Claims against architects can be time-consuming and complex. In order to give yourself the best possible chance of mounting a successful claim, you will need the advice and representation of a professional negligence solicitor who understands how all the details of case relate to the crucial and relevant areas of law. Simply.Law is here to help you ensure that you are connected with the right legal expertise to benefit your claim for professional negligence compensation.

Architect negligence claims

Whether you have instructed an architect to provide services for the design, modification or extension of a building, one thing is certain: it is a professional-client relationship.

Unfortunately, in a small, but significant, minority of cases the service provided will fall below a reasonable standard. When this happens and you sustain financial loss as a result, it may be in your interests to instruct a professional negligence solicitor to pursue a claim against the architect.

Duty of care

Fundamental to any claim against an architect is the issue of whether you were owed a duty of care. This duty may be made explicit in a contract. In the absence of a contract this duty of care may be provable in tort.

Furthermore, in order for the claim to be viable, it must be shown that this duty of care was breached. Unfortunately, in some cases the architect’s scope of duty may extend only to limited areas of the project, so it is important that your professional negligence solicitor has a good grasp of all the pertinent issues.

Reasonable standard

For a claim to be successful it must be demonstrated that the architect failed to carry out his or her professional work to a reasonable standard. This is known as the “reasonable person test” and is judged by an expert witness who must decide whether a reasonably competent architect would have done anything differently in providing services to you.

Financial loss

In order to secure professional negligence compensation your solicitor must be able to demonstrate that the negligence of your architect caused you direct financial loss – this will mean proving that you would have been in a better financial position had you instead received the advice of a reasonably competent professional.

You must also show that you took reasonable steps to mitigate your loss – any losses incurred as a result of a failure to take such steps are unlikely to be recoverable.

Simply.Law member architect negligence solicitors

Simply.Law’s member lawyers can help you ensure the best possible advice and representation in the event you decide to pursue a professional negligence claim against an architect.

Ensuring the right professional negligence solicitor for your case can make all the difference to its eventual outcome. To get connected today call us or click through to the member professional negligence lawyer profiles on the right-hand-side of this page.