PERSONAL INJURY SOLICITOR - ACCIDENT COMPENSATION CLAIM - UK LAWYERS

A specialist personal injury solicitor offers an independent, professional service with unique consumer protection :-

• Compulsory insurance and independent complaints handling machinery in the unlikely event that there is a problem with the service.
• Independence, integrity and confidentiality guaranteed by professional rules.
• Training and entry to the solicitors' profession takes a minimum of six years. Once qualified, solicitors must keep up to date through a programme of continuing education.
• The Law Society governs entry to the profession, ensuring that a new personal injury solicitor is a fit and proper person and has undergone the relevant training.
• Solicitors wishing to practise must obtain a practising certificate annually from the Law Society which guarantees that a personal injury solicitor is properly qualified and is complying with the professional rules laid down by the Law Society.
• A personal injury solicitor must have professional indemnity insurance, which covers cases where solicitors are negligent.
• All solicitors must contribute to a compensation fund which ensures that if a personal injury solicitor is dishonest the public will not suffer financially.

Personal Injury Solicitor

Our lawyers must belong to the Solicitors Regulation Authority panel of personal injury experts. The SRA panel is only open to those who have expertise and experience in settling accident claims. An expert personal injury solicitor must be able to show detailed knowledge in the following areas of law :-

• Road Traffic Act
• Occupiers Liability Act
• common law of negligence
• contributory negligence
• Civil Evidence Act
• Motor Insurers Bureau
• vicarious liability
• employers liability
• Health and Safety at Work Act
• Consumer Protection Act 1987
• Fatal Accident Act 1976
• knowledge of social security law
• European Community legislation

Ethical Issues

• use of expert witnesses
• disclosure of medical reports
• conflict
  • instructing an expert witness who was previously a client
  • receiving opponent solicitors papers by mistake
  • acting for a driver and passengers in connection with a road accident
  • acting for a client when previously acted for that client's employer who is a party to the proceedings

Professional Skills

• general skills
  • negotiation
  • interviewing
  • advising clients
  • drafting
  • appraisal of issues
• specialist skills
  • drafting of pleadings
  • investigation and research
  • damages and interest calculation
  • case management
  • Utilising expert witnesses
  • DSS procedure
  • persons under a disability
• advocacy skills
  • commitment to take appropriate cases to a full hearing

Solicitors Practice Rules

The Law Society has a series of practice rules which govern the way a personal injury solicitor behaves which includes :-

• The lawyer must always act in their client's interest except when it conflicts with a solicitor's duty to uphold justice as an "Officer of the Supreme Court".
• A lawyer must not act if your interests as a client might conflict with the interests of another client.
• Client details must be kept confidential.
• Clients' money must be kept in a separate account.
• Solicitors may not set up on their own, or supervise an office, until they have been qualified for three years.

Personal Injury Advice

If you would like advice from a specialist personal injury solicitor just use the helpline or complete the contact form and a member of the Solicitors Regulation Authority panel of personal injury experts will speak to you on the telephone with no charge and with with no further obligation.

Our solicitors operate the no win no fee* scheme otherwise known as a conditional fee agreement. No legal charge is payable unless the legal case is won and the client obtains an award of compensation. In the event that the legal claim is lost there is no charge made to the client.