Jude Mason is a Chartered Legal Executive and has a legal career spanning 30 years with considerable experience gained working with leading defendant insurers solicitors before “jumping ship” to work for claimant’s solicitors and has been with Bott and Co for almost 14 years.
She brought with her considerable experience gained working with leading Defendant Insurance Solicitors, Weightmans and Davies Arnold Cooper.
Jude’s career has seen her specialising in employer’s liability and public liability claims but with considerable experience covering most areas of personal injury litigation and including motor claims together with large/complex loss and catastrophic injury claims.
In 2013 Jude was a finalist for Legal Executive of the Year category at the Manchester Legal Award. The category recognised individuals who had ‘exceptional and outstanding achievement as a contribution to the practice as well as high levels of client relationship skills.
More recently Jude has moved to the Road Traffic Accident team.
Bott and Co help over 30,000 people a year claim the compensation they deserve and we’ve had great feedback from clients:
“Total satisfaction from start to finish. Bott and Co were very professional and completed a very complex investigation on my behalf. They secured compensation for our ghastly stay in Turkey.
I would recommend them to any one that has had a bad incident on holiday. Thank you so much.”
Jude is a strong negotiator but above all is personally supportive of her clients and has a caring and sympathetic approach.
She has a determined commitment to her clients and strives to give practical legal solutions while keeping the client in the loop throughout the claims process.
“I will always go the extra mile to ensure all decisions in the claims process are made in the best interests of the client,” says Jude.
Department
Where did your initial interest in Law come from?
I spent four weeks doing jury service at Liverpool Crown Court in the second year of my degree and thought I’d like to go into Law rather than pursue a career in Psychology.
What is the most enjoyable part of your job?
Being able to go out and meet clients, visit their homes and develop relationships with them – particularly when they have suffered life changing injuries. Meeting clients face to face enables me to get so much more from them, which then assists me in dealing with their claim.
You’ve been at Bott and Co for over 10 years now – how have changes in the legal industry affected you during this time?
Things have changed massively. I’m old enough to remember the law pre-Woolf (that will take too long to explain, so those not old enough should Google it!). The changes have been pretty dramatic for lawyers over the last decade and I’m lucky to have had experience during the early years of my career.
In the early days – when I was training as a Legal Executive – I would go out to court every day and attend hearings. I was even called to give evidence in a court case on one occasion.
Unfortunately these days we seldom go to court; most hearings are done by telephone. I really miss that part of the job.
What’s the best/worst gift you’ve ever received?
The best present I ever had was a car on my 21st birthday because it was a complete surprise. The worst present would probably be a salt and pepper set from my ex-husband.
What is your favourite holiday destination and why?
I loved Australia and had the opportunity to go there twice. It’s a fantastic country – I would do anything to go there again and would recommend it to anyone!
What would you be if you weren’t a Solicitor?
Occupational Therapist. They do amazing things for people in rehabilitation.
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why?
I would go to the Maldives so I could sit on a beach (which is what I’d want to do every day of the year anyway if I wasn’t at work), preferably with very few people on it and then go and have a really ritzy dinner with cocktails and fine wines. The perfect place to chill and unwind.
What is a skill you’d like to learn and why?
Sarah (my PA) will tell you that I have always wanted to learn to ice skate. Sarah paid for me to have ice skating lessons for my birthday last year. I’m rubbish but I love it!
What is your biggest achievement to date and why?
In my legal career it would be when Bott and Co nominated me for Legal Executive of the Year at the Manchester legal awards in 2013. I was lucky enough to be shortlisted as one of three finalists.