Personal injury solicitors for Spanish-speaking clients

Personal injury solicitors for Spanish-speaking clients

If you have been injured in an accident in England or Wales — at work, on the road, or in a public place — you may be entitled to compensation. At Osbornes Law, you can speak to a specialist personal injury solicitor in Spanish from your very first call.

We act for Spanish and Latin American clients across England and Wales on a no win no fee basis. You pay nothing unless your claim succeeds. To speak to a Spanish-speaking solicitor today, call 07593 575746.

Osbornes Law has over 50 years of experience in personal injury law. We are recommended in the Legal 500 and Chambers UK, and are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Our offices are in Camden and Hampstead, but we act for clients throughout England and Wales.

Personal injury in the UK — how the system works

Personal injury law in England and Wales operates very differently from the legal systems most Spanish and Latin American clients are used to.

Spain and most Latin American countries use a civil law system, where compensation is assessed according to fixed statutory scales. Courts apply set tables of damages — this means that, in practice, compensation for injury or disability tends to be considerably lower than what the same injury would attract in England and Wales.

The UK system is based on common law, where compensation is individually assessed. A judge (or in most cases, an insurer settling before trial) considers the specific circumstances of each claimant: the nature and severity of the injury, the impact on daily life, lost earnings, the cost of future care, and any other financial losses flowing from the accident. For serious injuries, UK compensation can be substantially higher than anything a Spanish or Latin American court would typically award.

Understanding this distinction matters. Spanish nationals and Latin American clients who have heard what a friend received in compensation in Spain, or who assume the UK system works similarly, are sometimes surprised — often pleasantly — when they understand the true value of their claim here.

No win no fee is the funding arrangement we use for the vast majority of personal injury claims. You pay no legal fees to begin your claim, and nothing during the process. If the claim succeeds, our pre-agreed success fee is taken from the compensation you receive. If the claim does not succeed, you pay nothing. We also arrange insurance to protect you against the other side’s legal costs in an unsuccessful case. Your financial risk is nil.

Your first conversation with us is free, and everything can be conducted in Spanish.

Types of personal injury claim we handle for Spanish-speaking clients

Spanish and Latin American people living in the UK work across many different sectors, and the accident risks they face reflect those environments. Below we set out the types of claim we handle most frequently for clients from Spanish-speaking communities — but this list is not exhaustive. If you have been injured and you think someone else was at fault, speak to us.

Accidents at work

Employers in the UK have a strict legal duty to protect workers from foreseeable harm. This duty applies regardless of the worker’s nationality, immigration status, contract type, or length of service. Where an employer fails in that duty and a worker is injured as a result, the employer can be held liable.

Spanish and Latin American workers are strongly represented in several industries where serious workplace accidents are a regular occurrence. The most common sectors in which we act for Spanish-speaking clients include:

• Hospitality and catering. Restaurant and hotel kitchens are high-risk environments. Burns from open flames and hot oil, cuts from professional knives and slicers, slips on wet floors, and injuries from heavy lifting are among the most common accidents. Employers have clear obligations around protective equipment, safe working practices and accident reporting — and many fall short.
• Construction and renovation. Falls from scaffolding, ladders and elevated surfaces are among the most serious and most preventable accidents on construction sites. Spanish and Latin American workers are well represented in the London and regional construction sectors, including in smaller subcontracted crews where safety standards are not always properly enforced. Manual handling injuries, crush injuries, and accidents involving unguarded machinery also fall within this category.
• Cleaning and domestic services. Cleaning operatives, building services workers and domestic staff face particular risks from working at height, handling hazardous chemicals without adequate protective equipment, and repetitive strain from sustained physical work. Many cleaning workers operate on flexible or agency contracts — this does not affect their right to claim.
• Care homes and residential settings. Care workers — including many Latin American and Spanish nationals employed in the care sector — face regular risks of manual handling injuries, violence from residents with challenging conditions, and slips in care environments. These cases are taken seriously by the courts, and compensation can reflect the long-term consequences of lifting injuries and other occupational harms.

If you are concerned about making a claim against an employer, it is important to know that UK employers are legally required to hold employers’ liability insurance. Any compensation is paid by their insurer, not by the employer personally. We will explain the legal protections available to you before you decide whether to proceed.

