If you have been injured in an accident and you are thinking about making a personal injury claim, the first thing you should do is seek legal advice from a lawyer specialising in personal injury law. You should speak with a lawyer to ascertain your eligibility for compensation, and to find out what the best route for processing your claim is.
Do I need a lawyer to make a claim?
You do not need to a lawyer to make a personal injury claim. However, having a lawyer on your side to represent you has several benefits, including:
- Immediate access to sound legal advice;
- Reassurance that your claim will be processed efficiently;
- You will have a law firm’s letterhead to spark a faster reaction to communication;
- Your case will be built on experience and a good knowledge of the law.
To find out more about how the claims process works, click here.
The bottom line
Unless you are a lawyer yourself, or you have a lawyer friend who is going to help you make your claim, it is recommended that you take on a lawyer to represent you. The key reason we recommend this is because a lawyer knows the law far better than you. The secondary reason we recommend this is because the claims process is a complicated one, and a strict procedure needs to be followed to get a positive result. In other words, it is simply more time-efficient to have a lawyer process your claim on your behalf.
Small Claims Court
If you still wish to make a claim yourself, then you may have success going through the Small Claims Court. With the Small Claims Court, you can claim a maximum £1,000.00 for personal injuries. The fees for bringing a personal injury claim forward with the Small Claims Court are based on the value of your claim. For a claim with a maximum value of £1,000.00, you will pay a court fee of £70.00. Thousands of people every year have success with the Small Claims Court, however we still recommend seeking legal advice when building your case. The Small Claims Court is also only really suitable for very minor injuries.
The Next Steps
Once you decide to proceed with a claim, it is possible to give the go head to your lawyer in person or over the phone. The claims process itself will involve you very little. You will be interviewed with your solicitor to establish the facts surrounding the case – and you will also need to attend a medical examination. Apart from these two things, the claims process will be managed from start to finish by your lawyer so that you can concentrate on recovering.