Proving negligence is only half the job. Once liability is established, a solicitor has to answer the question every injured client really cares about: what is this claim worth? Valuing damages — and knowing what gets added, deducted, and when the clock runs out — is daily work in personal injury practice, and getting it right is the difference between a fair settlement and an undervalued one.
This lesson builds that skill step by step, from the basic aim of damages through to claims that arise when an accident proves fatal.
What this lesson covers:
- Aim and Categories of Damages — the guiding principle behind every award and the key split between general and special damages.
- Pain, Suffering and Loss of Amenity — how the court puts a figure on physical and psychological harm.
- Loss of Earnings and Care Costs — calculating past and future financial losses, including the multiplier method and care provided by others.
- Deductions, Mitigation and Interest — what reduces an award, the duty to mitigate, and how interest is added.
- Alternative Forms of Award — periodical payments, provisional damages, and interim payments.
- Claims on Death — the two distinct claims that arise when a person is killed, and who can bring them.
- Limitation — the deadlines for bringing a claim and the court's power to extend them.