“We’re getting married!” sings the gleeful invitation. Oh good, you think. Also falling out of the envelope are a photocopied map to the church and a strange, unassuming little list of things. Have they accidentally sent you their shopping list? And why does it have bells and cupids on it? It’s a wedding list, of course - an insight into the married couple’s, needs, tastes and socioeconomic aspirations. You imagine their kitchen with little gaps on the worktops where toasters, toast racks and wrought iron toast scraping units should sit; the bed bereft of sheets and pillow slips; the bedside cabinet without a … what?

Yet the moment you have the wedding gift list in your hands, you instinctively know it’s a double-edged sword.

On the one hand, it makes the task of choosing a wedding present simplicity itself. You know it will be wanted and appreciated, and nowadays you don’t always have to physically leave home to buy it.

But on the other hand, it agitates something of a hornets nest inside you. Some couples get a tiny bit too greedy, and this makes guests resentful. There are certain weddings to which you’re pretty certain you’d remain uninvited were it not for the wedding list. And finally, it can look like a statement by the couple that you have no taste, you shouldn’t even try to dream up something nice and that you will be instructed what to buy and from which shop.

No wonder so many couples are choosing a middle way. Recently a little note has appeared on some invitations saying “wedding presents are not expected; your presence is enough” or “Please bring no wedding gifts. Donations to Adopt a Celebrity will be accepted.”

Okay, now we have a triple-edged sword situation.

What on earth would you get someone like this? Of course, it will depend on how well you know the couple. If you’ve had a snoop around their house, you might have noticed a few gaps that need filling.

Or they might have mentioned in passing how much better their life would be if they had a couple of personalised wine glasses or a set of his ‘n’ hers eye masks for the night after the wedding night. If you’ve been paying attention to such shameless hints you might already have made a mental note to visit gettingpersonal.co.uk to set about satisfying their matrimonial urges.

And before you get the wrong idea, Getting Personal is a web-based treasury of gift delights with page after page of unique gifts, ranging from the romantic to the hair-raising, with plenty of laughs along the way. In essence, there are endless opportunities to find a gift that could have been made just for them.

The site is categorised into occasions and themes which are then divided up so you can zero in on a specific event on the calendar (and yes, they do calendars, too). Navigate through “Occasions” to “wedding gifts” and all of a sudden you’ll be spoiled for choice. In fact, one look at this page and you might just pop the question to your nearest and dearest just in case someone buys you a champagne balloon flight (and no doubt you’ll find a subtle way to suggest you need one).

Perhaps the ultimate recognition of their eternal togetherness would be to have a star or two named after the couple. On moonless, romantic night walks, they might well pause to focus on the heavenly body that’s beaming its love rays into their dewy eyes …

Or perhaps something a little tongue-in-cheek, like a humorous book or personalised doormat, is more to their taste. There are also dozens of wedding day keepsakes on which their married names can be printed, engraved or otherwise immortalised. And there are the wedding gifts that simply tell the couple that you appreciate them, care about them and instinctively know that it will mean something.

For further information regarding our range of wedding gifts please visit our website.

The prospect of taking your employer to court can be daunting, but it is important to know that the law is there to protect you. Even in the event of court proceedings, it is illegal for any employer to dismiss or discriminate against any employee. Your employer also has to leave your job open to you until after you recover. Any infringements of this employment law can result in prosecution, so you don?t need to worry about any ‘repercussions’ when going about making a legitimate claim for the compensation and loss of earnings that you deserve.

Employers are covered by Employer’s Liability Insurance, which covers the cost of any accident at work. So any accidents that occur in the workplace are already covered, this means that you will not be claiming money direct from the employer, so your claim will not damage the company no matter how small they are.

The most common types of accident at work fall into the category of ‘personal injury’, which includes trips, falls, insufficient training and faulty equipment. Industrial accidents and work related diseases are also covered by the term personal injury; though happen less often as a result of the 1974 Safety at Work directive.

There are many solicitors and specialist claims companies available to deal with personal injury claims, some specialise in certain types of injury e.g. work-related injuries. It is important to research which personal injury speciality your chosen solicitor has and to find out in advance whether they have a no win no fee policy. You can easily find a specialist claims company online who will be able to deal with your circumstances.

One of the most important factors in a personal injury case relating to the workplace is being able to prove that someone else was responsible for your safety at the time of the accident or that the accident was not your fault.

Employers are liable for prosecution in negligence under common law duty and under Health and Safety regulations. If you can prove that either of these laws has been broken, you will have a very strong case for a personal injury claim.

Your solicitor or claims advisor will go through the evidence with you and should tell you very quickly whether your case is sufficient to bring to court.

1stclaims.co.uk is run by a non-practising Personal Injury Solicitor with over 14 years personal injury claims experience. We use this first hand knowledge of the Personal Injury Claim system to hand select the very best personal injury solicitors for you. We want you to be handled professionally and to receive the best possible service.

