Delayed flight compensation service shortlisted for legal awards
Bott & Co, one of the largest personal injury specialists in the UK, diversified in the wake of a number of industry reforms in 2013 and established a new flight compensation service, becoming the first law firm in the country to specialise in delayed flight compensation claims.
The Modern Law awards is one of the most prestigious events on the legal calendar with the ceremony on 25th September held at the Dorchester Hotel in London. The shortlisting panel have recognised the innovation and endeavour of Bott & Co in raising awareness and assisting air passengers in recovering compensation for delayed and cancelled flights.
The service was launched in February 2013 following a ruling by the European Court of Justice in October 2012 to pave the way for hundreds of thousands of claimants for delayed and cancelled flights within the past six years under EU Regulation 261.
Bott & Co moved quickly to train their legal staff on the legislation and created a new team to make sure people could receive the compensation they were entitled to from the airlines without having to manage the legal work including issuing proceedings if the cases get that far.
The firm has been shortlisted in each of the five categories it was entered: Innovation of the Year; Team of the Year; Rising Star of the Year; Alternative Business Structure (100 employees); and Compliance Officer Legal Practice (COLP) of the Year.
Paul Hinchliffe, managing partner at the firm said: “Considering the tremendous effort it took to move from concept to launch in just four months, including the integration of IT systems across two countries, being shortlisted for these awards is a much welcomed recognition of our incredible team here and the service they are providing for passengers unable to recover their rightful compensation from airlines.
“We encourage passengers to try and make a claim on their own, and we even provide a free bespoke claim letter for each client but in our experience the vast majority of passenger don’t get a successful response from the airlines. Our staff have been highly trained in litigating on these claims and dealing with complex technical defences used by airlines. As the leading UK law firm for flight compensation we’re in the perfect position to help delayed passengers receive the money they are entitled to.”
Regulation 261 entitles passengers to claim up to €600 for a flight that is delayed more than three hours after its scheduled arrival time when departing from an EU airport or arriving from outside the EU on an EU carrier. The compensation is paid out based on distance travelled with smaller amounts for shorter distances.
Bott & Co established a partnership with EUclaim, Europe’s leading flight specialists whose extensive databases keep a real time record of delayed flights and makes the claims process quick and easy for affected passengers.
The firm is breaking new ground in the legal industry for this innovative service and has more than 6,000 clients in just six months handling over £2.5m worth of compensation.
