If you or a loved one has Legionnaires’ disease, we’re here to help. We’ll work to make sure those responsible are held to account. Similarly, we’re here to help you if your loved one has passed away due to Legionnaires’ disease.
When you contact us, you'll speak to one of our friendly team members, who will talk to you about your illness. This initial consultation is free and from there, we'll tell you the best way to take your claim forward.
Our experts will investigate your case in detail, gathering evidence and enquiring to see if anyone else has been affected. We'll use medical professionals to find out how your illness impacted your health. They'll then recommend the care you'll need in the future to make the best recovery possible.
When you contact us, you'll speak to one of our friendly team members, who will talk to you about your illness. This initial consultation is free and from there, we'll advise you on the best way to take your claim forward.
1. Contacting Those Responsible For Your Illness
We'll help you work out who is responsible for your illness and get in touch with them at an early stage to see if they accept the blame for what happened. If they accept responsibility, we'll try to secure some of your compensation up-front, which can fund private medical care and expenses while your claim is ongoing. These payments are known as interim payments and will be taken out of your final compensation award.
2. Gathering Evidence
Our experts will look into your case in detail, gathering evidence and enquiring to see if anyone else has been affected. We'll employ medical professionals to find out how your illness impacted your health and recommend the care you'll need in the future to make the best recovery possible.
3. Final Settlement & Compensation Awarded
We'll always try and negotiate claims out of court, keeping the claim process as short as we can. However, if the other side doesn't accept responsibility or doesn't agree with the amount of compensation we feel you need, we'll start court proceedings.
Even when trial dates have been set, claims are still often settled before reaching court. If your claim needs to be decided at court, we'll be there to help you every step of the way, talking you through what will happen, so you feel as comfortable as possible.
Read more about what happens if your case goes to court.
Every case is different, so there's no set amount of compensation you'll receive. The amount of compensation you'll get will depend on your circumstances. This includes the severity of your illness and your chances of making a full recovery.
If you’re claiming after a loved one has passed away due to Legionnaires’ disease this will also be considered when making a compensation claim.
Even if your accident or illness occurred abroad, you can often make a claim here in the UK, though this will vary depending on your circumstances. For example, if you suffered an accident or illness while staying in a hotel as part of a package holiday, you should be able to make a claim against the tour operator here in the UK.
You can also usually claim in the UK if you’re claiming against an individual insurer or employer that is based in the UK, or a business or insurer based in the EU. The law around compensation is different in each country, so we will consider where it would be best to make your claim in order to get the best possible result for you.
If you do have to make a claim abroad, there’s nothing to worry about as we have years of experience in helping clients to claim in more than 80 countries around the world. We work with an international network of law firms to represent and support our clients and their families when they need to claim, no matter which country the accident or illness occurred in. Most claims are settled out of court, so it’s unlikely that you will need to travel abroad for a court case. If this is necessary in your case, we will support you every step of the way.
If you have any questions or concerns about making a claim abroad, contact us on 0800 056 4110 for a free consultation. We'll be able to advise you on your options, and talk you through the process.
You normally have to make a personal injury claim within three years of your illness so you should contact us as soon as possible.
Getting in touch with us shortly after your illness makes collecting evidence easier and helps get you the compensation you need as soon as possible. It can also help us find other people who may have contracted Legionnaires' disease from the same place and file a stronger group claim.
There are some exceptions to the three-year time limit, including:
• Claims on behalf of children - these can be made at any point before their 18th birthday. When the child reaches 18, they can make their own claim at any stage up until they turn 21.
• Mental capacity - there are no time limits to make a claim on behalf of someone who doesn't have the ability to handle their own case.
• Fatal claims - fatal cases of Legionnaires' disease can happen to people with underlying illnesses, people with weakened immune systems, with existing respiratory conditions and other vulnerable individuals. To make a claim on behalf of your loved one, you'll have three years from the date they died to make a claim. If a post-mortem found that the death was caused by the Legionnaires' disease, you have three years from the point where you discovered these findings.
• International claims - Most of the international personal injury claims we handle are made in England & Wales. But in some cases it may be beneficial to make your claim abroad, the time limits affecting your claim may therefore be different. Contact us as soon as possible and we can talk you through the time limits for your case. For more information, please see our accidents and illness abroad section.
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.
At the start of your case, we'll discuss funding options with you, advising you which we think is most suitable. If you have legal expenses insurance (LEI) or are covered by a trade union policy, these may be better options to fund your claim. Legal expenses insurance is included in many household insurance policies, so it's always worth checking whether you're already covered.
If we think you're best supported by a No Win No Fee agreement, we'll explain the process clearly. This involves setting up an insurance policy that will protect you, at no cost to you. You'll only have to pay anything when your claim is successful - your opponent will pay most of our fees.
Please visit our No Win No Fee page for more information on how it works.
Our personal injury experts are based across the country so are never too far away from you. We'll always take the time to get to know you and will make sure we understand what happened to you and the effect the illness has had on your life.
We aren’t just here to help you get compensation for your illness. We’re here for you and your family. Our dedicated Support and Rehabilitation team will be with you every step of the way. Their role is to make sure you’ve got access to health care professionals that will aid your recovery or adapt to any life changes.
The team can help you to make sense of the various support services, such as the benefits system or how the NHS can help you. They’ll explain how they work, and how they can benefit you.
Your lawyer will run your case as efficiently as possible and will start investigating your claim as soon as possible. We always provide clear advice on what's happening and can advise you on a number of issues including financial planning and state benefit entitlement.
Our lawyers are highly ranked in leading legal guides the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners.
The Legal 500, 2024 described us as "The travel team at Irwin Mitchell is a market leader on a national scale"
Chambers & Partners (2024) said: “The team have great skill in terms of handling very complex jurisdictional issues in claims with a foreign element."
We're also proud to have won the Claimant Solicitor of the Year prize at the Rehabilitation First Awards on seven different occasions. This award recognises our key focus on rehabilitation, making sure that our clients can access the care and support they need.
