At Burd Ward we specialise in Motorcycle accidents and our experienced Solicitors know all too well the injuries that can be caused to motorcyclists even at very low speed.

Motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable to injuries due to lack of protection that a motorcycle affords when compared to a car. Head injuries can be caused in very low speed accidents and motorcycle helmets offer good protection. It is believed that helmets reduce the risk of fatal head injury by around 50%.

The Failure of car driving motorists to detect and recognise motorcycles in traffic is the predominant cause of motorcycle accidents. So at Burd Ward we provide our Motorcyclists with High Vis jackets, in varying sizes to help with visibility.

If you would like to speak to one of our specialist Solicitors about a Motorcycle accidents then please call Alisha Butler-Ward on 0800 019 0324 or email abw@burdward.co.uk

When we seek medical treatment we all place a lot of trust in the experts we see. However, mistakes can be made by
medical professionals, sometimes with devastating and/or serious consequences. We’ve all heard the horror stories and more recently, with the radical changes and cuts happening in both the NHS and the private sector, medical negligence claims are increasing.

These claims can include Dental claims, Surgical mistakes, the misdiagnosis of a condition, incorrect medications prescribed, claims arising out of problems with pregnancy or childbirth, or cosmetic surgery.

All medical professionals have a duty to treat you to the best of their abilities or to refer you to someone who has the correct expertise. Sadly, some of us do not receive the proper care and treatment we deserve whether this is due to a lack of experience, lack of judgment, incompetence or negligent behaviour on behalf of the professional.

If you have had treatment that has gone wrong it is hard to know who to turn to. These are often very sensitive claims and our expert Solicitors will handle your case in a sympathetic manner, listen carefully to what you want to achieve, and provide you with the best legal advice to meet your needs.

Your claim will be dealt with by Alisha Butler-Ward who has over 20yrs experience in Personal Injury claims including Medical Negligence and Catastrophic Injury claims. Alisha deals with all types of medical negligence, serious or catastrophic injury including recent claims involving Amputation resulting from the failure to treat Diabetic ulcers, gout and other medical diseases. She also deals with claims resulting from problems during pregnancy or childbirth as well as poisoning as a result of prescribed medication.

We will inform you of the process from the outset and take you through the stages of a medical negligence claim.

• We act on a no win, no fee basis.
• We off er a no obligation 30 minute free appointment with a specialist Solicitor
• Your Solicitor will deal with your case from start to finish and you will have a dedicated free phone and mobile number for direct contact with your Solicitor 24/7, 7 days a week – not a call center!

If you or someone you know has suffered from medical negligence then please contact Alisha Butler-Ward on 0800 019 0324 or abw@burdward.co.uk

Client testimonial

Approximately 12 months ago, I contacted Alisha to help me. I was struggling. I was upset because of how poorly I had become.

Through Alisha’s gentleness, understanding and outright empathy, I was able to discuss my requirements and be empowered to stand my ground for my wellness and wellbeing.

In the past 12 months, I have had to talk to Alisha and each time, she has been spectacular. I have struggled at times to keep supporting Alisha in fighting for me and yet she always found a way for me to stay standing and do what was the correct thing for me.

Today, she rang me with a final outcome. Her determination to do the best for me and to make sure that I was empowered to keep going has just been above and beyond.

It will change our life.

We can advise that this issue has now been highlighted again but by the Transport select committee members who have recently accused Minister Robert Goodwill of attempting to protect reputation of VW in light of emissions scandal

Consumer groups and MPs have criticised the government’s response to the VW scandal, as a minister refused to state if the vehicle manufacturer had done anything illegal and whether British drivers should be compensated.

The British Transport Minister has confirmed that Volkswagen have not begun fixing the 1.2 million vehicles affected in Britain despite them alleging that some software modifications had begun. He further advised that VW will have to have the “fix” approved by the Government before they do it.

However, in the US Volkswagen has agreed to offer “substantial compensation” and car buy-back deals as part of a settlement of the diesel emissions scandal to US owners.

