Personal Injury Lawyers

Finding the Best Personal Injury Lawyers

by: Mart Gil Abareta

If you've been injured in an accident, then you may be able to recover compensation. Remember that you must take legal advice from a quality personal injury lawyer as soon as possible after your accident to ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve. Get legal help for your injuries by finding an injury lawyer that has experience in your claim area and is confident they can help you.

If you consider asking a personal injury lawyer for legal assistance, you must not be discouraged by the sudden mesh of advertisements of various law firms and independent personal injury lawyers everywhere. For your information, there is an easier way to find the best legal counsel for your personal injury case – learn how to find a lawyer through an online directory. By this, you’ll be able to save time, money and effort, and you’ll not be searching through databases of reliable, experienced and previously-screened attorneys in your geographic region.

In searching a personal injury attorney, you won't even have to pay him unless you win a settlement for your case. Upon using a good online lawyer directory, you’ll be able to know the particulars on your legal fees, your location will then be considered, and will then weigh highly in your list of responses. What’s truly important, however, is the history of your potential attorney in handling your type of case. Since the law can be complex and complicated, you must be sure that you’ll retain the best-trained personal injury lawyer possible.

In addition, you don’t only need a personal injury lawyer who excels in personal injury law. You also need someone who completely understands the jurisdiction of your region. Also, you must ask yourself this question before hiring a personal injury lawyer – Are you comfortable with that lawyer and are you confident in his abilities? If the answer is anything other than a resounding "yes," you must keep looking. Your case is too important to entrust to someone who does not inspire your confidence.

When you start looking for personal injury lawyers in your area, don't randomly pick names from advertisements that stretch the truth. Take advantage of matching services and ensure that your needs are going to be met. When you find the best possible resource for personal injury lawyers, you will have a greater chance of turning a bad situation into one that you can cope with. Take just a little time and try using one of these services. You’ll never know, you may not have to go any further to find the most competent counsel for your legal needs!

What is the true definition of a Personal Injury Lawyer?

by: Matt Clarkson

Personal injury cases are brought about by physical injury or mental anguish caused by actions or negligence of another party.

Personal Injury cases can include Auto Accidents, Defamation of Character, Product Defects and Medical Malpractice to name just a few. In order to be sure if your personal injury case has validity in the eyes of the law, contact a legal professional in your state.

If you suffer accidental personal injury or damages through the fault of another, that person or business is legally responsible (liable) and can be required to pay compensation. To determine responsibility, the court looks for negligence--carelessness by one of the parties involved. Whoever is determined to have been less careful (i.e. more negligent), is legally responsible for at least part of the damages incurred.

Compensation is generally awarded based on the strength of your documentation and degree of injury. A legal professional is recommended in Personal Injury cases over all others in order to maximize your compensation in the face of the Insurance companies, which normally defend such cases.

Personal injury cases are serious matters. They often involve grave injury, permanent disability, and even death. Victims depend on the personal injury lawyer to recover financial damages that are required to cover their medical treatments, replace permanently lost income, and compensate for their pain and suffering.

Without a qualified, experienced personal injury lawyer, their chances of receiving fair compensation plummet. That's why it’s really important that, if you’ve been a victim of personal injury, you choose the right personal injury lawyer to represent you. Here are a few things to consider when making your selection:

Choose an attorney who specializes in personal injury

Your personal injury lawyer should be able to accurately assess the merits of a personal injury case, approximate its monetary value, and determine the best strategy for pursuing it. He or she should also have extensive experience in the field. Your personal injury lawyer should also who keep current with the latest developments in personal injury law.

Choose a personal injury lawyer experienced in dealing with insurance companies

Insurance company lawyers represent most personal injury case defendants. These corporate lawyers seek to pay out the least amount possible, so an inexperienced personal injury lawyer may be at a disadvantage in these negotiations. Therefore, choosing a personal injury lawyer with a proven track record of successful negotiations is essential.

