroded. The site presents the case of Victoria as an illustration of why those responsible for causing injuries should provide the financial support needed for recovery, and argues that the civil justice system must be valued and protected with the injured person at its heart.