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Professional negligence happens when a trusted expert — like a solicitor, accountant, or architect — fails to meet the expected standards of their profession, causing you financial loss. Whether you’re an individual or a business, if a professional’s careless mistake has cost you money, you may be entitled to compensation.
At various times, people rely on professionals such as Solicitors, Accountants, Financial Advisers, Architects, Surveyors, Insurance Brokers, and Insolvency Practitioners. These services are often high-value and high-stakes — so when things go wrong, the consequences can be serious. Unlike faulty goods, professional negligence isn’t always visible, but the financial impact can be significant.
Professionals are required by law or regulation to carry indemnity insurance, which exists to protect clients when negligent advice or actions lead to financial harm.
We act for individuals, investors, businesses and property buyers across a wide range of negligence claims.
We’ve dealt with a wide range of claims — particularly involving solicitor negligence in property transactions. For example, we frequently act for clients who, after buying a home, discover it’s affected by a right of way (known as an easement), planning restriction or environmental issues such as outdated septic tank drainage. These issues are often costly to resolve and should have been flagged before purchase.
Other common examples of professional negligence that we experience, include:
We’ll explore these in more detail in the next section: Professional Services We Handle Negligence Claims Against.
To make a successful professional negligence claim, three key legal elements must be present:
Professionals may admit a mistake but deny liability by arguing their error didn’t actually cause a loss — for example, claiming the client would have made the same decision even if properly advised.
Answer a few quick questions and request a free callback. Our team will contact you for a no-obligation chat and explain the next steps.
There are two types of losses you can claim:
Unsure what losses you can recover? Speak to our team today for free advice on your claim.
Strict time limits do apply for bringing professional negligence claims, set down by the Limitation Act 1980. In most cases, you have six years from the date the negligent act occurred to bring a claim. However, if the negligence wasn’t immediately apparent, you may have up to three years from the date you became aware of the issue.
For example, an architect’s planning error might not become obvious until years later — and the law allows for this.
Accountants are trusted to provide accurate financial guidance. Mistakes such as giving incorrect tax advice, submitting faulty returns, or failing to detect financial irregularities can result in penalties or substantial losses. If your accountant’s errors have cost you money, you may be entitled to compensation.
Property transactions rely on thorough legal checks. If your solicitor failed to carry out proper searches, missed restrictions on title, or didn’t disclose key issues before completion, you could be entitled to claim for any resulting financial loss.
If your solicitor failed to advise you on updated septic tank regulations, you may now be facing expensive compliance costs. We specialise in claims where outdated or incorrect advice on drainage systems has left buyers out of pocket.
From missed legal deadlines to poor litigation strategy or incorrect advice, solicitor errors can have serious financial consequences. If your solicitor let you down and caused you loss, we can help you pursue a no win, no fee compensation claim.
Bad financial advice can have a long-lasting impact. If you were mis-sold an investment, advised to transfer a pension unnecessarily, or your risk profile wasn’t considered, you could claim back your losses with our support.
If an insurance broker arranged the wrong cover, failed to explain policy exclusions, or caused your claim to be refused or underpaid, we can help. You may be able to recover your financial losses through a negligence claim.
Whether designing a home extension or a major development, architects must adhere to strict professional standards. If flawed designs, planning oversights, or misjudged specifications have caused construction delays, cost overruns, or long-term property defects, you may have a valid reason to seek compensation.
With over 17 years’ experience in financial and professional negligence law, our expert solicitors specialise in claims just like yours, offering trusted support from start to finish.
We’ve recovered over £150 million in compensation for victims of negligent financial advice, proving our ability to deliver meaningful results.
We succeed in the vast majority of negligence claims we take on, with a 90% success rate, giving you real confidence in a positive outcome.
You only pay if we win your case. Our clear, fixed-percentage fees mean no hidden costs, providing complete peace of mind throughout the process.
We’re fully authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA No. 468940), ensuring your claim is handled with integrity, professionalism, and complete accountability.
You’ll receive clear, jargon-free advice, regular updates, and one dedicated solicitor throughout your case, ensuring continuity, confidentiality, and personalised support every step of the way.
A critical drafting error in Mrs G’s divorce settlement resulted in a loss of expected maintenance payments. We are representing her in a professional negligence claim worth £160,000.
After acting on tax advice from their accountant, Mr and Mrs S unknowingly disqualified themselves from valuable Capital Gains Tax relief. The mistake has led to an ongoing professional negligence claim worth over £60,000.
After purchasing a property, Mr & Mrs K discovered significant structural defects not identified in the surveyor's report. We are representing them in a claim exceeding £100,000.
Pursuing a professional negligence claim shouldn’t create additional financial pressure. Our No Win, No Fee agreement allows you to seek compensation without paying upfront legal fees.