Choose a personal injury lawyer with trial experience

Although most personal injury claims are settled out of court, personally injury lawyers sometimes obtain favorable settlements by threatening to take cases to trial. The defendants are often willing to pay out more money to the plaintiffs to avoid expensive trials, negative publicity, and the chance that a court would award the plaintiffs more money. In this case, experience is key: if your personal injury lawyer has never won cases in court, the defendant in your lawsuit may not take the threat of going to trial seriously.

Personal Injury Solicitor - 5 Things To Consider Before Choosing

by: Mumtaz Shah

Making sure you have the right personal injury solicitor to represent you in your accident compensation claim is vital. However, with so many people claiming to be accident compensation solicitors, how can you possibly know which accident claim solicitor is going to be the best one for you?

Simple, ask the following 5 questions:

1. Is The Personal Injury Specialist Qualified To Handle Your Accident Claim?

May sound rather like a silly question, but today most solicitors elect to specialise in particular areas of law. As such, you need to make sure your solicitor specialises in accident injury claims before you appoint them.

Keep in mind that if your chosen accident claim solicitor does not specialise in this particular area of law then they are unlikely to know what the current trends in the law are and this could end up costing you money. Moreover, the area of law dealing with accidents tends to be highly specialised – requiring certain medical terminology skills.

Again, if your solicitor is not aware of these, it could end up costing you! So, before agreeing to hire an accident solicitor, make sure you ask if he/she has current experience in this area of law. You may even want to ask if their law firm has a specialised accident injury department. If they don't, you should possibly consider going to another law firm that does.

2. Is Your Personal Injury Solicitor Taking Any Charges From You?

When you and your accident claim solicitor sign a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) you want to make sure that in the agreement the solicitor is going to claim for all of their fees and expenses from the opponent and not from any accident compensation you receive.

If the solicitor gives you any problems here, don't hire them and remind them of the Access to Justice Act which permits them to claim all reasonable costs from the other party!

3. Out-Of-Pocket Expenses?

Most personal injury solicitors love to include a clause in the CFA that you are going to be responsible for all out-of-pocket expenses. Out-of-pocket expenses can include any medical treatment you receive at the request of your accident compensation solicitor, any overtime incurred by the solicitor's staff, telephone and fax charges, etc.

The solicitor should be responsible for these costs which should be re-claimed from your opponent. However, be warned: the courts will only allow you to claim 'reasonable' costs and only on the basis of you winning your case.

4. Is The Accident Compensation Solicitor Aiming To Settle Or Go To Court?

Sometimes, though not always, solicitors don't listen to the wishes of their clients and instead go after what they believe the law entitles their client to claim. As such, if you want to settle the claim, rather than go to court, you should ask your accident claim solicitor whether they have any objection to such.

Conversely, if you want to go to court, but your solicitor is advising that you settle the claim, you should discuss this with them to see if there are any adverse effects for taking your accident compensation claim to court.

5. What Happens If You Lose?

Solicitors are expensive – so what happens if you lose? You need to ask this question of your accident claim solicitor to see if he/she is willing to insure your claim against the chances that you may lose.

Keep in mind that if you do lose it is not your personal injury solicitor who is going to be reasonable for the fees and expenses that have accrued to-date, but you! And you don't want to be the victim of the same accident twice, so don't listen to any discussions about how you cannot lose and make sure you have adequate protection should the impossible actually happen!

Personal Injury Lawyer - Do We Need Them?

by: Mumtaz Shah

Following an accident you'll hear a person say that they don't need to see a personal injury lawyer, TOO expensive! In this article we will set out for you some reasons why NOT seeking, at minimum, a consultation with an accident lawyer could end up costing you a lot of money!

More often than not, regardless of whether you caused the accident or are its victim, if you do not seek a consultation with an accident lawyer as soon as possible after the accident you may well end up regretting your decision. The overriding reasons for saying this are two-fold:

• the insurance company you will be making your claim against are trying to minimise their losses; and

• you most probably don't know what you're entitled to.

