Glasgow is Scotland's largest city and the centre of the West of Scotland region. It has its own legal system distinct from England and Wales - Scots law differs in important ways that affect every personal injury claim brought in Scotland. Glasgow is home to the West of Scotland Major Trauma Network (launched 2021), a historic shipbuilding, engineering and mining economy with a heavy industrial-disease legacy, and the adjacent Strathclyde conurbation with 1.8 million residents.
Casibus connects injured people across Glasgow and the West of Scotland with regulated Scottish solicitors who know Scots law and the Scottish courts. Every case runs on a no win, no fee basis.
Why Scots law matters for your claim
Important legal differences from English claims:
- Different limitation legislation - Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 (not the English Limitation Act 1980). The three-year period still applies for most personal injury claims, but the rules on extension and date of knowledge are separately provided for. Section 19A gives the court discretion to extend the period where equitable.
Working with a Scottish-qualified solicitor is essential for Scottish personal injury claims. English-law firms without Scottish practising rights cannot conduct litigation in Scottish courts.
Who we help across Glasgow and the West of Scotland
- Glasgow - city centre, East End, West End, South Side, Govan, Partick, Dennistoun, Shawlands, Pollokshields, Maryhill.
The types of Glasgow personal injury claim we handle
Road traffic accidents in the West of Scotland
M8, M74, M77, M73, M80 and the Clyde Tunnel. As above, Scottish RTA claims do NOT go through the OIC portal or the whiplash tariff. Valued under Scottish common-law damages principles. Coverage includes car, cycle, motorcycle, pedestrian, and uninsured / untraced driver claims (through the MIB, which operates across Great Britain including Scotland).
Subway, rail, and bus claims
Glasgow Subway is the UK's third-oldest underground railway (operated by SPT); passenger claims against SPT on the common-carrier duty. Scotrail (state-owned since 2022) operates heavy rail. First Glasgow is the largest bus operator; new franchised bus arrangements are being progressively introduced.
Work accident claims
Distinctive West of Scotland sectors:
- Shipbuilding and marine engineering - BAE Systems Govan and Scotstoun, Ferguson Marine. Current operations generate contemporary claims; historic exposure generates substantial asbestos claims.
Medical negligence in Glasgow
Major NHS Boards and Trusts: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (QEUH, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Royal Alexandra, Inverclyde Royal, Royal Hospital for Children, Gartnavel General and Royal); NHS Lanarkshire (Hairmyres, Monklands, Wishaw General); NHS Ayrshire and Arran. Scottish clinical negligence claims are handled by the Central Legal Office (CLO) of the Scottish Government on behalf of NHS Scotland - not by NHS Resolution (England).
Industrial disease - the Clydebank asbestos legacy
Glasgow and the Clyde shipyards were the largest single concentration of UK asbestos exposure in the 20th century. Clydebank shipyards (John Brown's / Fairfield / Yarrow), Govan shipyards, Scotstoun, marine engineering, insulation lagging. Thousands of West of Scotland residents have developed mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis and pleural thickening over the decades since. See asbestos claims. Scottish asbestos claims are brought in Scottish courts - where specialist Scottish asbestos lawyers have particular expertise. The Rights of Relatives to Damages (Mesothelioma) (Scotland) Act 2007 preserves the dependant's separate claim even where the deceased settled for provisional damages during life - a Scottish-specific provision not available in England.
Where your claim could end up - Scottish courts
- Glasgow Sheriff Court (1 Carlton Place) - the main civil court for the Glasgow Sheriffdom.
Most claims settle without a hearing.
West of Scotland Major Trauma Network
Launched in August 2021, the West of Scotland Major Trauma Network centralises serious-injury care at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (adult MTC) and Royal Hospital for Children (paediatric MTC), both on the Govan-side QEUH campus. The Scottish Trauma Network coordinates with the Scottish Ambulance Service and Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance. Records from QEUH and RHC are the foundation of most serious Glasgow-area personal injury claims.
Funding - no win, no fee / speculative fee / DBA
Scottish no-win-no-fee arrangements use slightly different mechanics from English Conditional Fee Agreements - typically a Damages-Based Agreement (DBA) or Speculative Fee Agreement. Both work similarly from the claimant's perspective: no upfront fee, a success-fee deduction from compensation if the claim wins. Your Scottish solicitor explains the specific structure and percentages before you sign. For the broader framework see no win no fee explained.
