What should you look for in an Injury Solicitor?

What should you look for in an Injury Solicitor?

Firstly, Porterwood Law: Previously PHC Preston is not a CMC, it’s a Law firm. A CMC is a Claims Management Company. There is a difference between the two categories of legal service. One is run by solicitor/lawyers and regulated. The other is run by business folk and regulated by a different body.

Why is this information relevant? Well, a CMC finds potential claimants (people with possible claims) and passes them to solicitors or other CMC’s or handles them themselves (the claim). Like all businesses, including law firms, there is a commercial aspect involved to this.

Sometimes it’s not easy to tell the difference between a law firm and a CMC. However, some well-known CMC’s advertise on the telly. Law firms find their own claimants, which cuts out the introducer (the referrer, or middle-man). If you do decide to let a CMC handle your claim then you can insist on full transparency.

So make your own conclusions when you are looking for a professional firm. Do you want or need a law practice or a CMC to look after your compensation claim?

What else should you bear in mind when considering a law firm? Do your due diligence:

  1. You can check The Law Society website to make sure a law firm is registered properly. Each firm has a public profile naming practising solicitors and also tells you how long they’ve been practising law.
  2. It’s usually a good idea to find a lawyer (we mean solicitor) that has the experience, preferably decades. An experienced lawyer will have come across several different cases and will have confidence.
  3. Check online if there are any pending legal judgements against a firm or if there have been problems in the past. You’ll normally find media outlets that will report on this. A good website for this is called Legal Futures.
  4. The best law firms offer a free consultation. They do this to get an understanding of your case. They can then inform you if you have a strong case to claim compensation for injury. They’ll tend to offer No Win No Fee (a conditional fee agreement)
  5. Your own personal circumstances play a part in your decision to choose a lawyer. Some cases don’t require you to have a local solicitor as your lawyer will access all your medical records and case information. You may have a preference for a local personal injury solicitor or not – it’s up to you.

Ultimately the decision rest with you – but you are under no obligation with any law firm even after you have had a consultation. Firms are regulated by powerful independent bodies which ultimately protect you and your rights.

Good luck!

 

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