Gillian Lakes

I’m a dedicated Partner, Director of Serious Injury and Head of our Bolton Office. I qualified in 1999 and have extensive experience in personal injury law.

I specialise in representing clients who have sustained catastrophic and serious injuries, including those arising from road traffic accidents, workplace incidents and military service. My focus is on serious and catastrophic injury cases, including brain and spinal injuries, amputations and chronic pain.

I’m very passionate about my work and find great fulfilment in helping clients and their families to achieve the best possible outcomes, supporting them through rehabilitation and enabling them to rebuild their lives post-accident.

I’m Treasurer of Headway Wigan & Leigh and this role sits naturally alongside my legal practice as it reflects a sustained commitment to supporting people and families living with the long-term effects of brain injury.

I was made a Director of Serious Injury in November 2025 and my role has developed into a senior leadership position which is not only legal but also cultural and operational – I particularly enjoy supporting colleagues and mentoring lawyers in addition to helping develop talent and contributing to business development.

I like to combine technical strength with a calm, compassionate and practical approach. Clients and partner organisations consistently describe me as professional, diligent and supportive, and my work is particularly associated with securing early rehabilitation and long-term support as well as compensation. I always adopt a very personal approach with my clients and their families to ensure they feel at ease and they know that they contact me or my team at any time.

ANON:

The claimant, (young child) sustained serious personal injuries including a severe traumatic brain injury whilst attempting to cross a road with a family member on her way to school. She was struck by the defendant’s vehicle. Liability was always formally denied and consideration of both liability and damages issues continued for a number of years. Eventually, proceedings were issued and liability evidence was commissioned and served by both parties. Following a joint settlement meeting a settlement of £1.5m which was later accepted and approved by the court.

ANON:

The client’s motorcycle was struck head on by the defendant’s vehicle, knocking him from his motorcycle, leaving him with significant orthopaedic injuries and a TBI. The client required extremely complex and long-term surgeries and rehabilitation, facing many set backs along the way. During this time, the defendant attempted to offer lower-value settlement, which the client refused as his recovery was far from over. The resulted in the defendants insurer withdrawing funding for the client’s rehabilitation, which Gillian proactively issued legal proceedings against. Around three and a half years post-accident, the defendant’s made a Part 36 offer to settle our client’s claim for the sum of £600,000 which Gillian advised him to reject as the offer was too low based on the evidence in our possession. Once in receipt of further medical and quantum evidence, the parties attended a Joint Settlement Meeting where our client’s claim was settled for the gross sum of £1.6 million.

December 2025

P v K – £3.25 million gross settlement for a child who suffered a severe Brain injury.

I enjoy mentoring and developing my team, leading by example and taking a personal approach so that both colleagues and clients feel at ease, while drawing on each other’s individual strengths to complement one another.

Fletchers is a fantastic place to work, it feels like a big family. It has excellent career progression opportunities, I was appointed Head of Serious Injury for Bolton in 2024, made an Associate in August 2024, made the Head of our Bolton office in March 2025 and a Partner August 2025. I was more recently promoted to Director in November 2025. I love the culture at Fletchers and they care not only about clients, but also their staff.

Spending time with family, travelling (particularly the Lake District), walking, food and enjoying good red wine (and the odd ‘Gilly G n T’). My Kindle is always nearby when I’m not working and I’ve recently become a mum to two new family members, my ducks, Dave and Denise!