Hilary Meredith Solicitors says injured armed forces personnel and the families of those killed in combat should have access to Independent Evaluation (IE) in order to resolve any legal claims. The Government has confirmed its response to the Better combat compensation consultation will be published in February 2018. It is planning to channel complaints from…
The Government has confirmed its response to the Better combat compensation consultation will be published in February 2018. Under the proposals, combat immunity – which provides an exemption from legal liability for members of the armed forces and the government – would apply to all accidents and fatalities within the armed forces, so the MoD…
Hilary Meredith has welcomed a Commons Defence Committee report recommending that the Government enact a statute of limitations “covering all Troubles-related incidents, up to the signing of the 1998 Belfast Agreement, which involved former members of the Armed Forces”, alongside a truth recovery mechanism that would provide “the best possible prospect of bereaved families finding…
Hilary Meredith Solicitors has now been approached by over 3000 serving army personnel and veterans who were prescribed controversial anti-malaria drug Lariam and suffered mental health issues and neuropsychiatric side-effects as a result. Having been developed in the US following the Vietnam War, Lariam was made available in the UK in 1989 and was quickly…
Award-winning solicitor Hilary Meredith is calling for a Parliamentary Inquiry into the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) failure to properly advise our armed forces on how to capture and detain prisoners before the 2003 invasion of Iraq. “The terrible circumstances of the Baha Mousa case, when an Iraqi man died while in British Army custody in…
Hilary Meredith has hit out at plans for the International Criminal Court to pursue UK military personnel for war crimes in Iraq. The chief prosecutor at the international criminal court in The Hague, Fatou Bensouda, has declared there is a “reasonable basis” to believe that UK soldiers committed war crimes against detainees during the Iraq…
Hilary Meredith, Chair of Hilary Meredith Solicitors, last night collected the Outstanding Achievement of The Year Award at the Personal Injury Awards 2017. Over the last twelve months, Hilary has secured major, life-saving policy changes from the UK government in a substantial but often misunderstood area of personal injury – service personnel and veterans battling…
Hilary Meredith Solicitors are proud headline sponsors of The Brain Charity’s Annual Liverpool Snow Ball. This year’s event will be held on Friday 8th December from 7pm till late. Tickets are just £55 per person which includes drinks reception, a superb seasonal three-course menu, spectacular live entertainment, lots of fun & games, and dancing till…
Two men have been charged with negligence following the deaths of three soldiers during an SAS selection march in the Brecon Beacons. L/Cpl Edward Maher, L/Cpl Craig Roberts and Cpl James Dunsby were taking part in a 16-mile recruitment exercise on the hottest day of 2013. A coroner ruled they died from neglect. The Service…
Hilary Meredith Solicitors has continued its expansion by welcoming Dianne Yates as a partner. Dianne joins from Birchall Blackburn where she headed up the catastrophic injury team. With over 25 years’ experience as a personal injury solicitor, Dianne specialises in catastrophic injury, predominantly brain injury, spinal injury, polytrauma and amputation. She also has specialist knowledge…
Hilary Meredith Solicitors has backed calls for tougher sentences for those who drive irresponsibly and devastate lives – including the introduction of a new offence of causing serious injury by careless driving, punishable by imprisonment. The firm is currently acting for Georgia Addy who suffered severe head injuries when she was struck by a car…
After becoming a Freeman of the City of London earlier this year, Hilary Meredith, Chair of Hilary Meredith Solicitors Ltd, took part in the great annual Sheep drive over London Bridge this weekend. The event, which raised thousands for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal, was launched by television chef Mary Berry. The Freedom of the City…
Plans to remove army service personnel’s right to pursue cases through the court are still alive, the government has confirmed. The plans, which effectively extend the principle of combat immunity and prevent claims coming before the court, were unveiled last December but a response to the MoD consultation has yet to materialise. There had been…
In July 2005, Pte Phillip Hewett, was killed by a roadside bomb while travelling in a lightly armoured “snatch” Land Rover in Iraq. He was the ninth of 37 service personnel to be killed in the vehicles in Iraq and Afghanistan, which came to be known as “mobile coffins”. Twelve years later, following a legal…
A paratrooper injured during a tour of Afghanistan more than a decade ago has been forced to seek legal advice over his aftercare needs. Lance bombardier Ben Parkinson suffered a severe brain injury and lost both his legs after a Land Rover he was travelling in was struck by an anti-tank mine in the North…
The House of Commons has today debated Government proposals for better combat compensation. Under the proposals, combat immunity – which provides an exemption from legal liability for members of the armed forces and the government – would apply to all claims brought by those in combat, even when failings occurred far from the battlefield. An…
Hilary Meredith, Chair of Hilary Meredith Solicitors, has been appointed as Visiting Professor of Law and Veterans’ Affairs by the University of Chester. The University of Chester, founded in 1893, is one of the oldest higher education institutions in the country. In her role as Visiting Professor, Hilary will primarily support the outputs of the…
The Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT) officially closes today, 30 June 2017. This follows the decision in February to bring IHAT to an end by the summer, enabled by the striking off of Mr Phil Shiner. The remaining cases, expected to number around 20, will now be dealt with by the Service Police – a…
Hundreds of armed forces service personnel are leaving their death in service benefits to the wrong person, it has emerged. Hilary Meredith Solicitors has been made aware of a situation where a serviceman was asked to nominate someone to receive his death in service benefit relating to his armed forces pension lump sum some years…
The Medical Protection Society issued its report on Friday – The Rising Costs of Clinical Negligence: Who pays the Price? The report states that there should be reasonable compensation for those harmed due to clinical negligence, but that this must be balanced against society’s ability to pay. The report goes on to state that NHS…