As A Victim Of An Accident

Let's assume you are the victim of an unfortunate accident. Let's further assume that your insurance company has come through and has agreed to pay all your medical bills. Now, you may well be feeling that your insurance company are the good guys and you don't need a lawyer's advice. Wrong!

What's happened is nothing less than what the insurance company is obligated to do under the terms and conditions of your accident policy. Moreover, the insurance company is hoping to play on the fact that you feel somewhat indebted to their generosity.

Profitability

That way, they hope, you'll not bring about a bigger claim for what you are rightly entitled to. In the long run that means that they don't have quiet as big an insurance claim loss and they can still make a profit from your policy.

In short, they are protecting their financial wellbeing at the cost of your entitlement rights. But, unless you have spoken to a personal injury lawyer you'll not know this and you'll feel that everything is fine.

So, the next time you are in an car accident or accident, ask yourself this question: 'Is my insurance company interested in protecting me and my rights, or are they more concerned with paying a dividend to their shareholders?'

Non-Profitability

On the other hand, a professional compensation lawyer is normally an ethical impartial third party who knows what your rights are. Aside from possibly being paid a fee, not from or by you, he's also likely to have another job to help a victim better than its' insurance company, (and, keep in mind, if any court proceedings occur, these fees are reclaimed from the opponent side).

So, why shouldn't they tell you the truth about what accident compensation you are entitled to? What's more, even if he does have a financial interest in your case, surely the better compensated you are, the better compensated he is?

As such, if anything, he has even more interest in making sure that you know exactly what your rights are and of making sure that you claim for those rights according to what you are entitled to.

Looked at it like this, it not too difficult to see who the interested party is and who the independent party is. Now ask yourself: 'Do you want to take advice from someone who is interested in minimising your claim, or someone who is interested in maximising it?'

Cause Of An Accident

Now let's look at it from the point of view of, you being the person at fault in the accident. You may well feel that you have nothing to fear, as your insurance company will pay for the damage done. You may even find that initially your insurance company agrees with this. But why...?

Unless you see an accident lawyer as soon as possible after the accident you'll never know. Why? Are you 100% sure that it was your fault...?

Being Polite

The insurance company has to be polite, you're their customer! However, once the claim is over and you're thrilled with their service, you're definitely going to renew your policy. But the extra couple of hundred they ask for will justify the accident? 'Sir/ma'am, you had an accident and your premium has increased!'

Knowing exactly what your rights or obligations are after an accident can be extremely tricky. In most cases it will depend on what happened to cause the accident in the first place.

As such, seeking the advice of a compensation lawyer as soon as you can following an personal injury is the only independent way you can really determine and know exactly what you are entitled to or what you may be liable for arising from the accident.

No Win No Fee Personal Injury Claims In The UK

by: Martin Nolan

Making a No win No fee personal injury claim in the UK

If you have suffered a personal injury in the UK as a result of an accident, you may wish to pursue a compensation claim against the party who was responsible for causing you harm.

It is now extremely easy for most people to access a personal injury solicitor or lawyer to help with their claim. You no longer have to find a high street solicitor who would be willing to take the case on, you can simply log on to any search engine and find a wealth of firms willing to provide a free ‘no win no fee’ claims service.

You should always ensure that you instruct an approved no win no fee accident solicitor.

The term ‘no win no fee’ is often used and seldom understood. It applies to a number of different business sectors nowadays and this can sometimes confuse the issue because the arrangement may vary from one business area to the next. This article as the title suggests relates solely to the subject of personal injury compensation in the UK and specifically England & Wales (The Law in Scotland is rather different and they have yet to fully embrace the “No win no fee” concept)

Prior to legislation implemented in (the Access to Justice Act 1999) 2000 anyone who wished to pursue a personal injury action would be able to apply for Legal Aid (now know as Public Funding). This would be subject to means testing but would enable the less well off to have access to the legal system and to pursue a claim that would otherwise never get off the ground. However, this was an extremely expensive way of funding such actions and the Government withdrew Legal Aid for accident related injury claims in 2000.

