- Recommended lawyer for 'Personal injury: Defendant (South East)'
“Richard West has almost 25 years of PI defendant experience and is immensely popular with insurers. He is dynamic and innovative which is reflected in his involvement in the new Kennedys online venture.”
The Legal 500 UK 2021 - Notable practitioner for 'Personal Injury: Mainly Defendant (UK-wide)'
"Richard West regularly advises insurers in connection with catastrophic injury claims and motor insurance coverage disputes. He has handled many high-value claims in this area."
Chambers UK 2020 - Recommended Lawyer for 'Personal injury: defendant (South East)'
"Richard West is a fine legal mind and an incomparable team leader; these characteristics make him one of the real standout individuals in the sector for insurance clients."
The Legal 500 UK 2019/20 - Commended for 'Innovation in the Business of Law: Strategy and changing behaviours' (FT Innovative Lawyers Europe 2019)
- Notable practitioner for 'Personal Injury: Mainly Defendant (UK-wide)
"He is my solicitor of choice on complex catastrophic injury claims,"
"He has a superb legal mind but just as importantly understands the commercial aspects of dealing with high-value claims."
Chambers UK 2019 - Leading Individual and Recommended Lawyer for 'Personal injury: defendant (South East)'
"…'approachable' practice lead Richard West, who has 'outstanding legal knowledge and an excellent reputation in the market'."
The Legal 500 UK 2018/19 - Included in the The Best Lawyers™ in the United Kingdom 2019 for Personal Injury Litigation (Chelmsford)
- Leading Individual for Personal Injury
Chambers UK 2017 & 2018
Richard qualified in England and Wales in 1993. He heads Kennedys’ liability division and is a member of the firm’s strategy board. Richard also leads Kennedys’ Innovations Group.
Richard is a director of Kennedys IQ, our new technology driven company, wholly owned by Kennedys, that provides innovative solutions for insurance companies and large corporates to help them manage claims efficiently.
He is regularly instructed on clients’ most important, valuable and sensitive matters.
Richard acts for insurers, third-party administrators, and brokers and corporates with large deductibles, defending motor and casualty claims. He has particular and extensive expertise in catastrophic injury claims including complex liability matters, reputationally sensitive incidents and brain and psychiatric injury.Before specialising in catastrophic injury cases, Richard gathered in-depth experience in all liability matters including employers’, public and property liability.
He has significant experience advising clients on indemnity and policy matters and substantial experience in settling cases involving Periodical Payment Orders.
Richard leads the liability division and Kennedys’ Innovations Group with his vision that lawyers should empower their clients to use their lawyers less frequently. He believes that Kennedys should enhance clients’ own skills in the early stages of personal injury litigation in order to ‘de-lawyer the law’.
Richard developed Kennedys' virtual lawyer online claims tool ‘KLAiM’, which won Legal Technology Team of the Year at the Legal Business Awards 2016. He has spearheaded the firms’ Innovation Toolkit, which is revolutionising the way in which clients respond to claims. In December 2017, KLAiM also won Insurance Day’s award for Technology Initiative of the Year.
Richard is the lead author of Kennedys’ Claims Handling Law and Practice Guide, the fourth edition of which was published in March 2018, and is a regular presenter and trainer. He is a member of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL).
As part of his active role in the firms’ lobbying agenda, Richard chaired the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) meeting in Westminster, focusing on Jackson reforms and authored Kennedys’ Ministry of Justice responses for whiplash, Jackson and portals.
Richard has met with Lord Justice Jackson and Lord Justice Briggs, as well as senior members of the Government Legal Department to demonstrate Kennedys’ innovative and award winning products that embody his division’s core principle of “helping clients to use all lawyers less”.
Qualifications
- Qualified in England and Wales in 1993
