Tina Benson

LawBrief, Legal Chartered Executive

LawBite Customer Comments

Tina is a very efficient and effective user of time. She understands both the objectives of the matter and retains the details of the case over time - essential skills when matters come to a head at specific times and when the other party may try to 'fence' with you with their hope that they can skirt your teams grasp of the facts. I would recommend Tina for any conflict case, as she stays completely on top of it from start to end. Foss Initiatives Limited

Tina’s drafting and negotiating skills enabled me to resolve a bitter dispute over an international consignment of computer hardware. Tina worked tenaciously and patiently for several months and communicated with me regularly. It was a stressful time for me and a worrying time for the reputation of my business. I was delighted with the result, which Tina achieved. VERTBIT Limited

What started as a straightforward case developed into a “nightmare” of problems between Nationwide and their Lawyers. Tina helped facilitate the final solutions, very professionally and most importantly expeditionary. Derek John Phillips

Experience

Tina Benson is a versatile and effective Chartered Legal Executive with a continuous track record of success, gained from some 30 years’ in private practice, legal consultancy and in-house roles.

She commenced her training at Veale Wasbrough and Russell Jones and Walker in Bristol practicing exclusively in personal injury claims for claimants. She later joined Wansbroughs, Leeds, where she continued to work with injured claimants and brought claims against the NHS for medical-negligence. Tina then moved to the West Country and switched sides to work exclusively for liability insurers when she defended claims against the NHS and public entities. She defended many cases to Trial. In 2013, Tina joined the in-house legal team of a FTSE 250 utility Company, with over 2000 employees, resolving numerous disputes.

Tina has an extensive understanding of dispute resolution and litigation processes and has acquired significant experience of working with senior business stakeholders on issues including property, contracts, customer complaints, debt recovery, negligence, costs, mediation, personal injury, disease (including mesothelioma), clinical negligence and nuisance.

Tina is proud of her career as a Chartered Legal Executive but she’s very down to earth. She likes nothing more than to get stuck in on behalf of her clients. Tina is calm and likes detail, she’s not phased by any of her opponents. She has an open, tenacious and persuasive communication style. She is a capable advocate before district judges, with years’ of experience in mediation, negotiation of settlements and advice on strategy to get the client the best settlement she can.

Tina is passionate about honesty, integrity and great service and provides legal advice in clear non-legalese. In her words:

“I want to provide my clients with a bespoke solution after reviewing prospects against legal costs. Often the costs of litigation get over looked. Settlement at any cost is bad for clients because the legal costs can outweigh the sum in dispute. I offer a helpful and approachable service to SMEs to assist them to navigate the confusing dispute environment in order to reach the best and most cost-effective solutions at the right cost. That said, I like nothing more than getting a case to Court if the other party is not cooperating and we have tried to get them to engage. So many parties simply assume disputes will go away - in this financial climate they seldom do, so early Advice from a litigator will save money later”

Education

Part 1 and Part 2 Legal Executive exams undertaken with five years’ of qualifying employment before attaining Fellowship (now known as Chartered status) in 1994. Tina passed her civil litigation practice paper with a distinction!

Achievements

Recent achievements

Managing a number of disputes regarding ownership of land, access, lease renewal and nuisance issues;
Defending claim regarding defective road - the claim was resolved by adjudication;
Managing various claims by and against utility companies regarding alleged damage to their assets by employer and their contractors;
Resolving a claim for damage to employer’s infrastructure by third party. Issuing claim through the on-line court. Settling claim after drafting and serving proceedings;
Managing and resolving debt claims by appropriate remedies;
Managing a six-figure claim relating to breach of covenant, nuisance and illegal dumping of waste;
Managing and resolving a claim for employer against a third party concerning damage to waste water infrastructure by negligent injection of concrete;
Negotiating a claim for defective design work, causing flooding to a new works - recovering £95K including costs;
Negotiating purchase of land from third party whilst dispute ongoing in Lands’ Tribunal;
Assisting in the collation of documents and witness statements following fatal accident and prosecution by HSE;
Managing relations with local authorities when residents have complained of nuisance (noise and odours) including seeking expert evidence to respond to complaints of statutory nuisance;
Investigation and settlement of claim brought by former employees for mesothelioma and noise induced hearing loss;
Advising on legal privilege, instructing experts and advising on liability and strategy;
Defending claim brought by contractor following early termination of a contract;
Managing a dispute with Network Rail regarding use of their emergency entry powers

Other career highlights

Day to day conduct of a catastrophic injury case worth circa £13 million on behalf of Highway Authority and their insurers; taking to trial on liability and quantum and subsequently to Court of Appeal; Instructing Queen’s Counsel and junior counsel, appointing expert witness, attending conferences, dealing with disclosure, witness statements etc;
Sole responsibility for defence of a complex claim for loss of career brought by a hospital consultant against NHS trust. Consultant had been suspended from his post due to poor performance and inappropriate private examinations of patients suffering from sexually transmitted diseases. Trial lasted 10 days and claim was dismissed with costs ordered against the consultant.

Other Interests

Politics, current affairs and my other role, which is never boring, parenting two teenagers in Devon. Tina has also just returned from travelling with her family around Belize and Guatemala.