18th July 2010

Briscoe delighted he signed with Judicare after win...

LEE BRISCOE’s professional football career included 8 years at Sheffield Wednesday and a dozen caps for England U21s, before a recurring hamstring injury forced early retirement at just 29.

Looking around for what to do next, and like so many footballers both during and at the end of their careers, he decided to invest in a property abroad, putting down a deposit on a development in Spain. The alarm bells started to ring when a couple of years passed and nothing had materialised.

With hindsight Briscoe recognises that the legal advice he was getting from the solicitors that acted for him and the developer in the initial transaction may not have been particularly independent. In fact things weren't looking good until he instructed Judicare”.

Apart from the fact that Judicare has now won a Spanish court ruling ordering the developer to repay his deposit, interest and all costs, Lee points as much to the eighteen month journey with Judicare as the source of his satisfaction; “You feel a real connection with Judicare, partly because I guess the CEO Neil Heaney is an ex-pro [footballer], partly because he has been an investor with problems that seemed to have no solution - so he identifies with you." His confidence came from knowing that the law-firm’s remuneration was tied to winning the case: "It wasn’t just about taking our money, but about getting justice for us and being paid for doing a great job.”  

Relieved and wiser, Briscoe sums up the lesson: “ No matter how confident you are, you’ve got to get the right advice!”

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