Professional Negligence Claims Ireland

Professional Negligence — Holding Professionals Accountable

When you engage the services of a professional — whether a solicitor, accountant, architect, engineer, financial adviser, or other regulated expert — you are placing your trust and, often, your financial wellbeing in their hands. You have a right to expect a reasonable standard of skill, care, and expertise. When that standard is not met and you suffer harm or financial loss as a result, you may have a valid professional negligence claim.

At Gary Matthews Solicitors – Injury Law, our experienced team handles all types of professional negligence claims across Ireland. We fight to recover the losses you have suffered due to another professional's failure to meet their obligations to you.

What Types of Professional Negligence Claims Do We Handle?

• Solicitor Negligence: Missed court deadlines, poor legal advice, conveyancing errors, failure to advise on limitation periods
• Accountant Negligence: Tax advice errors, audit failures, negligent financial reporting
• Architect & Engineer Negligence: Design defects, planning errors, structural failures, breach of building regulations
• Financial Adviser Negligence: Unsuitable investment advice, mis-sold financial products, pension mis-selling
• Surveyor Negligence: Failure to identify structural or environmental defects in property surveys
• Insurance Broker Negligence: Inadequate cover, failure to properly advise on policy terms
• IT Consultant Negligence: System failures, data breaches caused by negligent advice

Proving Professional Negligence

A professional negligence claim generally requires demonstrating the following:

• The professional owed you a duty of care
• They breached that duty by falling below the standard of a reasonably competent practitioner in their field
• You suffered quantifiable loss or damage directly as a result of that breach

Our solicitors work with independent expert witnesses from the relevant profession to build a compelling, evidence-based case.

How Long Do I Have to Make a Professional Negligence Claim?

In Ireland, you generally have six years from the date of the negligent act to bring a professional negligence claim (or two years in cases involving personal injury arising from professional negligence). However, the "date of knowledge" rule may extend this in certain circumstances. It is always best to take legal advice as soon as you suspect negligence has occurred.

What Compensation Can I Recover?

Depending on the nature of your claim, you may be entitled to recover:

• Financial losses directly caused by the negligence
• Consequential losses (e.g., lost business opportunities, additional costs incurred)
• The cost of rectifying the negligent work
• General damages for distress and inconvenience in appropriate cases

Our No Win No Fee Approach

We understand that pursuing a professional negligence claim can seem daunting — particularly if you have already suffered financial loss. Our No Win No Fee agreement ensures you can pursue your claim without any further financial risk. If we do not win your case, you owe us nothing.