Road traffic accidents

Road traffic accident claims are among the most common personal injury claims in England and Wales. If you were injured in a road accident that was not your fault, you may be entitled to claim for your injuries, any lost earnings, and any other losses caused by the accident.

Compensation in road accident claims is generally paid by the at-fault driver’s motor insurer — not by the driver themselves. This applies whether you were a driver, a passenger, a cyclist, or a pedestrian.

Latin American workers in the gig economy — particularly those working as delivery drivers and riders for food delivery and logistics platforms — are over-represented in road accident statistics. Cycling and riding in urban traffic carries real risks, and the employment structures used by many gig platforms can make it less clear who is responsible when an accident happens. We understand these arrangements and act for riders and drivers injured in accidents where a third party was at fault.

We handle all negotiations with insurance companies on your behalf. You will not be asked to communicate directly with the insurer, and everything will be explained to you in Spanish at every stage.

Accidents in public places

Shops, supermarkets, restaurants, cafes, pubs, public pavements, parks and shopping centres all have a legal duty of care to people on their premises or land. When that duty is not met and you are injured as a result, you may have a claim against the occupier or owner responsible.

Common accidents in public places include:

• Slips on wet, unmarked or poorly maintained floors
• Trips on damaged or uneven pavements and surfaces
• Falls caused by inadequate lighting or obstructions
• Injuries in restaurants, food courts and licensed premises
• Accidents caused by poorly maintained fixtures, steps or railings

Many of these accidents happen in busy commercial environments — exactly the kinds of places where Spanish and Latin American residents spend time, and sometimes where they work. We assess the circumstances of each case carefully to establish whether there was a real failure by whoever was responsible for maintaining the space.

Serious and life-changing injuries

Osbornes Law acts in personal injury claims at all levels of complexity and severity, from moderate injuries through to the most serious and life-changing harm.

We have particular expertise in high-value claims involving:

• Traumatic brain injuries — including those caused by accidents at work, road traffic collisions, and falls. Serious brain injuries can affect every aspect of life: work capacity, relationships, independence and personality. Compensation in severe cases reflects the full lifetime impact, including the cost of ongoing care.
• Spinal cord injuries — including those resulting in paralysis or permanent disability. These cases require careful assessment of future care needs, housing adaptations, and the long-term financial consequences of being unable to work.
• Amputations — whether traumatic amputations following an accident or later surgical amputations resulting from negligent care of an injury. We work with specialist rehabilitation experts to ensure the full picture is presented.
• Serious orthopaedic injuries — including complex fractures, crush injuries and other injuries with long-term implications for movement, work and quality of life.

In serious injury claims, we can apply for interim payments — advance payments on account of compensation — to help meet immediate financial needs while the full claim is resolved.

Your rights regardless of immigration status

Many Spanish and Latin American clients come to us with concerns about whether their immigration status affects their ability to make a claim. This is one of the most important points we want to address clearly.

Your immigration status does not affect your right to bring a personal injury claim in England and Wales.

The law here does not distinguish between British citizens, settled status holders, pre-settled status holders, those on work visas, student visas, or any other status. If you were injured because of someone else’s negligence, you are entitled to seek compensation — full stop.

Post-Brexit, Spanish nationals and other EU citizens in the UK needed to apply for settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. Some people are understandably uncertain about how this affects their everyday rights in the UK. It does not affect the right to claim.

For Latin American nationals — those from Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru and other countries — the position is the same. Whether you hold a work visa, a student visa, a spouse visa, or any other immigration status, your right to claim is not affected.

If you are working informally or in a cash-in-hand arrangement, that does not affect your right to claim either. The nature of your employment relationship may affect how the claim is structured, but it does not prevent you from claiming.

We understand the anxiety these concerns can cause. Our Spanish-speaking solicitors deal with them plainly and directly — usually in the first few minutes of our initial conversation.

No win no fee explained

Almost all personal injury claims we handle are funded under a Conditional Fee Agreement — commonly called no win no fee.

• You pay nothing upfront. There are no fees to start your claim and no charges during the process, regardless of how long it takes.
• If your claim succeeds, our success fee is taken as an agreed percentage of the compensation you receive. This percentage is agreed with you in writing before we begin, and it cannot be changed. You keep the majority of your compensation.
• If your claim does not succeed, you pay nothing for our legal work.
• We also arrange after-the-event (ATE) insurance at the start of your claim. This covers the other side’s legal costs in the event your claim is unsuccessful. Without this insurance, an unsuccessful claim could leave you liable for the defendant’s costs. With it, you are protected.

