If you have been injured in a road traffic accident that wasn’t your fault, did you know that you have the right to choose any solicitor you like? While some insurance companies say they have the right to appoint a solicitor to act for you of their choice, under the Insurance Companies (Legal Expenses Insurance) Regulations 1990, you have the final say.
Exercising your free choice of legal representation can be tricky though. How do you find the right claim solicitor? How do you sort the good from the bad? Well, there are three things to look out for when choosing a claims solicitor, so let’s go through them:
- Speak to solicitors on the phone
If you have found a solicitor online that you like, speak with them on the phone. You can tell a lot about a person by their telephone manner and your solicitor should be more than happy to arrange a call to discuss your case. The solicitor will seek to ascertain the facts of your case and from this, they will be able to offer you an estimated pay-out and go through your options legally. They will also help you to understand the claims process and at the end of your phone call, you should have a pretty clear idea about how to proceed.
- Choose case experience
Experience in law falls into two categories: 1) Years’ practice, and 2) Case experience. When it comes to successfully processing a personal injury claim, the latter is more valuable. Why? Because having handled many cases similar to your own, your solicitor will know exactly how to build a compelling case for compensation on your behalf. Your solicitor will know all the tricks insurance companies use to get themselves out of a claim, and they will be prepared for them. Most personal injury claims solicitors specialise in a particular area, so when you contact a law firm ask to be connected with a solicitor who has handled cases that are similar to your own, and don’t be afraid to ask them about their experience.
- Look out for success rates
There’s no regulation when it comes to success rates – solicitors can say they have a success rate of 90% when in fact they have only won 70% of cases. This is a grey area, however one way to get around bogus success rate claims is to opt for a well-known law firm. Law firms like UK Claim Lawyers (click here) have in-house lawyers who hold themselves to the highest standards. Lawyers working at such firms have to be completely honest and transparent and they will be happy to refer you to past cases they have won, if applicable. A success rate of over 80 percent is good. Anything over 90 percent is considered to be excellent.