A GREAT Yarmouth legal executive has secured one of his largest damages claims for a client who suffered a psychological injury at work.

Neil Austin, a partner at Gordon Dean, represented a client from Yarmouth who received �700,000 damages in an out of court settlement with his firm earlier this month.

Mr Austin, who has been a legal executive for over 30 years, said: “It is one of the largest settlements I have ever had, though I can’t say for sure if it is the largest. Certainly one of the biggest since I started in the legal profession.”

However, he said he was not surprised by the amount of the award because it included the loss of earnings suffered by the client, who can not be named as well as the psychological damage he sustained which means he can not work again.

The legal executive, who specialises in injury cases, started at a law firm in Leicester over 30 years ago before moving on to Norwich where he worked for Leathes Prior and Overburys.

He moved to Yarmouth 10 years ago, working initially for Norton Peskett solicitors before becoming a partner at Gordon Dean, in Church Plain.

He said: “I was not surprised by the level of the award because it is a calculation based on loss of both current and future earnings.

“It is then a case of negotiations with the insurance company to secure the correct level of compensation.”