When it comes to making a personal injury claim, the quality of the legal advice that you receive is essential. You need sound legal advice, from an expert in your injuries or accident, so that you can make an informed decision regarding whether to claim.
Here’s the information that a solicitor must provide to you, when you contact them:
- Claim limitations
The lawyer you speak to must make it clear what limitations can hold back a personal injury claim, and what limitations could affect your eligibility to claim. The main limitations are: Liability – you must have a level of diminished liability to have a claim, and Time – you must bring your accident claim forward within three years from the date your accident happened, or from the date your injuries first became clear, to comply with the Limitation Act 1980.
- Your legal rights following an accident
You should be made completely aware of your legal rights following an accident, and in turn, what laws will allow you to bring your claim forward. Without understanding what your rights are, you will not be in a strong position to decide whether to make a claim. The main thing to remember is that you have the legal right to compensation, if you have been injured in an accident through no fault of your own by somebody else.
- How strong your claim is
You may well have the legal right to make a claim for compensation, but what good is that if you have a very weak claim? You need to know how strong your claim is so that you can make an informed decision going forwards – and it is the job of your solicitors for accident advice to inform you of this. Strong claims are those where liability is easy to ascertain, and where there is indisputable evidence. However, many claims can be processed without physical evidence, so long as there are medical reports to support the claimant.
- Details about ‘no win, no fee’ agreements
All personal injury claims in the United Kingdom are processed on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis, and you need to know what these types of agreement stipulate before you agree to anything. ‘No win, no fee’ is a term used to describe a ‘conditional fee agreement’. Under an agreement of this type, you should not have any legal fees to pay upfront nor during the claims process, and you should not have to pay any of your own lawyer’s fees should your claim be unsuccessful. However, if your claim loses, then you may still be presented with a bill from the other side, who may want to reclaim their costs.