The US government have struck a deal with the automaker for them to buy back some of the nearly 600,000 affected diesel cars, they have also reportedly agreed to spend just over $1bn to compensate owners. Details of exactly how much car owners would be offered in compensation were not disclosed, but owners were assured that it would be a “substantial” amount.

This news will not be of any consolation to affected vehicle owners in the UK however, Volkswagen have so far maintained that they do not plan on offering UK owners any compensation of any type. The reasoning being that the fix to VW cars in the UK will have no impact on performance or economy, whereas in the US, the cars need the fix in order to legally pass the more stringent emissions standards applied to all new cars.

As it currently stands all firms of Solicitors who have taken on these claims are waiting for the 1st round of fixes to take place so that it can be established whether or not they will work or if further fixes will be needed.

We, therefore, will be waiting before taking any action, as advised by Legal Counsel.

We would advise you to continue with any loan payments on the vehicles. If you wish to sell the vehicle then you will do so at your own risk but we ask that you please keep the invoice / sales receipt so that we can still make any claim for you once things progress.

Whilst it is not ideal that VW have no taken any action to move things along, we equally must wait for the 1st round of modifications to take place before we know what the real cost of any claim will be.

We will keep you informed.

In the meantime, if you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us.

The “Cow Shed Crew” and will take place at the Shippons Inn, Thingwall Road, Irby, Wirral on the 21st May from 11am onward.

As usual Burd Ward Solicitors will be attending and sponsoring the event. Burd Ward work closely with the biking community and will be giving out High-vis jackets on the day. We will also have Solicitors on hand to give you advice on anything from Personal Injury, Wills, Family issues, conveyancing and much more. Burd Ward will be having a raffle for a magnum of Proseco which will be drawn just after the Best In Show prizes are awarded.

This year we are having four categories of “Best Bike in Show” Classic, Custom, Rat & General. Each category winner will receive a trophy emblazoned with “Shippons Bikers Bikeshow, Best Bike 2016”!The Best Bikes In Show will be judged between 12 noon and 3.30pm, so your bike needs to be at the show by 12 noon to be in with a chance of winning.

It’s an annual event and all the family are welcome. There is no charge for entry or to enter your bike in the show. It’s a “Show Us Yours” bikeshow and we have vintage/classic, custom, rat, restorations and modern rides arriving throughout the day. This is an opportunity for you to bring along and show your bike. Proud of it then bring it!! Show yours, see others and talk bikes.

At the event there will be Police Bikes, Fire Bikes, Bikesafe, RoSPA, Ducati Owners Club, WAM, Blood Bikes, Stalls, Hot Food & a Vintage Steam Train for the kids.

There are some fantastic raffle prizes. This great day out is in aid of a Portable Defibrillator for the village.

This year we have the famous Thwaites Shire Horses and the return of the Mason Brown Connection playing outside in the afternoon along with a Cask Ale, Cider & Sausage festival!

The show has been building year on year and is now a major local attraction especially as there is nothing like it locally. Last year was the best yet with over 80 bikes on display and over 900 bikes arriving through the day from all over the Northwest.

So come along and support a wonderful charity, bring your bike & just maybe you will take home one of the four trophies!

Contact Mike at mikeandbrenda@onetel.com if you need more details etc.

Having a baby should be an exciting and special time for mothers but last year it was reported that 151 mothers and babies died and 351 suffered severe harm, with approximately 340 mistakes being made on NHS maternity wards every day. NHS England figures show that 124,143 safety incidents were reported by NHS maternity wards last year alone. These figures where only based on those incidents that staff reported.

• Errors with forceps
• Epidurals being inserted into the wrong place
• Midwives not monitoring a foetus’ heart beat
• Emergency C-Sections being carried out too late
• Women and babies being harmed due to lack of staff
• Medical records being mixed up
• Drugs being incorrectly administered or drug charts being misinterpreted

Burd Ward handle Medical Negligence cases everyday including those involving pregnancy and child birth. One of our most recent cases involves an undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy which led to our client having to undergo the removal of her fallopian tube and subsequently reduced chances of fertility. Another of our current cases involves the failure to recognise an infection following a C-section which has resulted a significant stomach wound and post-natal depression. But other claims can involve stillbirths or babies born with brain damage as a result of poor care.