In its place they introduced the no win no fee concept which in the UK is operated by the implementation of a “Conditional Fee Agreement” or CFA. The CFA document sets out the terms upon which a personal injury lawyer / solicitor will agree to deal with the claim on behalf of the claimant or injured party. It also sets out the obligations of both parties which for the claimant, generally include the necessity to provide clear instructions and to cooperate fully during the life of the claim. If you wish to pursue a claim for injury damages in the UK you must sign one of these agreements before your lawyer will legally be able to deal on a no win no fee basis.

The Law Society of England & Wales devised a standard CFA document that the vast majority of solicitors now use. The CFA will confirm that the acting solicitor will not charge the claimant (injured party) any costs if the case is lost. However there may be other bills that might have to be paid such as doctor’s fees or other expert witness charges.

There is also the prospect of a bad day in court where a claimant could lose at trial and be forced to pay the costs of the defence. You must insure yourself against this risk and your acting solicitor needs to explain the need for insurance before you start the claim. (the insurance is known as “after the event” cover)

If all of this sounds daunting, don’t be too disheartened. If you simplify the process it really is not too complex:

• IF YOU WIN YOUR CLAIM

 Your reasonable legal fees will be paid by the losing party’s insurer

 Your disbursements such as expert witness fees, medical records fees etc will also be reimbursed. (most law firms will defer payment of any such fees and not request these expenses up front)

 You will receive your compensation / damages which will include out of pocket expenses and where appropriate future losses. These monies should be paid in full ie 100% (see below)

• IF YOU LOSE

 You do not have to pay your solicitor / lawyer in respect of any legal costs they have incurred.

 You may have to pay for disbursements but these should have been covered by the insurance policy referred to above.

 If the case has been litigated you may have to pay your opponents costs but these again should be covered by the insurance policy.

On the subject of the compensation award itself, most reputable law firms in the UK now ensure that all successful claimants receive 100% of their compensation. This means that there are no deductions at the end of the claim from you final award. If you are in discussions with a firm that is seeking to deduct a percentage of your award, whilst this may be legitimate, it may not be the best option for you. Why lose a percentage of your award when you don’t have to?

Summary

The changes in legislation made since 2000 have been enormously beneficial in providing access to justice for all. Genuine claims that would not have been progressed a few years ago, can now be pursued without costing the injured party any money. This is all down to the No win No fee concept which, whilst not perfect, has bee hugely successful in providing compensation for innocent accident victims.

For more information about the use of CFA’s in the UK and the No win No fee concept please visit the official Law Society website at http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/home.law or the Legal Services Commission at http://www.legalservices.gov.uk/.

Are You Thinking Of Hiring A Personal Injury Lawyer?

Personal Injury Lawyers

by: D Ruplinger

If you have been injured and are thinking of hiring a personal injury lawyer there are a few things to keep in mind.

Personal Injury Lawyers

First of all, find a lawyer who specializes in your type of case and in the type of law your case falls under. You want a lawyer who specializes in personal injury law, not one who specializes in other areas of law such as criminal law, wills, estates, or divorce.

Talk to several lawyers before hiring one to handle your case. Most personal injury lawyers offer a free initial consultation to discuss your case. This consultation gives you the opportunity to ask the lawyer questions such as: how much experience he or she has; what the fees are; what he or she feels your chances of having a successful case are; who will be working on your case

Personal Injury Lawyers

(it may be an associate rather than the person you have the initial consultation with); and how long he or she feels it will take for a resolution of your case.

The initial consultation is for the benefit of both you and the lawyer. While you are deciding whether or not you want to hire that particular attorney, the attorney is looking at the case and deciding if it is a case he or she wants to take on.

