The KPS Blog

A 30-year-old man believed to be from the St Helens area was found in Napier Street by emergency services shortly after 1.45am suffering from a severe head injury. He was taken to hospital by ambulance where he has already undergone treatment and his condition is described as critical but stable.

Detectives called to the scene carried out immediate house-to-house investigations to gather as much information as possible but are still appealing for any witnesses to the incident.

Detective Inspector Gayle Rooney said: “This was a vicious attack that has left the victim in a critical condition. We are looking into the possibility that he may have been assaulted somewhere else in the area before returning to Napier Street. Anyone with any information about this incident to contact us.”

Merseyside police have appealed for anyone with any information to call St Helens CID on 0151 777 1565, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

If you have been the victim of a similar incident and/or need a solicitor for any other reason QualitySolicitors Keith Park (based in St. Helens) can help you.

• Personal Injury
• Family Law
• Private Client / Making a Will
• Criminal Law
• Professional Negligence
• Conveyancing / Moving House
• Prison Law
• Employment

Over the past couple of years there has been widespread damage to roads and public paths caused by unusually cold weather conditions and, as a result, potholes have appeared throughout UK forcing the Government to announced additional funding of £100m for local authorities to deal with the problem. Potholes remain a concern and despite efforts to fix the problem many previously reported potholes still exist. This has naturally led to injuries to pedestrians and motorists which has consequently triggered a noticeable increase in personal injury claims in the UK.

The AA, who hold one of the largest databases of reported potholes, confirm that the problem of potholes have been the cause of many injuries, some serious and some even resulting in death. With cyclists most at risk of serious injury it is no surprise to hear that broken arms and wrists are commonplace after hitting a pothole.

The cost to the UK motorist in vehicle repairs each year has been estimated at almost £3 million. Damage to suspension, wheel axles and cracked glass are consequences that motorists have to deal with. Poor roads and potholes highlight the lack of funding for road maintenance, as does the fact that Local Authorities payout in excess of £50 million in compensation claims.

Local Authorities have a duty to act on potholes and poor road conditions within a specified length of time from the date the pothole was reported to them. If they fail in this duty and the pothole becomes the cause of an injury then they are held responsible and it is only right that the victim should receive damages to reimburse them for their outlay and injury.

On the question of increased funding for the repair and maintenance of roads and potholes, transport secretary Philip Hammond suggested that the funding should mean safer journeys with reduced risk of injury and damage “millions of motorists across the country have their daily drives ruined by potholes”.

If you have been the victim of a pothole, QualitySolicitors Keith Park would like to here from you. As experts in claiming personal injury compensation we are confident we can help you and you will keep 100% of your compensation.

Having a Twitter account is becoming more and more commonplace for all but if you have a look at the percentage of people who never tweet it is quite high. Reports suggest between 40-50 percent never, or rarely, use Twitter. At QualitySolicitors Keith Park we are proactive in this area because we recognise that Twitter can be a useful tool to develop your network and it can also help you develop close client relationships which we appreciate are fundamental to the success of our firm – the same would apply to any business.

The best ways to use Twitter to build your business

Don’t jump straight in broadcasting special offers at every opportunity. Make yourself useful with comments and information for your followers and you will notice you will become more popular. QualitySolicitors Keith Park use Twitter this way whilst dropping the name of our firm, links to our website and lists of our services. Twitter is, without question, a good channel for promoting legal blogs, press releases and newsletters (amongst other things) but no one wants to read a constant stream of it. If you are being followed it’s because they are interested in what is happening in your world. Our advice is to not be overly self-obsessed utilise the retweet feature that lets you redistribute other people’s useful tweets and remember that your followers are real people looking for real conversations.

The content of your tweets is all important. DO NOT make them too personal. Your followers want to be fed useful information – they do not care what underwear you are wearing. If you are tweeting on behalf of a law firm your tweets should be based on professional opinion that is accurate to the best of your belief and should be confidential in accordance with the legal code of conduct. Despite the required professionalism of your tweets you should ensure that they remain friendly and where possible light-hearted. As with QualitySolicitors Keith Park’s profile your Twitter company page should reflect and represent the firm as a whole, not just one specific department and definitely not the person who is tweeting on behalf of it. It may be beneficial to set up personal accounts to run alongside your firm’s account in order to show the human side of your firm. However, if you are careful it may be an unnessary task for your employees to set up their own accounts.

Interact with your followers as much as you can – Create conversation where possible and not just post links to existing content. Ask for opinions on things and when you get responses you know you are doing something right.

There will be times that someone, or lots of people, will disagree with something you have said or your views, or maybe they have something bad to say about your firm. Don’t take it personally, remain polite and try to help them by discussing it rationally. It could well be that a direct message can resolve any disputes before they escalate into more than they need to be. All feedback is good. Without bad feedback you cannot improve.

Twitter is a fantastic tool for any law firm and if you’re not on it yet why not?

QualitySolicitors Keith Park

Tel: 0800 195 5218
Email: contact@kpsolicitors.com

Monday 15th November was a landmark day for Keith Park Solicitors. It was the day when the firm was re-branded and became QualitySolicitors Keith Park, joining up with a number of other solicitors firms across the UK in this new, modern legal brand.

The day was a massive success and the staff, members of the public and special guests all enjoyed the buffet and drinks laid on by the firm. We were joined by St Helens and Great Britain Rugby League legend, Paul Wellens who was a great sport, signing pictures for fans and having his photo taken with members of staff. He also presented the firm with a signed ball which is currently at auction – all money raised going to Children in Need.

Some photos of the launch can be seen below…

Four members of staff from Keith Park Solicitors joined forces to raise funds for the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital on Sunday 12th September 2010, many congratulations to all who took part.

They are raising funds for the same basis as Dave Achilles.

From left to right Janet Harrison, Jo Ashcroft, Jennifer O’Neil, Diane Moore, Sue Blackburn, Julie Skerry, Alison Gordon.

The girls did the 5K run at Shirdley Park on June 27th 2007 on behalf of cancer research ‘Race for Life’.

Below is the link to the site, it’s an all women race raising money for breast cancer!

To make a donation please visit: http://www.raceforlife.org/prepaypage.aspx

Dave Achilles Partner of the Practice who’s specialist area is Criminal Law took part in a cycle challenge on the 18th July 2010 from Liverpool – Chester – Liverpool return journey clocking up 54 miles via the Mersey Tunnel to raise money for the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital at Broad Green.

The picture was taken at more or less the halfway point, rain bucketing it down and still another 27 miles to go!

Well done Dave, still looking good!

Update: Dave raised money for the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital. To date he has managed to raise £651 Dave commented It’s a wonderful reflection of the generosity of people too numerous to mention; thanks again.