Other recently reported Medical Negligence cases by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman include:

• The death of a nine-year-old boy from sepsis could have been avoided if he received the right care and treatment
• A man who became paraplegic after a road traffic accident was wrongly refused IVF treatment by the NHS.
• The next of kin were not informed by a hospital that a patient had died, denying them the chance to go to the funeral, due to a series of errors by the hospital trust and a council.
• Hospital took 72 weeks to arrange hip surgery on straightforward case, leaving patient in unnecessary pain, 17 months after she was first referred by her GP.
• A failure to x-ray a child’s teeth led to root canal treatment.
• A GP practice failed to urgently refer patient to a neurologist leading to a long delay in diagnosing his Motor Neurone Disease.
• A war pensioner had to wait 18 months for travel expenses to be paid by the NHS for trips to have an artificial limb fitted
• Hospital trust incorrectly diagnosed a woman with schizophrenia.
• A dental practice’s failure to diagnose decay in a child’s teeth over a three-year period, resulted in her having four teeth extracted and a crown inserted

As it stands NHS trusts often deny liability until the family is forced to instruct Solicitors to investigate what exactly went wrong, thereby dragging out the complaints by months, even years, while the families continue to grieve and suffer.

If you are being accused of causing a nuisance or have engaged in behaviour which is considered to be anti-social, then it may be claimed that you have breached the terms of your tenancy.

If this is the case then your landlord may seek either an anti-social behaviour injunction or a possession order.

If your landlord takes court action then you have the right to defend yourself. This will involve you providing the court with a full defence explaining the situation.

Burd Ward Solicitors can assist you throughout the process and if necessary represent you at the court. If there is a breach of your tenancy agreement but the court considers that no further breaches will take place, then the court may be willing to order a suspended possession order.

This will allow you to remain in your home so long as you abide by the terms of the order, for example, not to engage in anti- social behaviour.

It can be easy to simply ignore all of the letters and court papers coming through your door, however this will only make the situation worse.

Burd Ward is one of the very few local legal firms that deal with housing matters and claims for possession or warrants of eviction.

Burd Ward has the benefit of the legal aid franchise and act as duty solicitor at Birkenhead County Court.

Burd Ward’s expert solicitor Paula Suckley (pictured) specialises in housing law and has more than 20 years of experience in dealing with housing issues. She said: “It is in our experience that the earlier you seek advice then the more chance you have of obtaining a positive result.”

Paula would be happy to advise and assist you to keep your home. Don’t bury your head in the sand, let Paula help save your home. Our offices are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, further appointments on Thursdays to 6.30pm. Contact Paula Suckley by emailing ps@burdward.co.uk or phone 0151 639 8273.

According to a press release issued on the website of the National Housing Association on 26th January 2016 older people, disabled people and the most vulnerable could be left in a position of being unable to pay their rent due to planned changes for housing benefit, which were confirmed by the Chancellor in November 2015.

The changes could result in many schemes such as women’s refuges, specialist dementia accommodation and veterans’ services being closed. The National Housing Federation, in conjunction with Age UK, Mencap and Women’s Aid have called upon the Government to confirm that the new benefit cap will only apply to people that do not need the extra support.

More than 50,000 households could be affected over the course of just one year, losing an average of £68.00 per week each.

Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Women’s Aid said

“Women’s Aid has been working alongside the Government to ensure the national network of specialist women’s domestic abuse refuges is on a financially sustainable footing, so that the women and children fleeing violence in the home always have somewhere safe to go. An estimated 12,000 women will stay in refuge every year, more often that not, with their children. Uncertainty about the future of housing benefit payments is already directly impacting on services, plans for the future and a risk to the future of refuge provision is a risk to women and children’s lives. We are urging Government to make clear their intentions to exempt domestic violence refuges from these regulations as a matter of urgency.”