During the consultation ask each lawyer the same questions so you have the information to equitably compare each lawyer and decide who you can work with best. You want to work with someone you are comfortable talking to because you may have to discuss some very personal information with your lawyer; so take note of how comfortable or uncomfortable you are when you visit each lawyer.

Take all the information you have about your case with you for each initial consultation including photos but don’t take your originals. Take copies. When you do sign a contract with a lawyer you may be asked to provide the originals, but copies should be fine for your initial consultations.

Before signing a contract with a lawyer, make sure you understand the contract. Personal injury lawyers almost always work on a contingency basis. This means the lawyer only gets paid if he or she wins your case. Instead of the fee being hourly, the fee is a certain percentage of your award, typically one-third. You would then receive the other two-thirds of the award. But if any fees such as filing fees, expert witness fees, etc. are paid out of your portion of the award the actual amount you receive could be significantly less than two-thirds. Make sure you understand whose responsibility the extra costs will be.

If an attorney declines to take on your case, don’t be offended. Instead ask them for a recommendation of a lawyer they think may be able to help you with your case.

And keep in mind that using a small-claims court can be a viable option to using an attorney in certain personal injury cases, but it is still a good idea to consult with an attorney first to see if that is best course of action for you to take with your particular case.

Personal Injury Lawyers

Questions To Ask A Personal Injury Lawyer During Your Consultation
by: Philip L. Franckel, Esq.

Personal Injury Lawyer

If you have been hurt in an accident, you should speak to a lawyer as soon as possible after your accident. Although you may have a longer period of time to file a lawsuit, you may have rights to many claims which can be lost if you do not file the proper paperwork which may need to be filed within days of your accident. Some of these rights are claims for medical bills, transportation expenses, household help, lost income, disability payments, property damage and compensation for your injuries. Sometimes, claims must be filed with more than one insurance company and if a claim must be filed with the government agency it usually must be filed within days of your accident.

Do not speak to any insurance company which is not your own and do not give any taped statements until you speak with a lawyer. If you are asked to give a statement, simply ask for the name and phone number of the person requesting the statement and tell them you will call back. Since you must report an incident to your own insurance company immediately, you should call a lawyer immediately.


Personal Injury Lawyer

Q: Is this consultation given without charge to me?

About Your Rights:

Q: What rights do I have that need to be protected?

Q: Who will pay my medical bills; physical therapy bills; drug bills; transportation expenses; temporary or permanent household help; lost income; property damage; and pain and suffering?

Q: What do I have to do to protect my rights to these claims? What forms and papers do I need to obtain? Where do I get these forms? Will you fill out all the forms for me? If needed, will you help me with my medical claim? If needed, will you help me with my property damage claim?

Q: What claim letters need to be sent; how many insurance companies must be notified? Will you do this for me?

About determining whether you want to hire a specific lawyer?

You may feel nervous when hiring a lawyer, but remember that you are the one doing the hiring. While lawyers who primarily represent people in accidents charge a contingency fee (a fee that is charged at the end of the case and only if you are successful) you will still want to know that you are satisfied with your choice. Even though you pay a fee after you receive a money award, you are the one paying the bill. Serious injuries can result in significant compensation for both you and your lawyer. That makes you an important client!

Q: If I have a question about my case, will I be able to speak with you directly or do I have to speak to a paralegal? Is it okay if I speak with you occasionally when I have a question or to find out the status of my case?

Q: How long have you and your law firm been practicing law?

Q: Do you practice primarily in the field of Personal Injury and accidents?

Q: Is my personal injury case considered a subspecialty and do I need a different lawyer who handles this type of case?

Q: Do you have professional liability insurance? (Professional liability insurance also protects you, the accident victim, in case an error is made that damages your case.)