What This Means for You
Professional negligence claims can be complicated, often involving complex legal issues and detailed evidence. Many of these claims can lead to dispute resolution — whether that’s mediation, arbitration (if the professional’s contract allows for it), or court proceedings.
To help reduce the number of cases going to court, the Ministry of Justice introduced a pre-action protocol. This process encourages early and open exchange of information between the parties. The idea is that if both sides understand each other’s position, evidence, and valuation of the claim, it increases the chances of settling early — saving time, legal costs, and court resources.
The letter can also request relevant information or documentation held by the professional. It may include proposals for instructing expert witnesses if specialist evidence is required.
If the claim — or part of it — is accepted, they can make a settlement offer. If it’s denied or no agreement is reached, both parties are expected to attempt some form of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), such as a meeting, mediation, or arbitration, before going to court.
While the protocol isn’t legally mandatory, it is strongly advised. If a case does go to court, judges will usually take a dim view if either party has failed to follow it — especially if it appears the matter could have been resolved earlier.
Courts may impose penalties for non-compliance. For example, even a successful claimant might have their compensation reduced, or a party could be ordered to pay some or all of the other side’s legal costs — regardless of the outcome.
Protect your position and strengthen your case — contact us today for early legal support.
Professional negligence can involve a wide range of advisers and specialists. Whether you received poor financial advice, experienced issues during a property transaction, or relied on incorrect professional guidance, our team can help you identify who is responsible and pursue a claim. Explore our specialist negligence services below:
To succeed in a professional negligence claim, you need to prove three things:
The burden of proof is on the person bringing the claim. You must show on the balance of probabilities (e.g., more likely than not) that the negligence occurred and caused your financial loss.
In most cases, this will involve expert evidence — usually from another professional in the same field. They will review the documents and provide an independent opinion on whether the original professional fell below the expected standard.
If facts are in dispute, both parties may rely on contemporaneous documents and witness statements to support their case. A strong expert report combined with solid factual evidence can often lead to an early settlement without going to court.
There are four main things that need to be in place for a professional negligence claim to succeed. Think of them as questions to ask yourself:
If you’re unsure whether your case meets all four of these, we can talk it through with you. We’ll quickly let you know if it’s something we can help with.
Yes, it can — both for you and the professional you’re claiming against.
Most professionals have indemnity insurance, which means their insurer (not the individual) will usually handle, investigate, and settle any negligence claim.
What many people don’t realise is that their own insurance policies — such as home, car, or life insurance — can sometimes include legal expenses cover. This could help pay for:
If you don’t have legal expenses cover, many solicitors (including us) offer “no win, no fee” agreements to remove the financial risk of pursuing a claim.
So, before starting a claim, it’s worth checking all your existing policies for legal expenses cover — it may already be in place without you realising.
In most cases, you have six years from the date of the negligent act to bring a professional negligence claim.
This is because engaging a professional usually involves a contract — and six years is the standard time limit for breach of contract under the Limitation Act 1980.
However, there’s an exception:
If you only become aware of the negligence and its financial impact later, you may still bring a claim — but you must do so within three years of when you reasonably became aware of the issue.
For example, an architect may have failed to meet planning conditions on development — but you might only find this out years later when trying to sell or develop the property.
Even in these cases, the absolute longstop limit is 15 years, so it’s important to act promptly once the issue is discovered.
The cost will depend on how your case is funded — but in many cases, it’s possible to pursue a claim without paying anything upfront.
The most common option is a “no win, no fee” agreement, where:
Solicitors usually investigate the strength of the claim before offering this — reviewing documents, facts, and possibly even contacting the professional you’re claiming against to request key information.
We offer a free, confidential consultation to help you understand your legal options. Our specialist solicitors handle professional negligence, pension and investment mis-selling, and fraud recovery claims across England and Wales. From day one, we’ll give you clear, practical advice tailored to your situation.
Tim qualified as a solicitor in 1997 and has more than 25 years of experience advising clients on professional negligence, financial mis-selling and complex civil litigation matters. He oversees the firm’s professional negligence cases and advises on case strategy.
Tim has reviewed this page to help ensure the legal information is accurate, up to date and relevant to individuals considering a potential claim.
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You do not need legal representation to make a financial services claim. You can complain yourself at no cost and under FCA rules, the financial services provider must provide a response. If you feel this is unsatisfactory, you can complain to the statutory redress bodies, the FOS and FSCS who can award you compensation. This is a free service.
The information appearing within this website does not constitute legal advice and is provided for general information purposes only. No warranty, whether express or implied, is given in relation to such material, and we do not accept any liability for reliance on it.
Neglect Assist is a trading style of Wixted & Co Solicitors which is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) A copy of the SRA handbook can be obtained from www.sra.org.uk. Wixted & Co Solicitors, 57 Putney Bridge Road, London SW18 1NP.
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