Personal Injury Law is one of the most misunderstood, and often unfairly reviled, areas of legal practice. Detractors often see personal injury solicitors as "ambulance chasers" or some other less than complimentary terms, however such simplistic reasoning debases the entire purpose of compensation law.
Suffering a legitimate injury as a result of somebody else's negligence should be entitled to fair compensation for that injury. Thus we do everything in our power to ensure that anybody whose voice would otherwise be lost can claim the damages to which they are rightly entitled. As such, to dispel some of the misgivings surrounding compensation and personal injury law, we have compiled the Top Ten Myths and Misconceptions about Personal Injury Law.[MORE]
1. Making a Claim is a lot of Unnecessary Hassle.
This is categorically untrue. While claims may take a number of months to resolve, especially in the case of major injuries, the vast majority of the work is handled by your personal injury solicitor. More often than not, a claimant will not even need to attend court to receive compensation, as most claims end with an out of court settlement agreed between the claimant and the defendant. Don't let the thought of a long and difficult process put you off making a claim for damages to which you are rightly entitled.
2. Personal Injury Solicitors Only Care About Making Money.
If this particular myth were the case, solicitors would not offer any service past the initial compensation claim. Apart from providing terrible relations with clients, a money based approach would also reduce the bond of trust between a personal injury solicitor and their clients. As such a personal injury solicitor will work to ensure the best possible advice and treatment for their clients, whenever they need it. They will provide clinical and psychiatric evaluations, when needed, to help clients deal with what has happened to them, and will also offer a rigorous and supportive aftercare program, that aims to ensure that each claimant can successfully move on with their lives past their compensation claim.
3. Claiming Compensation is Another Step Towards a "Blame" Society.
Claiming compensation is your legal right if you have been injured and it wasn't your fault. While some claims in the area of personal injury law are indeed frivolous, a quality compensation firm does all it can to ensure that it only works with clients who are genuinely deserving of compensation. Don't let these misgivings distract you from the main point. You should not just keep quiet if you have been hurt as a result of somebody else's negligence.
4. Personal Injury Lawyers are Just Ambulance Chasers.
Again this is deniable, as it implies personal injury lawyers do not care about their clients beyond making a quick buck off the back of their injury. We aim to provide support wherever possible for anybody who has been injured, which is why many endeavour to offer free advice with no obligation to follow through on this advice. In addition, as previously mentioned, most compensation firms have a dedicated aftercare program to ensure each client not only gets the compensation they deserve, but the care they need as well.
5. "No Win, No Fee". There must be a Catch Somewhere.
No, it is exactly what it says on the tin. If a solicitor is unsuccessful in gaining compensation, an extremely rare occurrence thanks to stringent policies on the claims we handle, we foot the ENTIRE bill. A firm offering a "No Win, No Fee" policy won't levy hidden charges against you if they fail to achieve what they have stated that they will achieve. There will be no cost associated with your claim, win or lose.
6. There are Hidden Fees Taken from the Client's Compensation.
The vast majority of compensation firms do not take a single penny from our clients. We regain all costs from the opposing side, meaning that the compensation our client's receive is exactly what they have agreed with the defending party. We won't come chasing up fees after the fact, thus making a compensation claim is entirely risk free in these regards.
7. Claiming against my Employer Will Lead to me being fired.
Again this is untrue, and is in fact illegal. The law protects individuals who find themselves in circumstances where they have been injured at work and, in most cases, employers have insurance to deal with these sorts of claims. Additionally, if an employer were to sack a claimant, the claimant could then make an additional claim against unfair dismissal.
8. The Law Protects Larger Companies, Making my Claim Unwinnable.
This couldn't be further from the truth. The UK's laws are generally in favour of the general populace, so any legitimate claim has every chance of winning, no matter the size of the firm it is being made against. Many firms offer expert advice in these matters, as the difference between winning and losing a claim is often the competency of the solicitor involved. We endeavour to offer the best possible service in these respects, so you can feel confident in the claim process, no matter how big the opponent is.
9. Making a Claim Would Interrupt my Medical Treatment.
This is not the case at all. In fact some solicitors will often provide advice on the best possible treatment, as well as referring clients to specialists, during the claims process itself. Additionally they provide a medical examination where appropriate to help a client determine the long term effects of their injury as well as substantial aftercare.
10. Getting Compensation is Easy. Anybody Can Make a Claim.
Quality compensation firms employ stringent measures to ensure that only genuine applicants can make a compensation claim. It is inaccurate to believe that somebody can just waltz in and claim for anything and everything, and it is this impression that has lead to the often unfavourable opinion of the personal injury sector. We employ strict procedures to ensure our claimants have a case, however once this is decided we make the process itself as easy as possible.
So there you have it. The Top Ten Myths and Misconceptions about Personal Injury Law busted wide open. Hopefully this article will help ease any fears you may have about making a personal injury claim. If you feel that you are entitled to making a claim, get the ball rolling by contacting us, and we will see what service we can provide for you.
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