Q: When will I be charged? (Personal injury lawyers usually charge a contingency fee. A contingency fee is one that is charged at the end of the case and only if you are successful. This allows anyone who has been hurt in an accident to have easy access to a lawyer.)

Q: How much will I be charged?

Q: Will I be charged a legal fee if you do not recover money for me?

Q: Am I responsible for case expenses if you do not recover money for me?

Q: What are my alternatives to resolve my claim? Do you ever utilize mediation and arbitration?

Q: Have you or your law firm done any trials?

Q: (If married) Is my spouse entitled to any of my settlement or money awarded? What happens if I get divorced?

Q: (If a child is injured) Which parent will bring the claim? Are the parents entitled to any money? Which parent will be entitled to receive the money? What happens to my child's settlement money?

Personal Injury Lawyer

Personal Injury Lawyers

Why Your Personal Injury Case Is Taking Too Long
by: Karen Nodalo

Personal Injury Lawyers

Being disturbed is never new to someone who has become aggravated and dissatisfied in something. This is also factual after you file your personal injury lawsuit; you will be disappointed at your lawyer because such a long time passes between the time the lawsuit has started and any settlement or trial. In most states, the other person’s insurance company owes you no duty to settle quickly. Your case can be settled before trial or drag on long after the trial is over.

There are quite a few things that can slow down your personal injury case. One is detection – where the insurance company is appropriate to discover everything about you and the accident. You and your lawyer will need to get together all the medical records, bills and other certification of your injuries. Some of these must be obtained in a precise way to make them permissible at trial. This often takes instance and money.

Personal Injury Lawyers

Next are depositions – where the insurance company’s lawyer will ask you in great aspect about your injuries, your medical history, the accident itself, and your behavior. You’ll likely to be subjected to grilling over the smallest of details. Then, you have motion hearings – where the insurance company lawyers may have what feels like an endless capacity to file motions and go to hearings on motions.

In addition, intervention is one more factor that slows down your case. Many courts are forcing lawyers to arbitrate or adjudicate cases prior to trial. Mediation is normally a settlement conference without the official procedure of court. Arbitration is a different breed, however. It’s often an obligatory “mini-trial” of the case in front of an arbitrator or panel of judges who listen to an informal presentation of the matters involved in your case. We also have trials which are planned on the court’s schedule, not the lawyers’ schedule. Cases from time to time take years to be scheduled for trial, especially in some major urban areas. Having a case that is two or three years old before going to trial isn’t unusual.

Personal Injury Lawyers

Finally, compilation of issues is the last. You may also have complexity collecting from the insurance company or the person accountable for your injury. The insurance lawyer will have to have a check or outline issued by the company. And before they send you money, you will be compulsory to sign a release document and file some sort of notice motion. These things also postpone the payment.

Personal Injury Lawyer

Personal Injury Claims - Protect Your Rights By Knowing What Not To Say
by: Arthur Gueli


Pursuing a personal injury claim puts you in an unfamiliar situation. You'll have to think carefully before you speak to anyone. From the adjuster, to the defendant, to the police officer at the scene - what you say makes a difference.

Never forget that the insurance company wants to save money. When processing your claim they'll use anything you say against you in order to lower your settlement payment.

Litigation and claim processing really starts the moment an accident happens. You can make or break your case depending on how you handle yourself immediately after the accident. You must collect and pay attention to evidence, and you need to keep a clear record of what you see.

What you say during this time can sometimes come back to haunt you. Imagine that you come out of a car accident and you're faced with a hysterical driver. You might feel the need to calm them down. It would be natural to say things like "it’s okay", "it’s not your fault", or even "it’s my fault." You might also feel the need to say that you're okay and aren't injured. Saying such things is normal and shouldn't totally ruin your personal injury claim. But these statements can make things more difficult, especially if you were heard by witnesses.

If you have an accident on business property, you may be interviewed by a company representative, or be asked to fill out forms on the accident. First of all, don’t sign anything. The only thing they could possibly ask you to sign is something that will clear them of responsibility. You haven’t even thought about a personal injury claim yet, so why would you let them off the hook?

