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Physical & Sexual Abuse Claims

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Services in: Physical & Sexual Abuse Claims

If you've experienced physical or sexual abuse, it may feel like there's no one you can turn to. But there are support systems in place for abuse survivors, and our solicitors may be able to help you claim compensation from those responsible.

We understand that sexual abuse cases require specialist knowledge, experience, and sensitivity. Our specialist team of criminal injury and abuse lawyers has acted for hundreds of abuse survivors over the past two decades. Contact our team today to see if you can make a claim.

Who can Irwin Mitchell help with abuse claims?

We've helped people claim for abuse that occurred in several circumstances, and we’ve extensive experience with child abuse cases. Claims could be made against: 

  • The individual who committed the abuse
  • An organisation responsible for that person, usually an employer
  • An organisation that should’ve taken steps to prevent abuse, but failed, such as social services
  • Historical abuse claims.

Whoever your claim is against, we'll work closely with you, in total confidentiality, throughout your case. Our solicitors have dedicated their careers to helping survivors of sexual and physical abuse, and we can help you too.

Even if the sexual abuse happened many years ago, you may still be able to claim for historical abuse cases. We've helped several of our clients claim for non-recent sexual abuse that happened decades ago.

Why choose Irwin Mitchell’s physical and sexual abuse solicitors?

Experiencing any kind of physical or sexual abuse can be traumatic. It helps to have the experts on your side, to help you seek justice from an abuser, or an organisation that allowed abuse to happen. Remember that you're not alone – we're here to help.

Our personal injury team is the largest in the UK, with specialists in physical and sexual abuse and a dedicated abuse department. We've been active in developing laws around abuse over the last two decades, including being the first firm to recover over £1 million for a family subjected to severe abuse and neglect during childhood.

The team includes panel members with the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL), as well as a Fellow and Senior Litigators with the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL). We regularly provide training to external organisations too.

Our work has seen us involved with a many kinds of abuse claims, both large and small. We helped an RAF cadet claim £1.2 million for the abuse they experienced.

We understand that physical and sexual abuse survivors might want to keep their claim confidential. Our UK-wide offices have private meeting areas where you can discuss your claim. We can also arrange phone or video calls or meet you at an appropriate location.

Our Support and Rehabilitation Coordinators can work with you from the beginning of your case if needed. They’ll help us understand what support you need, and how best to help you access it.

We also work with several organisations that offer extensive support to survivors of abuse. Our approach to our clients' rehabilitation is extremely well respected in the industry.

Legal aid may be available in some cases
Offices across the UK
Accredited with the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers
Experienced physical and sexual abuse solicitors

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Tom Fletcher
Tom Fletcher Partner - Head of Abuse Meet The Team

Physical & Sexual Abuse Claims - More Information

You generally have three years from the date the abuse occurred to make a claim.

You’ll have until your 21st birthday if you were under 18 at the time, but there is often a case to be made for pursuing compensation after this date.

If you’re claiming on behalf of someone who lacks the mental capacity to make their own claim, there are no time limits to consider.

The courts can waive these time limits if there’s a reason why the survivor didn’t come forward within the time limit. This is done on a case-by-case basis, but we’ve experience helping clients get the time limits waived.

If you're a survivor of physical or sexual abuse, then you could claim compensation from those responsible.

If you're the parent or guardian of a child who’s been abused, then you could make a claim on their behalf. Find out more about making a child abuse compensation claim.

You could also make a claim on behalf of a parent or older relative in cases of elder abuse.

You can also claim on behalf of a loved one who has died because of abuse, or who lacks the mental capacity to make their own legal decisions.

As technology has developed, the type of abuse claims we've handled has grown to include the use of online messaging services and explicit pornographic imagery, and we take these cases just as seriously as any other.

It doesn't matter who the abuser was – if someone has taken advantage of their position of trust or authority, or if an organisation responsible for your safety has failed to adequately provide protection, then a claim could be made.

For example, it might not seem like it's possible to claim when abuse was from a family member. However, we may be able to prove that a local authority or social services failed to recognise that abuse was being committed and didn't do enough to protect you.

How much compensation you receive for an abuse claim depends on several factors that vary from case to case. The things we’ll consider when it comes to your compensation, include:

  • The type of abuse experienced
  • The extent of the abuse, and how long it's gone on for
  • Physical injuries experienced as a result, and any treatment needed both now and in the future
  • Psychological trauma, and any therapy or counselling needed both now and in the future
  • The extent the abuse has had an impact on your education
  • Impacts on your ability to find work because of abuse.

The compensation you receive may also depend on who the claim is being made against.

We'll investigate and advise on whether it's possible to make a claim against:

  • The abuser themselves
  • The organisation the abuser worked for or was associated with
  • An organisation that should’ve done more to protect you from abuse.

If you’ve any questions about compensation, please contact us and we’ll be able to answer your questions.

Tragically, there are many circumstances in which physical and sexual abuse can occur. Abusers and paedophiles often use a position of trust or authority to take advantage of or cause harm to vulnerable people.

We’ve experience helping survivors claim compensation in a wide range of physical and sexual abuse claims, including cases against:

  • Individual abusers, including health professionals and family members
  • Schools
  • The Scouts Association
  • Religious organisations
  • Charitable organisations
  • Youth clubs
  • Sports teams
  • Hospitals or other medical organisations
  • Care and nursing homes
  • Children's homes.

However, making a claim isn't limited to just these examples. If you've experienced physical or sexual abuse of any kind, then you still may be able to claim.

It's not always a case of claiming against the person who committed the abuse, or the organisation they worked for. It could be that we can prove another organisation, such as social services, failed in their duty to protect you from someone else.

If you're not sure if you'll be able to make a claim, or who you'd be claiming against, contact us to discuss your circumstances with one of our solicitors in a free consultation.

Peter

I just felt that they were very competent and that I could trust them, which is very important in a case like this. It’s hard to explain – I have nothing but praise about how we were treated.”

Peter, London

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my abuse claim go to court?

It's perfectly normal to have doubts about making a claim, and some of our clients worry about facing a sexual abuser in court. It’s important to note, however,  that most cases don’t end up in Court, and so whilst this is of course a worry, the overwhelming majority of cases resolve before having to give evidence in Court.

We handle every aspect of your case for you, and, in our experience, most sexual abuse claims are settled out of court.

Of course, if you do have to appear in court, we'll be there to represent and support you at every step of the way.

Can I make a no win no fee claim for physical or sexual abuse?

Many of our cases are funded with a no win no fee agreement. This means that there’s no financial risk to you when making a compensation claim.

There are other funding options available for abuse claims. We’ll discuss all funding options with you before we start working on your claim.

Do you handle legal aid cases?

Yes, legal aid may be available for some types of abuse cases.

Legal aid is means-tested. We can help you with the application process for this and, if you do not qualify, we will explore other types of funding such as no win no fee agreements.

If you’d like to discuss whether you can make an abuse claim using legal aid, contact our team.

Read More FAQs

Related Information - Physical & Sexual Abuse Claims

Church Abuse Child Claims - More information about claiming compensation for church child abuse
Personal Injury Trusts - setting up a personal injury trust can protect your means tested benefits after a compensation award
Claims Against Police - What to do if you've been treated unfairly by the police
Criminal Injury Compensation Authority - Find out about how CICA can help you

Scottish Flag All Scottish cases will be handled by the Scottish law firm with which we are associated, Irwin Mitchell Scotland LLP. The law relating to funding is different in Scotland and you will receive separate advice about what that means as well as a separate funding agreement.

 

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We have offices around the UK so wherever you are, our experts can help.

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