The Civil Department

The Civil Department is led by Mike Sweeney. Mike’s role involves handling civil matters, which essentially are disputes. The dispute can be between one member of the public with another member of the public. They can also be disputes between two businesses or a business and a member of the public.

Broadly speaking civil disputes can be divided into the following categories:

• Personal injury: This can arise when a person is injured at work and consults a Solicitor with a view to seeking compensation from their employer.  Personal injury claims can also arise if you have an accident in the car. For example, a passenger might sue the driver. Cases can also arise when a driver attempts to sue the other driver maintaining that the other driver was at fault for the accident and that claim could be for say personal injuries i.e. actual injuries to oneself, loss of earnings and or damage caused to the vehicle.

• Also in the workplace Mike will deal with disputes between the employer and employee which can of course require attendance at the Employment Tribunal which is in Newhall Street, Birmingham.  Employees can sue for Unfair Dismissal, Constructive Dismissal, Sex Discrimination, Age Discrimination etc.

• Mike also handles issues such as debt either collecting debt or defending, proceedings where the claim is disputed and also Bankruptcy.

• Mike also handles claims against the Local Authority i.e. Social Services if a parent feels aggrieved that their children were taken off them unfairly.

• With regards to housing, Mike will act on behalf of Building Societies to recover possession of their properties if the mortgager does not pay the mortgage and of course likewise will defend clients who feel aggrieved and want further time to pay.

• He also acts for landlords and tenants as regards to rented accommodation concerning possession and rent arrears.

• He also handles contractual disputes over money between businesses and a member of the public and so essential civil disputes are those between citizens and businesses not involving any criminal offences and not involving any family relationship.