6 Things to Look for When Choosing a Personal Injury Solicitor
If you are looking for a personal injury solicitor, chances are you are not an expert in personal injury law, nor have you likely gone through the process before. Personal injury is often unexpected and can happen to anyone. The process of deciding which solicitor to choose can be daunting, especially when you do not know what to look for. This article will outline 6 things to look for when choosing a personal injury solicitor, with the goal of giving you the tools to make a more informed decision.
1.Trustworthiness
Positive recommendations are often the first step to choosing your personal injury solicitor. Recommendations by friends and family are often the most reliable, however if you do not know anyone in your circle who has gone through a personal injury claim, there are other means of assessing the trustworthiness of a personal injury solicitor, such as review web sites.
Cross check across different websites for customer reviews. Looking at sites such as, Review Solicitors, Trustpilot, Google, and Facebook is a good start for reducing your options in order to look more in depth at other aspects.
2. Real-Life Case Studies
By reading client testimonials on the solicitor’s web site, you can understand the direct ways in which a personal injury solicitor may be able to help with your claim.
By identifying with cases in which people have suffered in similar ways to yourself, this may give you increased confidence in the capabilities of the personal injury solicitor, providing you with reassurance and direction with how to proceed.
Additionally, statistics demonstrating the solicitor’s monetary achievements obtained for their clients provide further reassurance for prospective clients. Of course, there is no fixed sum on what monetary value you could achieve, but it may give you an indication.
3. No Win No Fee
No win no fee personal injury solicitors provide you with an opportunity to process your claim without paying any upfront costs, which helps many people. Legal fees can be incredibly expensive and deter people from getting the justice they deserve.
There are significant benefits to choosing to work with no win no fee solicitors, they alleviate stress from clients with the best interests of the client being paramount.
It is vital that the agreement you choose is one that caps the percentage of your compensation that can be offset to cover your solicitor’s fees at the end of a successful claim. It is very important for solicitors to be transparent and open about the percentage of your final compensation that you are likely to receive.
4. Accreditations
If you have already identified a personal injury solicitor with a positive reputation through recommendations and evidence of expertise, chances are they will be accredited within the field of personal injury.
However, there is no harm in checking what these accreditations are. Accreditations are the action or process of officially recognising an organisation as having a status or qualification to perform a specific activity.
Good and professional personal injury solicitors should have an accreditation from organisations such as the Law Society, the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL), Legal 500, and others.
These organisations exist to set extensive standards which provides clients with confidence that they are speaking with certified specialists within their field. These organisations ensure the continuation of high standards by regular re-authorisation and reselection, guaranteeing that accredited solicitors have the capacity and competency to deal with the complexity of your case.
5. Location
Contrary to expectations, your personal injury solicitor does not necessarily need to be a short distance away.
Rather, a solicitor that suits your needs the best could be situated in a different city or region entirely!
The modern age has brough many advantages , including ease of communication between yourself and your solicitor through telephone, email, letters, and even video-calls. Video calls, in particularly, are an effective way to have ‘face to face’ meetings between yourself and the solicitor and still builds a great relationship.
It also has the advantage of maintaining an effective trail of communication to refer back to and allows the claimant to process documentation at their own convenience.
This therefore gives you, the claimant, choice with who to work with. A specialist in your type of personal injury claim may not be available locally, and using technology allows you to choose from a wider range of legal teams that are perhaps more specialist to deal with your case.
6. Commitment to YOU
Remember. You are not a number, you are not just another case, you are a person suffering from negligence due to the fault of someone else and you should be treated as such.
Fast, compassionate responses from your solicitor are fundamental to the process, not just in maintaining a strong relationship but in providing you with reassurance through what can often be a daunting and opaque process.
A proper commitment to you as an individual ensures that your case will be dealt with, with you in mind throughout.
The nuances and complexities of yourself and your case should be at the forefront of your legal representatives mind throughout.
If you don’t feel like that is being given to you from your first consultation, the standard of care and commitment may not be guaranteed throughout your case.
A positive attitude and empathy from your lawyer is a key aspect to consider when choosing the best personal injury solicitor for you.
Personal Injury Claim
When choosing a personal injury solicitor, it is important to find someone you feel comfortable with and who has the experience and knowledge necessary to handle your case.
Stonehewer Moss solicitors have been helping people with their personal injury claims for over 25 years.
We pride ourselves on our professionalism and our dedication to each and every one of our clients.
Contact us today for a free consultation about your personal injury claim.
