The Top Seven Mistakes People Make When Choosing Whiplash Claim Solicitors
If you have suffered a neck whiplash injury in a car accident and are looking for a whiplash claim solicitor, you must beware of these common mistakes that people make when deciding who is best placed to help them.
1. Choosing A Non Specialist Whiplash Claim Solicitor
If you have been injured you must make sure that you choose a specialist whiplash claim solicitor. A solicitor who does nothing else with their time except to claim whiplash compensation for injured accident victims. Do not choose a solicitor who one day is pursuing a personal injury claim, the next a property matter and on the next day dealing with Wills. You need a solicitor that does nothing else except accident claims. This is the only way that you can improve the chances of winning your compensation claim.
2. Not Liking Or Bonding With Your Solicitor
The whole claims process has speeded up over the years, but it can still take some time before you reach the position that you are going to settle your claim. This might be a few months or if you have suffered a very bad injury, even a few years. If you do not bond or do not like your solicitor it is going to be a long few months and may well make a painful time even more arduous. If you do not like the solicitor you are first connected with, particularly if someone like a legal expenses insurer has chosen them for you, you have the complete freedom of choice to find another solicitor that you do not like. It is your claim and you must be happy with the solicitor that you are going to be working with.
3. No Feedback
If you are claiming compensation for the first time, which for most people is usually the case, how do you know if the solicitor you are going to choose is good at what they do? Well one of the best ways is to look at the feedback provided by other clients that have already used their service. This will give you a really good idea about their skill levels, so look around on their website for feedback or testimonials.
4. I Must Live Close To Their Offices
It always used to be the case that people had a local solicitor. It was a big event to go and see the solicitor, often clients would put on their best clothes to make a good impression. However, solicitors have become far more approachable and modern, and location is no longer an issue. A good solicitor will come and see you wherever you are, so if you find the best solicitor for the job and they are 10 miles or 100 miles away from you that is not a problem.
5. Not Checking Their Credentials
You must make sure who you are dealing with. Not everyone that deals with accident claims is a solicitor. You might speak with a Legal Executive (pretty much the same qualification as a solicitor so no problems there) or you might be passed to a paralegal. A paralegal generally has no legal qualifications. The question is "do you want someone handling your claim that has no credentials"?
6. Not Checking What Other Help They Can Offer You
If you have suffered a whiplash injury you might have two additional needs or requirements. You may well need some treatment, and you might now be without a vehicle. A specialist whiplash claim should be able to help you with both of these challenges by arranging for private medical treatment (faster than the NHS) and also arranging a replacement hire car. A non-specialist probably won't have access to this network. Asking the question before you go ahead could save you a lot of time and hassle.
7. Not Keeping Receipts
If you are not usually good at keeping documentation tidy, now is the time to change. If you want to claim for all of your losses and expenses as a result of the accident, you simply must keep receipts for absolutely everything. If you fail to keep receipts, wage slips etc you will not be able to reclaim your losses and expenses, so becoming a magpie now is a good thing to do.
Summary. If you follow the advice in this article you will ensure that you avoid the most common mistakes made when people are choosing a whiplash claim solicitor.
Copyright (c) 2010 Nicholas Jervis
1. Choosing A Non Specialist Whiplash Claim Solicitor
If you have been injured you must make sure that you choose a specialist whiplash claim solicitor. A solicitor who does nothing else with their time except to claim whiplash compensation for injured accident victims. Do not choose a solicitor who one day is pursuing a personal injury claim, the next a property matter and on the next day dealing with Wills. You need a solicitor that does nothing else except accident claims. This is the only way that you can improve the chances of winning your compensation claim.
2. Not Liking Or Bonding With Your Solicitor
The whole claims process has speeded up over the years, but it can still take some time before you reach the position that you are going to settle your claim. This might be a few months or if you have suffered a very bad injury, even a few years. If you do not bond or do not like your solicitor it is going to be a long few months and may well make a painful time even more arduous. If you do not like the solicitor you are first connected with, particularly if someone like a legal expenses insurer has chosen them for you, you have the complete freedom of choice to find another solicitor that you do not like. It is your claim and you must be happy with the solicitor that you are going to be working with.
3. No Feedback
If you are claiming compensation for the first time, which for most people is usually the case, how do you know if the solicitor you are going to choose is good at what they do? Well one of the best ways is to look at the feedback provided by other clients that have already used their service. This will give you a really good idea about their skill levels, so look around on their website for feedback or testimonials.
4. I Must Live Close To Their Offices
It always used to be the case that people had a local solicitor. It was a big event to go and see the solicitor, often clients would put on their best clothes to make a good impression. However, solicitors have become far more approachable and modern, and location is no longer an issue. A good solicitor will come and see you wherever you are, so if you find the best solicitor for the job and they are 10 miles or 100 miles away from you that is not a problem.
5. Not Checking Their Credentials
You must make sure who you are dealing with. Not everyone that deals with accident claims is a solicitor. You might speak with a Legal Executive (pretty much the same qualification as a solicitor so no problems there) or you might be passed to a paralegal. A paralegal generally has no legal qualifications. The question is "do you want someone handling your claim that has no credentials"?
6. Not Checking What Other Help They Can Offer You
If you have suffered a whiplash injury you might have two additional needs or requirements. You may well need some treatment, and you might now be without a vehicle. A specialist whiplash claim should be able to help you with both of these challenges by arranging for private medical treatment (faster than the NHS) and also arranging a replacement hire car. A non-specialist probably won't have access to this network. Asking the question before you go ahead could save you a lot of time and hassle.
7. Not Keeping Receipts
If you are not usually good at keeping documentation tidy, now is the time to change. If you want to claim for all of your losses and expenses as a result of the accident, you simply must keep receipts for absolutely everything. If you fail to keep receipts, wage slips etc you will not be able to reclaim your losses and expenses, so becoming a magpie now is a good thing to do.
Summary. If you follow the advice in this article you will ensure that you avoid the most common mistakes made when people are choosing a whiplash claim solicitor.
Copyright (c) 2010 Nicholas Jervis
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