You may have recently received an email from a company called Sentry, asking you to sign a form to transfer your claim file from Stephensons Solicitors to our firm, Clear Law.
When your previous solicitor set up your claim, they borrowed money from a funder to cover essential costs such as expert reports and court fees.
Sentry connects law firms with these funders. They manage payments between funders and legal firms and track the progress of legal claims.
VWM Capital are one of the funders who work with Sentry.
They are working to ensure your papers are passed to a solicitor who can assist following the closure of previous firms.
If you want to contact them directly please email vwm@capital.com
When a law firm is closed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), another firm is appointed to manage its files as an intervention agent.
Stephensons has been assigned this role for your case. They are responsible for storing and handling client files, but they do not actively work on claims.
We are a Manchester-based law firm with extensive experience handling cases like yours. We can help you navigate this situation and ensure your claim is managed properly.
Your claim was originally handled by McDermott Smith Solicitors, but they were shut down by the SRA due to financial and professional difficulties.
Some claims were transferred to Langton Law or BPS Solicitors, which have also since been shut down by the SRA.
If you transfer your case to us, we will:
You have to follow the instructions provided by VWM please log in to the portal and provide your authority
Please follow this link to visit the portal https://claimant.sentryfunding.co.uk/
Once you sign the form, it is sent to us via a secure online portal. From there, we will:
Our advice will likely fall into one of these three categories
No, you are free to choose any solicitor. However, given our experience and familiarity with these cases, we believe we are well-placed to assist you.
Ignoring this could put your claim at risk. The longer you wait, the harder it may be to recover your case, and the greater the chance of it failing altogether.
If your claim has already reached the court stage, it is even more urgent that you act now, as strict deadlines apply. Delays could result in penalties that may personally affect you.
If your case is already in court or if you have received court documents, it is critical that you sign the form as soon as possible.
Court deadlines are strict, and failing to comply could result in financial penalties or other negative consequences.
We will prioritise court-issued cases where possible to ensure your claim is handled urgently.
If you have any questions, are unsure about what to do next, or simply want your case resolved as soon as possible, please contact us.
We are here to help you get things back on track.
First and foremost, don't be worried.
In order that your claim is dealt with efficiently and without delays we need you to sign the FOA through the portal as advised. We cannot review your file of papers without you taking this step. Once you have done so we can obtain your file of papers from Stephensons and then contact you with the next steps.
Click the above links to take you through to claim specific information.