Whilst in the UK, if you suffer an injury resulting in significant damages you will need to hire the services of a personal injury lawyer. However, a quick look in a Google search engine for any particular city shows hundreds of results pages for ‘personal injury lawyer’. How do you pick the right one? What do you look for? What questions should you ask?
Here are 6 things you need to know before hiring your UK Injury Lawyers:
1) Generally, you have three years from the date of your injury to make a claim. However in most cases it is advisable to hire your personal injury lawyer within a fortnight after the accident. The sooner you start building your case the better. If you're not physically capable you should have a friend or loved-one start looking.
2) Beware of quick payout settlements provided by ‘ambulance chasers’. The goal of these lawyers is to get lots of minor personal injury cases and settle them quickly - they make their profit from high turnover. So, by their nature, they won't put as much time and effort into each case as they should. (If you ARE looking for a quick settlement, be prepared to accept less than what your case is really worth.)
3) Hire a personal injury lawyer that specializes in your specific type of injuries. Do your homework before signing the retainer agreement. Visit the firm's website and read up on its history and each lawyer's biographical information. When you make contact, ask the lawyer for some references and ask how much experience they have in handling cases with similar injuries. What settlement awards did they get in those cases?
4) Hire a lawyer that will take your case on a contingency fee basis. This means that your lawyer won't get paid unless you get paid. You will hear this called: ‘No-win, no-fee’. Make sure you clearly understand the payment structure before you sign the retainer agreement. No reputable law firm will ask for a ‘backhander’ of any kind, at any time.
5) Always be completely open and honest when discussing your case with a lawyer. Tell the lawyer as much as you can about what happened. Try to remember every detail. Any documentation and pictures you have of your injuries and treatment will be a big help when evaluating your case.
6) Never give a recorded statement to a representative from any insurance company until you've consulted a lawyer. If any representative does ask you for one simply say, "I'm not prepared to give a statement at this time." A recorded statement can be used as evidence and if you're not prepared you might overlook important details. Anything you miss (or misrepresent) can be used against you in settlement negotiations and in the trial.
For further information on the do’s and don’ts of injury compensation - visit the website of InjuryLawyers4u.co.uk
SOURCE: InjuryLawyers4u.co.uk
