About usKey team membersBen PriestleyBen is a solicitor and partner at Serious Law. He has been responsible for many of the firm’s most complex and high-value cases over the last 20 years.
He has represented numerous adults and children in cases involving brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, cerebral palsy, other serious injuries, and fatal accidents.
Ben’s focus is always rehabilitation and practical support for his clients, together with ensuring they achieve the best possible outcome in their claim.
He regularly concludes multi-million-pound settlements on behalf of his clients, often involving a lump sum of damages combined with an annual payment, for life.
Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) panel solicitor
Headway panel solicitor
BASIC (Brain and Spinal Injury Centre) panel solicitor
Legal 500 "Leading Individual":
2015: "Very knowledgeable"
2016: "Extensive experience of handling very serious personal injury claims. The team is a shining example of how difficult cases ought be managed."
2017: "An outstanding professional who has excellent communication skills and is fully supportive of his clients"
2018: "An excellent communicator, supportive of his clients and well versed in the importance of rehabilitation"
2019: "Ben Priestley is a real star of the personal injury profession"
2020: "Ben Priestley is a superstar. He is calm, methodical and personable with clients, but he is a ruthless litigator with a first-class brain"
'Sarah' - Pedestrian hit by car - Sarah's parents transferred instructions to Serious Law 6 months after her accident, as they wanted to ensure that their daughter's case was being handled by a specialist serious injury solicitors, given the severity of her injuries and the liability dispute.
'Richard' - Motorcycle collision - Richard was involved in a serious motorcycle accident caused by the dangerous driving of the defendant. As a result of the accident, our client was left with a severe traumatic brain injury which had wide ranging implications for him and his family.
'Harry' – Life changing injuries following clinical negligence - Harry suffered life changing injuries as a result of a breach of duty of care by the hospital responsible for his care.
'Caroline' - Paralysed during spinal surgery - Caroline suffered irreversible damage following a surgical error during cervical spine surgery. Caroline was left paralysed from the chest down with loss of function and sensation, leaving her entirely dependent upon others.
'Alistair' - Hit by a taxi whilst riding a motorcycle - Alistair was struck by a taxi whilst riding his motorbike. He suffered multiple orthopaedic injuries and the amputation of his lower right leg.
'George' - A front seat passenger involved in a head on collision - George sustained a catastrophic brain injury in a road traffic accident whilst travelling as a passenger in a friend's car.
Spinal cord injury – paraplegia – 23-year-old passenger in car
Spinal cord injury – incomplete tetraplegia – 88-year-old passenger in car
Spinal cord injury – tetraplegia – 16-year-old – accident in gym class
Spinal cord injury – high tetraplegia – accident in exercise class
Spinal cord and brain injury – fall from height in hotel
Spinal cord and brain injury – passenger in car - alcohol and seat belt issues – 'locked-in syndrome'
Spinal cord and brain injury – pedestrian struck by van whist walking to church
Spinal cord injury – fall from height whilst working in shopping centre
Brain Injury – 13 year old struck by car close to school - £12.3m gross settlement
Brain injury – motorcyclist struck by car turning across path
Brain injury – cyclist without helmet knocked off bike in central London
Brain injury – minimally conscious state – 26-year-old passenger in car driven at high speed
Brain injury – pillion passenger thrown from motorcycle
Brain injury – pedestrian struck by delivery car at night on poorly lit road
Brain injury – 2-year-old passenger in car
Fatal accident – motor sport event – multiple defendants
Fatal accident – road traffic accident after lorry driver fell asleep at the wheel
Fatal accident – pedestrian struck by off-duty policeman on unlit road
Fatal accident – motorist struck escaped cattle
Lower limb amputation – cyclist struck by Range Rover
Above knee amputation – motorcyclist struck by turning car
Serious orthopaedic / polytrauma injuries – pedestrian struck by car when attempting to assist after previous accident
Many cases involving pedestrians (often children) being struck by cars and buses leading to brain and spinal cord injuries
Numerous clinical negligence cases including;
Criminal injuries compensation claims – successful appeal of previous award before the tribunal panel resulting in a maximum award available under the scheme
Ben also receives instructions in cases where a previous serious injury claim has been under-settled by the client’s previous solicitors
Ben is a Trustee of a UK charity that provides distance-learning diplomas for refugees in East Africa.
