A Huddersfield law firm committed to investing in homegrown talent has already taken on 10 local graduates and apprentices in less than two years of trading.
First4InjuryClaims, which deals solely with road traffic accident (RTA) cases, has gone from strength to strength since its launch and to date has recovered more than £3 million in compensation for claimants.
As its caseload has grown, the business has expanded its dedicated team which handles cases right from the initial enquiry through to settlement.
The new hires include nine graduates who are either from Huddersfield or have studied at the town’s university. Three members of the team have also progressed their career through internal promotion, taking on additional responsibilities.
Andrew Wild (above), head of legal at First4InjuryClaims, says the desire to support local young people dates back to the start of his own legal career.
“I started a business degree but soon realised it wasn’t for me and quit after two weeks,” he said. “Instead, I sent my CV off to a number of law firms, one of which decided to take a chance on me and gave me a job for a year.
“I went back to university to do law but ended up working there in the summer, training and qualifying and progressing right through to being an associate.
“I was given that opportunity and so I’ve always been very passionate about doing the same, giving someone those first steps in their legal career.”
First4InjuryClaims was set up in 2021 to deal with the RTA enquiries that continued to come through the First4Lawyers group, despite it ceasing marketing activity in that area following reforms over whiplash claims.
The firm handles all RTA work and, for lower value claims, currently boasts settlement times of around 100 days faster on average than the typical 250-day wait that those using the Government’s Official Injury Claim portal (OIC) face.
Andrew added: “I think being a new firm really helped us succeed in that we didn’t have to unpick any old systems and processes but could instead build new ones that worked with those of the OIC.
“It’s an interesting time for people to join in terms of learning how a successful RTA practice works post-reform and we’re proud to support the next generation entering the profession.”
