Carol Hopwood, APIL

Carpenters Group’s Head of Serious and Catastrophic Injury, Carol Hopwood, discusses the challenges and experiences within the injury sector, and her collaboration with APIL. Carol Hopwood

QSince being appointed Head of Serious and Catastrophic Injury at Carpenters Group in 2018, how has the company grown, and what do you feel you have brought to the table?

AI am fortunate to have joined such an established and experienced team of lawyers and assistants. In the last 12 months we have grown in head count, introduced new processes that have improved our ability to accurately forecast and deliver results. We have introduced sub specialities within the team to ensure that the right people are dealing with the right cases, and there is a continued focus on how we can continually improve. As well as technical expertise, we understand the importance of a positive client experience and the five-star reviews that the team consistently receive are testament to our focus on the client. Training and development are also key, and we take a proactive approach to succession planning, encouraging the younger members of the team to embrace the opportunities for progression that they have here.

QIt takes a certain kind of passion and commitment to accumulate the wealth of experience and in-depth knowledge of Serious and Catastrophic Injuries that you have amassed over your career, what has driven your dedication?

AIt’s simple. I love what I do and so dedication naturally flows from that. I take great satisfaction from knowing that our legal expertise can help achieve the best results for our clients. We support our clients and their families through the most difficult of times. It is challenging on many levels, but we are driven to achieve the best possible outcomes. Being part of a process with the ultimate objective of assisting an injured client with their journey to being the best that they can be post-accident, and knowing that they are being properly compensated for their losses as far as money can, is what drives all of us in the team. During my career I have been fortunate enough to have guidance and support from some of the best legal brains in the sector and I see it very much as part of my role to ensure that we are cascading that knowledge and experience to the next generation of lawyers.

QWhat are your key challenges in strengthening the Carpenters Group name in 2020?

AWe work in a highly competitive area of law and are aware that our results and service levels are critical, and so that has been our priority. We have historically chosen not to advertise or use social media as a platform to broadcast our achievements, preferring instead to channel our efforts into assisting organisations and charities that are directly aligned with the serious injury work that we do. We will be building further on this in 2020.

QWhat are the main benefits of your collaboration with APIL? A APIL is the voice of its members and is very proactive in fighting against the changes that we believe dilutes or prevents access to justice. My view is that without the work of APIL and other organisations like it, there would have been an even greater erosion of access to justice. The accreditation schemes, training, APIL assistance and expert database are all valuable resources for us.

QAPIL underpins a culture, which believes that injured people can often be the most vulnerable in society and helping them can make a tangible difference to their lives. Do you think that standards in personal injury law and process are being driven up by these criteria? A The vulnerability of injured people at their time of greatest need should not be underestimated. It is very much our responsibility as personal injury lawyers and APIL members to ensure that those vulnerabilities, either pre-existing or accident related, are identified early and that every aspect of the litigation journey considers that vulnerability. A good personal injury lawyer should take a holistic approach to each case ensuring that all needs are identified and a bespoke service provided. We may arrange referral for a benefits check, signpost to a relevant support group or charity or even help to educate friends and family about the

During my career I have been fortunate enough to have guidance and support from some of the best legal brains in the sector and I see it very much as part of my role to ensure that we are cascading that knowledge and experience to the next generation of lawyers

impact that their injuries have had upon them both in the immediate and long-term future. This is particularly the case with brain injuries.

I also believe that the significant change in recent years to a more collaborative and transparent working relationship, between claimant lawyers and defendant insurers/lawyers, has helped to improve both the process and the outcome for our seriously injured clients, particularly with earlier identification and funding of rehabilitation and timely interim payments. Unfortunately, the proposed changes in process for fast track personal injury work will compromise and marginalise some of the most vulnerable in society. I have concerns about how, for example, an elderly injured party will manage to navigate through the Litigant in Person portal or how those without access to the internet or necessary computer skills will manage.

QSince becoming the founding trustee and secretary of Headway Sefton, how has the charity developed and grown?

AOur first drop-in session had only two members but everything must start somewhere. We now consistently have over 40 members at our meetings. It is a true community where people look out for each other. It is so rewarding to see the formation of friendships, a return of confidence and the dissipation of that sense of isolation and despair that people have when they come through our door as they are embraced, quite literally, by members of the branch. Thanks to our amazing bid writer and fundraisers, we are able to offer free events, refreshments, social activities and a three-day break in the Lake District every year. I am very grateful to Carpenters for allowing me the time away from the office to support Headway Sefton and for sponsorship of the branch newsletter.

The vulnerability of injured people at their time of greatest need should not be underestimated

QTreating law as a rewarding vocation and not just a job, is an ethos which is prevalent throughout Carpenters Group, can you give some examples of how this ideology works on a day-to-day basis?

AIt is hard not to feel this way when you understand the difference that you can make to a client’s life. We nurture a culture of doing the right thing, and thinking outside of the box to find innovative solutions for the problems our clients face.

Formal office hours and weekend boundaries do not exist, not because we insist, but because the team understand that our role is to be accessible at our client’s convenience. Seeing clients on bank holidays, evenings or weekends is routine. Our technical director went off shopping for Heinz tomato soup for a braininjured client in hospital who was refusing to eat or engage in rehabilitation until she had it. The soup was duly delivered. We are also keen to ensure that clients who are advised that they do not have a case are not left unsupported. We will research local support groups for signposting, refer them for benefits advice where appropriate and provide other practical advice. Common decency and support for our fellow human beings should not be restricted by the interpretation of the law.

Carol Hopwood is Head of Serious and Catastrophic Injury for Carpenters Group and a Senior Litigator with APIL.