A SKIPTON firm of solicitors which prides itself on being experts in the personal injury field, is marking its 25th anniversary.

Unable to throw a planned celebratory party because of the continued social distancing rules, Nicholas Luty and Andrew Armstrong, of Armstrong Luty Solicitors say they are nonetheless proud to be marking the milestone.

The colleagues have each been practising for over 35 years almost exclusively in the field of personal injury and clinical negligence litigation on behalf of claimants.

Mr Armstrong, formerly head of litigation at Kenningham Underwood Armstrong in Bradford, established the practice originally under the name of Armstrongs in 1995, based at Broughton Hall near Skipton. When former Bradford colleague Mr Luty joined the firm, the name was subsequently changed.

In March 1998 the practice moved to town centre premises in Skipton known as Kipling House which was once the home of Rudyard Kipling’s grandfather. The author lived in the house as a boy during his school holidays in the 1840s and 1850s.

Mr Armstrong added: “Solicitors that are solely dedicated to one discipline like ours are very rare. By concentrating entirely on this form of work we have genuinely become known as experts in the personal injury field and are referred cases from other solicitors in the area. There are many large national firms promoting personal injury services, but they are not able to offer the same level of one to one personal support which every client of this practice receives.”

The solicitors are keen to distance themselves from the aggressive ‘ambulance chasing’ marketing tactics of larger firms in this field and say they have refrained from actively pursuing business. The firm says its tagline ‘your local experts for just compensation’ reflects the partners’ ethos in helping clients with genuine cases of fault-based injury or clinical negligence who need support in obtaining compensation and getting help with their recovery or rehabilitation. During the pandemic they have practised with phone appointments and video-conferencing.