This means that the financial risk of bringing a claim is, in effect, zero. You are not gambling your savings or taking on debt. We will walk through all of this with you in Spanish before you commit to anything.

Why choose Osbornes Law

• We have Spanish-speaking solicitors. You can discuss your situation in Spanish from your very first call, and throughout the full life of your claim. You will never be asked to explain yourself in English if Spanish is more comfortable for you.
• We represent injured people, not insurers. Our personal injury team acts exclusively for claimants. We do not represent employers, insurers or defendants. Every decision we make is aimed at achieving the best possible outcome for you.
• Over 50 years of experience. Osbornes Law has been one of London’s leading personal injury practices since the 1970s. We have handled thousands of claims — from straightforward accidents to multi-million-pound serious injury cases.
• Independently recognised. Our personal injury team is recommended in both the Legal 500 and Chambers UK, two independent guides to the best law firms in England and Wales. These rankings are based on the views of clients and opposing lawyers — they cannot be bought or applied for.
• We act nationally. Our offices are in Camden and Hampstead in London, but we act for Spanish-speaking clients across England and Wales. Most of the claims process can be handled by phone, email and video call. You do not need to travel to meet us regularly.
• Regulated by the SRA. Osbornes Law is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. This means we are held to strict professional and ethical standards, and you are protected if something goes wrong.

Speak to a Spanish-speaking solicitor today

To find out whether you have a personal injury claim, call 07593 575746 or complete the contact form below. Your first conversation is free, with no obligation to proceed. We can speak to you entirely in Spanish.

We also have a general Spanish-language services hub covering both personal injury and medical negligence. If your situation involves potential medical negligence, please see our dedicated page for medical negligence solicitors for Spanish speakers.

Frequently asked questions

Can I speak to a solicitor in Spanish from my very first call?

Yes. When you call Osbornes Law on 020 7485 8811, you can ask to speak with a Spanish-speaking solicitor or legal adviser. Your initial consultation will be conducted entirely in Spanish, and you can choose to continue in Spanish throughout your case. You will never be asked to switch to English if Spanish is more comfortable for you.

Does my immigration status affect my right to make a personal injury claim?

No. Immigration status has no bearing on your right to bring a personal injury claim in England and Wales. Whether you hold settled status, pre-settled status, a work visa, a student visa or any other immigration status — or whether your status is currently uncertain — you are entitled to seek compensation if you were injured because of someone else’s negligence. This applies equally to EU citizens, including Spanish nationals, and to Latin American nationals living in the UK.

Do you act for Latin American clients, not just Spanish nationals?

Yes. We act for anyone who prefers to communicate in Spanish. Our Spanish-speaking legal team represents clients from Spain, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and all other Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries. You do not need to be from Spain to use our Spanish-language legal service.

How long do I have to make a personal injury claim?

In most cases, you have three years from the date of your accident to start a claim. If the injury was not immediately apparent, the three-year period may run from the date you first realised the injury was caused by someone else’s negligence. Different rules apply for children — the three-year clock does not start until their 18th birthday. There are also different rules in some cases involving industrial disease, or where the injured person lacks mental capacity. Our strong advice is to seek legal advice as early as possible, as evidence is easier to gather close to the time of the accident.

I was working informally or for cash in hand. Can I still claim?

Yes. The nature of your employment arrangement does not prevent you from bringing a personal injury claim if your injury was caused by someone else’s negligence. Whether you were on a formal employment contract, working through an agency, self-employed, or being paid informally, you may still have a valid claim. The circumstances will affect how we approach the case, but they do not disqualify you from claiming. Contact us and we will give you an honest assessment.

What types of injury do you handle?

We act in claims across the full range of injury severity. This includes serious and life-changing injuries — traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, and serious orthopaedic injuries — as well as claims involving moderate injuries such as soft tissue damage, whiplash, fractures and psychological harm caused by an accident. We also handle fatal accident claims where a death has been caused by another party’s negligence. If you are unsure whether your injury is serious enough to claim for, speak to us — many valid claims involve injuries that clients initially assume are too minor to pursue.