Reviewed by: Robert Bourke, Partner
Review date: 20 September 2026
After an accident, you may be managing pain, time away from work and worries about your family’s future. You need people who listen, understand the legal work involved and explain what comes next.
HOMS Assist brings together experienced injury solicitors, a dedicated claims coordinator and legal costs expertise. Our team has experience in serious injury claims involving traumatic brain injuries, catastrophic workplace injuries and long-term care needs. We combine that experience with practical support and clear information about costs.
For people choosing a personal injury solicitor, those strengths matter at different stages: getting advice, investigating the injury, understanding financial risks and deciding how to proceed.
What HOMS Assist offers at a glance
| Your need | HOMS Assist’s experience and support | What this means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Advice about a serious or complex injury | Solicitors with relevant personal injury, catastrophic injury and litigation experience | An informed approach to investigating responsibility and the evidence your case needs |
| Help getting started | A dedicated claims coordinator for initial enquiries and appointments | Someone to explain the early steps before a solicitor takes over |
| Support with the work involved | Solicitors working alongside legal executives and other claims support professionals | Assistance with medical reports, paperwork and communication |
| Understanding legal costs | Written costs information and specialist expertise in assessing and seeking recovery of costs | A clearer picture of fees, expenses and potential financial exposure |
Our approach starts with you: what happened, how the injury affects your life and what you need to understand.
Serious injury experience that informs the work
Serious injury claims need careful investigation of both responsibility for the accident and its lasting consequences.
Robert Bourke, Partner, has more than three decades of legal experience. His work includes personal injury claims, road traffic accidents, industrial diseases, claims management and litigation.
Sean Fitzgerald, Partner, has experience in catastrophic workplace injuries, industrial diseases and traumatic brain injuries. His qualifications in science and law support his work with technically complex cases.
For you, relevant experience matters when identifying what needs to be proved, obtaining appropriate expert evidence and considering a settlement proposal. We’ll explain the evidence, the uncertainties and the further work your case may need.
What a serious injury case can involve
Our published case study about John Corcoran shows why future needs deserve attention. A workplace incident left him with a brain injury and a need for full-time care. Robert Bourke and Sean Fitzgerald worked on his claim, addressing responsibility for the incident, the effects on his life and his ongoing care needs.
The work involved:
- Establishing the employer’s responsibility.
- Documenting the physical, emotional and financial effects.
- Addressing future medical care and living needs in settlement negotiations.
The practical lesson is that a serious injury assessment must look beyond immediate treatment. It may need evidence about care, rehabilitation, work capacity, equipment and changes to daily life.
For example, returning to work on reduced hours may leave someone with continuing losses. Help provided by family members may also need careful assessment.
Every claim depends on its own facts and evidence. Previous outcomes cannot guarantee the result of another case.
Support from the first enquiry
Our claims coordinator, Peter Morris, provides an initial point of contact for people considering a claim. He helps enquirers explain what happened, outlines the early process, arranges appointments and maintains communication before a solicitor takes over.
That gives you space to tell your story and understand the next step.
As your case progresses, our solicitors work alongside legal executives and other support professionals. Our personal injury service includes assistance with medical reports, paperwork and communication.
We’ll explain what information we need from you and the decisions you’ll be asked to make. You can ask us to clarify who provides legal advice and who to contact with a day-to-day query.
If pain, fatigue or difficulties with memory and concentration affect how you take in information, tell us. We can discuss written explanations, shorter conversations or involving a trusted person with your permission.
Legal costs explained clearly
An injury can put pressure on household finances. Understanding legal costs should be part of the conversation from the outset.
Our team includes Raylene Downes, legal costs specialist, whose work involves assessing costs, preparing bills and negotiating and seeking recovery of costs in personal injury litigation.
That expertise supports the handling of costs. It does not mean that every cost will necessarily be recovered from the other side.
How fees are calculated
Written costs information should explain professional fees or how they’ll be calculated, relevant VAT and anticipated expenses. It is usually provided through a Section 150 costs notice, or a written agreement containing the required information. Updated information is required if likely costs increase significantly.
Professional fees and expenses are separate parts of the discussion. Expenses may include medical reports, experts, barristers and application or court fees.
For personal injury litigation, a solicitor cannot calculate fees as a percentage or proportion of your award or settlement.
When payment is due and what you could owe
Payment timing and any conditional fee arrangement depend on the written terms for your individual case.
If a conditional arrangement is proposed, understand which professional fees, if any, would be waived if the claim did not succeed, and which expenses would remain payable.
The discussion should also cover unrecovered costs if the claim succeeds, possible liability for the other party’s costs in court proceedings and the consequences of withdrawing or changing solicitors.
Tell us if you have legal expenses insurance so its possible relevance can be considered. You should understand your financial position before deciding how to proceed.
Advice through the Irish claims process
Our role includes explaining which process applies and helping you understand the decisions along the way.
Most accident-related personal injury claims must first go through the Injuries Resolution Board, formerly known as PIAB, before court proceedings. The Board provides mediation and assessment services. Certain claims, including medical negligence claims, follow a different route.
When an assessment or settlement offer arises, you need advice about its legal effect, the evidence supporting it and any uncertainties about future needs.
Time limits also need early attention. For most negligence-based personal injury claims, the usual limitation period is two years from when the claim arose or the date of knowledge, if later. Exceptions and different rules can apply.
You can seek advice about the deadline while treatment continues.
What happens when you contact us?
Your first contact helps us understand what happened and arrange the appropriate next step. A detailed legal assessment may require further information and a meeting with a solicitor.
Useful starting information includes:
- When and where the accident happened.
- Your injuries and the treatment you have received.
- Any insurer correspondence or settlement offer.
- Photographs, witness details or accident reports you already have.
You don’t need a complete set of documents to make an enquiry.
When you speak with a solicitor, we’ll discuss the relevant deadline, available evidence, further information needed and the costs of proceeding. Ask about any charge for the meeting and the payment arrangements before it takes place.
The specialist team on your side
HOMS Assist supports clients across Ireland from offices in Dublin, Limerick and Cork.
When comparing Irish personal injury law firms, you should be able to connect their experience to the support your case needs. Our approach brings together relevant legal experience, support from the first enquiry and specialist attention to costs. We’ll explain how that team can support your case.
Learn more about our personal injury solicitors in Ireland or contact HOMS Assist on 1800 207 207 to discuss your circumstances.
We’re here to listen, explain and help you understand your next steps.
This article provides general information. Advice, costs, funding arrangements and deadlines depend on your individual circumstances.