For further information regarding accident at work claims please visit our website.

If you have been involved in such an accident you may wish to make a claim against the other driver. If you decided to pursue a claim it is advisable to check that you have enough evidence to bring about a viable case. Some of the things taken into account by the insurers or solicitors are the following:

If these procedures have been followed at the time of the accident and you feel you have a case to bring against the other driver you will be better placed to get compensation.

You can then go about finding a solicitor or specialist claims company to see whether you have a viable personal injury claim (such as a whiplash claim).

There are many companies available on the Internet and most offer a no-win-no-fee basis for each case - often such a specialist will have a great deal of experience with the legal requirements of such a case and offer specialist advice as to the evidence required and likelihood of success. Because of their experience, a specialist claims company will very often stand a higher chance of success than pursuing a claim yourself. 1stclaims have specialist solicitors across the country ready to help you.

If you have any queries relating to a car accident please visit our wesbite.

For example, if your injury came about as a result of a criminal act, notify the police. Or if your injury was sustained at work report it to your employer straight away. It should be recorded in an accident book; this is your employer’s legal obligation. If any accident is not recorded by your employer or reported to the Health and Safety Executive they can be prosecuted.

If your accident was a road accident, contact your insurance company to register an accident as well as the police at the time of the accident. This will help in the case of whiplash claims if you need to make one later. Whiplash claims often come about after the accident, as whiplash may not appear immediately and can affect the victim for some time after the accident.

In the case of a physical injury such as whiplash, it is important to consult a doctor at the first opportunity in order to get a professional opinion as regards your injury and to have a medical record of the occurrence. This can be especially helpful should the problem worsen over time.

Even though your injury may only be a minor injury, depending on the circumstances, you may still be able to claim a substantial amount of money as compensation. It is always advisable to record the accident with an accountable authority figure as soon as possible.

It is also important to remember that, in order for damages to be sought, an injury need not be physical. Any case that involves emotional distress can also entitle you to compensation. Cases of abuse at work whether mental or physical, are taken extremely seriously by the courts and will be treated with the sensitivity that such instances deserve.

For all of the above instances, a solicitor should be consulted to verify whether your case is eligible for compensation. Most personal injury solicitors work on a no win no fee basis and should be able to tell you at your first meeting whether you should follow a claim through. There are also many specialist claims companies that are easy to find online.

You can get in touch with your local citizens advice bureau for further information or advice. They will also be able to recommend a local solicitor that can help deal with your case. This service is confidential and is also available over email should your injury prevent you from going to your local centre for a consultation.

If you have any queries relating to personal injury compensation please visit our wesbite.

Whiplash injury is the result of the soft tissue in the neck being stretched as a result of a sudden jerk forward; it is often the result of a car accident. If this accident whether it was in a car or a diving accident was not your fault, you should think about getting compensation.

If you have a whiplash injury as a result of an accident that was not your fault, you may well be entitled to compensation for the injury you have sustained and for any loss of earnings that you may have incurred.

These injuries don’t just affect people as a physical problem, there may be a knock on effect of a loss of status and possibly even loss of your job, which is devastating, not just in the short term.

In order to make sure that you receive the compensation you need to help you through this painful experience you should make sure that you have followed the legal procedure required at the scene of an accident if you were involved in a car accident.

At the scene of the accident you should have exchanged details with the third party involved and taken your insurance details to the local police station within 24 hours. These are details that could prove very important later should you choose to make a claim for your whiplash injury.

The most important factor of all is to see a doctor as soon as is possible and have it documented that you are suffering from a whiplash injury. Once the diagnosis has been made, it is much easier to apply for compensation as the problem has been recognised officially.

Once you have seen a doctor, you can then go on to look for an experienced personal injury solicitor who can go through the claim with you.

If you are having trouble finding a local solicitor to help, you can contact the citizen’s advice bureau and they will advise you of a local solicitor who will be able to help.

It is important that you review all these points before visiting your appointed solicitor and try to provide as much evidence both from the scene of the accident and from a medical source when you first visit. This will help your claim and speed up the process.

For more information about whiplash claims, please visit our website

For some, whiplash syndrome can mean a limited range of movement in the neck, but the condition can present many different symptoms and can have a psychological impact on the sufferer as well as physical. Many victims of whiplash injury feel nervous about travelling in cars, and can experience sleep disturbance as a result of the accident.

Other symptoms may include a lack of concentration and in some cases some depression - it can even impact on your earnings. All of these facets combine to make for a traumatic experience for the sufferer.

