20 Years of Patinos
Camels and Claims
The 1st of September 2023 marks the 20th Anniversary of the opening of our Firm’s first office in Meadowbrook. Our Legal Practitioner Director, Colin Patino, looks back at what it was like to open the doors and wait for the phone to ring back in 2003…
“After arriving in Australia from England at age 27, I worked initially for FAI Insurance as a ‘Major Claims Consultant’, with the responsibility of managing claims being pursued on behalf of claimants with brain injuries, severe spinal injuries and amputees. I then moved on to a larger personal injury law firm, followed by a smaller law firm with a solid personal injury practice undertaking WorkCover and public liability injury matters, before accepting a role in a ‘niche’ personal injury practice. At each firm I tried to learn from the lawyers around me – what I should do and sometimes what I shouldn’t do!
Then in 2003 came the perfect storm…
At the time the world of personal injury claims was in an ‘insurance crisis’, which many thought would bring to an end personal injury law litigation in Australia as we knew it. Many lawyers exited the field as it became more complicated, with new legislation and accordingly new processes required. There were delays in finalising the new legislation, leaving victims without compensation and their lawyers in limbo. The cost of work undertaken and outlays incurred were piling up.
Obviously, nobody in their right mind would open their first law firm in these conditions! And yet, a completely coincidental increase in real estate prices created a little bit of equity in our first home. And so, my wife and I re-mortgaged, tightened our belts and entered into a lease for an office. I roped in my brother Phil, and his band of merry men to fit out the front part of the office which clients would see, but not the back office. We bought new furniture for the front and second-hand furniture for the back. I held my breath and waited for work...
As far as first clients go, I’d hoped for an enquiry into a relatively straightforward motor vehicle accident or work injury. After a few weeks of sitting in silence, in walked a lady in a sling. Little did I know this case would not be as straightforward as I had hoped. The conversation started;
“What happened?”
“I fell off a camel on Great Keppel Island.”
I nearly fell off my chair! Doing the best I could to maintain a poker face;
“Was anybody else involved?”
“Yes – I have 2 friends who fell off their camels too.”
Unsurprisingly I hadn’t managed any Camel claims before either in the North West of England or in Queensland, but what could go wrong? I signed up the client and her friends, rolled up my sleeves and got to work. Wednesday ‘hump day’ took on a whole new meaning.
In 2004 the trickle which was the camel accident became a slip and fall in a supermarket. Followed by public liability accident, a work injury and lastly one of the poor ladies who fell off a camel, was involved in a motor vehicle accident.
As for the camels, eventually the ‘claims management company’ found a dead wasp under the blanket of one of the camels. They said obviously the wasp stung one of the camels, which obviously caused one of the camels to react, throwing riders to the ground.
“Nice try, just pay up.” we said, and after a little over a year they did! Patinos Personal Lawyers was up and running… or rather, galloping.”