"To be honest, when the accident first occurred and our seriously injured daughter was in hospital, getting a lawyer involved was the least of our priorities but after a few weeks we decided we needed help and a junior lawyer from the previous law firm was walking around the wards of the hospital
Whilst we asked them to act for us/our daughter, we didn't feel confident with them as we felt like we had to push them all the time to do things when we should have been concentrating on caring for our seriously injured daughter
Serious Law were recommended to us by someone we knew, and we decided to get in contact with them.
From the outset, Ben Priestley gave us so much confidence that he knew what he was doing and could really help us.
We wish that Ben had been involved from the outset as he would have been able to ensure that our daughter was placed in the right care for her situation. Before we got in touch with Serious Law, our daughter was on an NHS ward which wasn't suitable for her personal situation which Ben addressed straight away. Prior to that, we could see our daughter's condition deteriorating as she needed specialist care.
Ben helped us find a home which was right for our daughter's situation which was really important to us and our daughter.
Overall, we felt 100% better when Ben got involved in our daughter's case as it felt like a weight had been lifted from us as Ben took over the things that we weren't confident in handling.
Ben arranged for a new Case Manager to manage our daughter's rehabilitation and support as the previous Case Manager didn't really tell us what was going on or give advice.
Ben was in regular contact with us and always told us what he had done and what he needed to do which meant we could focus our attention on our daughter as we didn't have to worry.
We had every confidence that what was needed to be done was being done.
Ben always gave his advice in plain English, even on complicated legal things, and if we were unsure of something he would explain things really clearly.
He was responsive to phone calls, e-mails and correspondence and was always on the end of the phone when we needed him.
As things have moved along with our daughter's case, Tim Walters and his assistant Johanna have become involved from a Court of Protection perspective. This has taken a massive worry away from us in terms of handling our daughter's finances, care etc. We found this could be quite complicated but Tim and Johanna have taken charge and made things so much easier for us.
We would say that anybody we have come into contact with at Serious Law has been excellent.
If we were to give Serious Law a mark out of the 10, we could give them a 10.5. We could not fault them in any way.
Parents of client
"Brain injury is like no other personal injury claim so having the right, specialist legal team is essential. We are reaching the end of our litigation journey and I will always be grateful for the amazing support from Serious Law and in particular Ben Priestley, who made sure we got the best possible outcome for my severely brain injured husband, whilst helping me to stay solvent and sane through what is a complex and often challenging process.Mrs C Korving, wife of brain injured client
"First and foremost I would like to say a big thank you to you and your team for all the work you have undertaken over the past 3 years which culminated in the positive outcome for XXXX yesterday. From the first time we met I have been very impressed by your honesty, integrity and ability to explain complex issues into normal speak. I don't know if this has been a straight forward or complex case for you but what I do know is that you have provided XXXX with hope and purpose where there so easily could have been a giant void for her after what happened whilst realistically managing her expectations throughout.Mr D Jones, brother of client who has a spinal cord injury
"The overall package of what you have done has been brilliant. The outcome I got means that I am set up for life now. You and your firm have been really helpful and you as a team have been fantasticMr S.L.R. - major trauma patient, Manchester
"I just wanted to repeat what mum has already said. We have felt in safe hands the whole way through this process. You have been clear and precise at all times, and unfailingly diligent. A massive thank you from the whole family for your expert guidance and supportMr G.D. - son of client who suffered a spinal cord injury"Once again I would just like to thank-you Ben, Rob and all of the team who helped with the case. I appreciate it was a tough case and I’m grateful you took it on and fought our corner. My mother and father asked me to tell you how grateful they are and that you're in their daily prayersMrs N.K. daughter of client with brain injury following clinical negligence"Gillian Lakes, Ben Priestley and Richard Crabtree have displayed an excellent ability to understand complex issues. They make clients feel comfortable and at ease.The Legal 500"Ben Priestley is a real star of the personal injury profession. He is unfailingly calm and polite, unflappable and able to conduct the most complex litigation. He is superb with clients, opponents and counsel.The Legal 500"Ben Priestley – Ben has a very calming manner and amazing people skills; he's someone you'll look forward to seeing as he builds a strong bond with his clients. Don't confuse kindness with weakness, Ben's legal knowledge and experience means he'll fight for his clients every step of the way.The Legal 500"Ben Priestley, Tim Walters and Chris Lecky care about their client and families and demonstrate this by taking a clinical and personal interest whilst maintaining professional boundaries. They go above and beyond in terms of facilitating for any issues that arise and help to troubleshoot by acting as an extension of the treating team.The Legal 500"Ben Priestley is a superstar. He is calm, methodical and personable with clients, but he is a ruthless litigator with a first-class brain.The Legal 500