If you are suffering from any of the above it is advisable to follow these seven steps to ensure that you are compensated for your difficulties:

 1. Make sure you have the details of the third party involved at the scene of the accident, if your injury occurred as a result of a car crash, and that you have taken your insurance details to the local police station within the allotted time of 24 hours after the incident.
  2. Notify your insurance company of the accident as soon after it occurred as possible so as to claim for damage to your car as well as your personal wellbeing.
  3. If there were any witnesses on the scene, keep their details for future reference as you may need to ask them to testify at your court appearance. Ask them if it is possible to sketch out a diagram of the scene so that no crucial points about the accident are forgotten whilst waiting for your claim to go through.
  4. Register your restricted movement or other physical difficulties with a medical professional as soon after the incident as possible. Some symptoms do not present themselves immediately after the accident; it can take hours or days for the victim to feel unwell.
  5. Make sure you list all of your symptoms and how they affect your day to day living. For example note down if you are no longer sleeping well, or if you have prolonged fits of depression as a direct result of the accident.
  6. Visit or contact your local citizen’s advice bureau to find a suitable representative for your case, or search online for a specialist company who can handle your claim quickly and effectively. Many online specialists have a great deal of experience and can often get better results than trying to make a claim yourself.
  7. Take all of the above to your specialist claims company or appointed solicitor specialising in personal injury cases. All of this evidence will help to strengthen your case immensely.

There are many personal injury specialists around to choose from but try to find one that is experienced and that has a no-win-no-fee basis. Most of these solicitors come from this standpoint now as the law tries to support victims of personal injury to a very high level. In other words if you provide the evidence, it is likely you will receive some compensation.

If you were unfortunate enough to have been hit by an uninsured driver there are still ways that you can claim compensation for your whiplash injury.

For more information about a personal injury specialist please visit our website.

While the results of such accidents can be hugely traumatic, whether you are the victim yourself or the victim is a relation, you should be aware that if injury or death has been caused then you might be entitled to bring a claim for clinical negligence compensation.

Nowhere is this more true than in the case of birth injury; if you are the parent of a child who has been injured at birth through suspected clinical negligence you may think that the last thing you want to deal with is the stress of a legal case.

However, it is important to realise that your child may need lifelong care, medical attention and specialist facilities. While these pragmatic considerations may not be uppermost in your mind in the aftermath of a difficult birth, the implications on your life as a parent, and for the life of your new child, are huge.

The definition of a birth injury is ‘any injury sustained before, during or shortly after birth’ and can be anything from skin irritation through to more serious injuries such as broken bones, nerve damage and conditions related to brain injury such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries can also include injuries to the mother including damage nerve damage (e.g due to problems with epidural) and other tissue damage. While death in childbirth (for both child and mother) is far more rare these days, this tragic occurrence could also be covered by a claim for clinical negligence compensation, if the deaths were shown to be due to negligence by the healthcare provider.

Birth injury cases are extremely complex, not least because of the stress they can place on new parents, already struggling to deal with a newborn. In addition, injury must be shown to be avoidable and that the healthcare provider gave an insufficient level of care to deal with the situation. This can involve testimony from a number of experts and specialist knowledge of the claims procedure.

If you believe that you, your child or your partner was injured during birth then it is important to have a solicitor or specialist claims company than has the experience and expertise to deal with a claim of this kind.

By employing such a specialist not only will you be able to reduce the stress involved in making a claim but you also stand to get a better deal for you and your child.

For more information about birth injury please visit our website.

Damien McElvenny, a statistician in the Epidemiology and Medical Statistics Unit has stated that the number of cases arising from mesothelioma incidents rose by 300% in 1996-2000 alone. Most of these cases came about through men involved in heavy industrial use of asbestos in industries such as railway engineering, shipbuilding and the insulation industry.

If you feel that your case has been brought about by working in one of these industries, or even as a result of another seemingly less dangerous industry, there are many factors involved in bringing about a successful claim against your employer.

The most important things to consider in industrial damage cases, according to government advice are:

 1. Were you responsible for your safety at work?
  2. Were health and safety procedures followed, so that the risks of infection were reduced?
  3. Do you have medical evidence to prove that asbestos caused your condition?

Once you have answered these questions you will be able to build up a case proving that you weren?t responsible for your own safety and that exposure to asbestos dust could have been limited.

Your employer is bound by a ?duty of care? to ensure safety within the workplace and if your condition has come about as a result of negligence you should be entitled to damages.

If you feel that your employer overlooked their duty of care, you will need to research an experienced solicitor or specialist claims company who offer a dedicated service for industrial damages and establish with them whether you have a case to pursue.

Your solicitor or claims company will tell you that another important factor involved in these types of claims is whether the exposure to asbestos was foreseeable. If it can be established that your exposure was foreseeable within the terms of your employment, your solicitor will then look into the type of asbestos you were exposed to and for what length of time.

The type of dust your case results from is a very important factor as it determines the severity of the case and whether your condition is likely to worsen over time.

Once all these factors are taken into account your solicitor will be able to establish whether your employer or ex-employer has neglected their duty of care toward you; from there you will be able to decide whether to claim damages or not.

If you require any further assistance dealing with an asbestos claim please visit our website