A day of a Legal Assistant in the Industrial Disease Department

I have been working in the Industrial Department team as a legal assistant for nearly a year here at Oakwood Solicitors.

I would usually start my day by looking at my to do list that I have prepared the day before. I organise by way of priority, which tasks I have by those that are urgent and non-urgent.

I would then check my task list on Proclaim and my emails to see if there are any new tasks for the day that I would need to add to my list depending on how urgent they are. By doing this first thing on a morning, I feel more organised and prepared for the day ahead.

9:30 am is my usual cue for coffee!

I usually start my task list with checking my emails. As a legal assistant, I often liaise with different people or clients on behalf of the Fee-earner. This could range from audiologists, GP medical secretary’s, medical experts etc. I ensure that as I am going through my emails that I save these onto each individual file so that I don’t overlook anything.

Next in my task list I would start by contacting HMRC. Every other day I would contact HMRC to obtain an update of a request we have made for the Claimant’s National Insurance Contributions Schedule, or otherwise known as their Employment History Records.

We request these in the early stages of the Claimant’s claim as this would accurately indicate when they worked for the Defendants to their claim. Usually, when we vet potential clients, they are telling their account of their injury from decades ago if not years.

It is often hard for some to pinpoint exactly what year they have started working for the Defendants and also the duration of their employment. These types of requests would usually take several months until they are provided to us because of where the information is stored depending on how far back the Claimant has started working.

Therefore, it is just as important that in meeting limitation deadlines and managing client expectations, that we regularly obtain an update as to when the schedule will be provided to us.

Another task that I would do on a morning is reviewing medical records.  As part of investigating the merits to a claim, it needs to be ensured that there are no entries that may interfere with Limitation and Causation of the injury.

I review records for many types of Industrial Disease Injuries, such as Noise Induced Hearing Loss, Vibration White Finger, Manual Handling, Repetitive Strain Injury.

This would usually be another cue for some sort of caffeinated drink.

After my lunch break, this half of the day is when I usually complete drafting tasks such as general or limitation statements. These would usually take the entire afternoon because it requires reviewing multiple documents in aid of what I am drafting. These include, HMRC employment schedules, medical records, work history documents etc.

I would also sometimes use this half of the afternoon speaking to clients. As I now have my own caseload, this means that I am directly responsible for making sure that I regularly contact my clients. This could be from, discussing their medical records, their employment history, or even just updating them about the progress of their claim.

… Third cue of coffee perhaps?

In between tasks during the day, I would sometimes take enquiries from potential clients. This is when I have a short but thorough discussion with the client about their injury. This vetting process with the client is to ensure that they have substantial merits to their industrial disease claim.

This includes, making sure that their claim is not Statute Barred but also establishing on the onset, if there is any breach. These are the important limbs of making a claim against your employers for any Personal Injury/ Industrial Disease claim.

Working in the Industrial Disease department, no day is ever the same. My day will always be a mixture of supporting my team whilst managing my own caseload. But these are all transferable skills that would support me in my legal career – All whilst working in a fun and supportive team too!

WHAT TO DO NEXT

Get in touch today for a no-obligation consultation. Choose one of the methods on the right-hand side of this page, or call us on 0113 200 9720 to find out how we can help you.