Phillip Coburn, Director with Burd Ward Solicitors comments

“The courts are already clogged up with possession claims and evictions involving Social Landlords and Social Tenants, many of which are due to previous Government reforms on housing benefit culminating in under occupancy charges (“the bedroom tax”) being applied. Many social tenants, vulnerable or not, are unable to meet the shortfall. The new changes will only serve to increase the strain on the courts and the Legal Aid system which is currently in place to help with the funding of such hearings. It seems likely that the changes will result in less income for Social Landlords, more court proceedings being issued and more reliance upon the Legal Aid Agency for payment to assist with the court hearings. It would, in my opinion, appear to be self defeating.”

The breakdown of a relationship is always difficult. With the mixture of emotions it often makes it hard to have constructive discussions with your former partner about the things that matter most, such as arrangements for your children or the family finances.

Many people look to legal advice at this time to steer them in the right direction, but there is another way. Many of us find it difficult to discuss emotive issues such as arrangements for our children or financial concerns.

Family mediation is a positive way to resolve issues arising from relationship breakdown by utilising the skills of a trained third party to help guide you through.

The mediator is there to offer help to both people equally by helping to guide you through those tricky
discussions without taking sides.

Victoria Syvret (pictured) is a resolution trained mediator who is specially accredited by the Family
Mediation Council and offers her mediation services at Burd Ward Solicitors.

She said: “I am passionate about the benefits of mediation for separating couples. Mediation allows separating couples, whether married or not, to retain control of their own family’s arrangements, providing them with an environment where they can discuss the issues relevant to them freely.

“As a family lawyer as well as a mediator I can draw on my experience in family law matters to help steer them through those tricky discussions and offer them options they may not have thought about to work through their ideas for a solution.”

Family mediation is a positive way to resolve issues arising from relationship breakdown. The kind of issues you might need to discuss includes:

• Looking after your children
• What will happen to your home
• Sharing your money and other assets
• Financial support

The mediator does not make any decisions for you, but works along with you both to tackle the issues closest to your heart in a constructive and timely manner.

Mediation is one of the few areas in which legal aid is still available. If one party is eligible for legal aid the other will also receive their initial appointment and first joint meeting for free.

For more information about mediation at Burd Ward, please contact Victoria Syvret today on 0151 639 8273 or vs@burdward.co.uk

UK Car Discount’s website has reported that the recently disgraced VW group has admitted to manipulating Co2 and Mpg figures in over 800,000 cars. The most recent update came just a short while ago when they announced that 430,000 2016 model year VW cars have been affected. This is worrying to those who have recently bought or are waiting for the latest model, though no more cars leaving the factory will have these problems or manipulations – you should check out the list at to see if your car is affected.

The VW Group has released details of multiple online portals that will tell you whether your car is affected and detail the severity of the problem. These online portals are expected to be open for customers in the next few days.

If you are still considering whether or not you should make a claim then please get in touch for no obligation free advice.

Volkswagen have stated that only a small group of employees was responsible for cheating U.S. diesel emissions tests and there was no indication board members were involved. Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch said investigations into the affair were going well, but the scandal was the result of a “chain of errors” and it would still take months to say which individuals were to blame. Analysts have said VW could have to pay out tens of billions of euros to cover regulatory fines, lawsuits and vehicle refits.

VW’s Matthias Muller has advised AutoExpress that it wont just be US vehicle owners who will be receiving compensation from VW, stating “Our customers are our focus and we take care of all our customers…We’re working on an effective package for all our customers.” Muller also confirmed the VW will be compensating customers for a drop in resale value as a result of the scandal. VW has also confirmed that if there are any tax implications as a result of the remidal work to vehicles, it will undertake to make any back payments.

The Guardian Reported that “The company will start to repair cars fitted with a defeat device next month. The recall of vehicles with 2-litre engines will begin in January, with 1.2-litre vehicles in the second quarter of 2016 and 1.6-litre vehicles in the third quarter. Vehicles with 1.6-litre engines will require a new flow transformer device, part of the air intake system, to be fitted alongside new software”

If you wish to make a claim then please call our free phone number 0800 0190324 or complete our questionnaire.