As for questions they'd ask, answer like you would for a police report. Never say anything that will admit negligence on your part. Don’t even hint at it. Something as simple as saying you're not sure what happened, or that you may have made a mistake, is bad for you.

When discussing your personal injury claim, you want to make sure you refer to your injuries in medical terms. Usually you'll just be repeating things from your medical file.

Sometimes, you might be tempted to use terms that are medical slang. Don't do this. A common example of this kind of slang is the term "whiplash." This term is widely used and serves to quickly explain a certain type of injury, but it's a bad word to use when discussing a personal injury claim.

Whiplash has never been a medical term. It used to be an acceptable way of describing certain injuries incurred from a car accident. These days it's become associated with exaggerated or even fraudulent claims. Using it can damage your case - it can create a negative view with the adjuster or the judge.

No doubt there will be other times when you should watch what you say. The general rule to remember throughout your personal injury claim is: you're not an expert. Whether it's legal or medical, don't let anyone pressure you into saying something that isn’t your place to say - this is especially true when determining the extent of your injuries. And remember, if something is your fault, then it's someone else’s job to prove it

Personal Injury Solicitors UK

by: Ankit Maheshwari

Legal Claim UK is a network of specialist personal injury solicitors operating nationwide throughout the United Kingdom. Our lawyers have all been accepted to the Law Society panel of experts¹. We deal with claims using the no win no fee scheme and pay compensation in full with no deductions². Our claims scheme is completely risk free and you will not be asked to pay anything at all as the case proceeds.

In order to qualify for membership of the Law Society specialist panel a lawyer must display adequate knowledge of particular areas of the law mainly relevant to accident claims, ethical issues and professional skills. The law firm must also satisfy the criteria for selection and must be capable and businesslike and have the facilities and resources to support the individual panel member.

A qualified lawyer offers an independent service with unique consumer protection:

• Compulsory professional indemnity insurance against negligence

• Independent complaints system

•

Independence, integrity and guaranteed confidentiality.

• Complex training and entry requirements to the solicitors' profession

• Compulsory program of continuing education.

• The Law Society admits only 'fit and proper persons' to the profession.

• Annual practising certificate guarantees proper qualification

• Compensation fund which ensures that the public will not suffer financially

The Law Society governs the behaviour of solicitors:

• A lawyer must act in his client's interest except when it conflicts with a solicitor's duty to uphold justice.

• A lawyer must not act in conflict with any client

• All information must be confidential

• The solicitor must have a separate account for clients' money

• Lawyers must have adequate experience before they can either supervise an office or set up on their own.

It's a fallacy to think that all lawyers are the same and just going to your local High Street solicitor could be a big mistake. The law is a very wide discipline and like everything else in life there are specialist for each part of the law. Most lawyers will take on a personal injury claim if it walks in through the door, but just how good is he at proving liability and maximising your compensation claim. You'll probably never know and if you do find out it will probably be too late to do anything about it. The experience and knowledge of the person who handles a damages claim has a real and tangible effect on the chances of success. For this reason the Law Society has an



accreditation scheme and commends quality specialists in this area of law by awarding them a place on their panel of personal injury experts provided that they and also their firm satisfy rigorous standards.

Personal injury solicitors who are Law Society panel members are committed to gaining the maximum compensation for their clients if they have suffered physical damage through no fault of their own. Specialist accident solicitors realise that certain claims have to be handled with great sensitivity and not only work towards gaining compensation, but also help support the client throughout these difficult times. Recovering money can never properly compensate for a tragic accident but money can relieve the added stress of financial difficulties and make life easier.

If you have been injured in an accident within the last three years that wasn’t your fault you should contact us. You will receive a complete professional service from lawyers who specialise in claiming compensation for personal injury caused as a result of an accident.