Why it pays to use a solicitor rather than a claims management company for personal injury actions?

Anyone whose been injured as a result of an accident on the street, in a car or at work, will know that it can turn your life upside down. There’s the pain and trauma to deal with initially, and this suffering can have a devastating and debilitating effect on day-to-day life for the injured person. Then of course there’s the matter of financial loss and possibility the consequent loss of function, and the ability to do things that they previously took for granted. What can often make it worse, however, is the knowledge that the person or organisation whose negligence caused this accident didn’t take their responsibilities seriously. They failed in their duty of care to you. What’s to say that they won’t fail in this duty of care to someone else? It’s imperative, therefore, that the process of making a claim for compensation following the accident isn’t overly complicated and certainly doesn’t add to this trauma. What’s needed is swift justice so that the victim of the accident can get redress and go back to living as normal a life as possible.

Any victim looking for help in bringing such a claim can easily be overwhelmed by the sheer number of people offering to help them pursue compensation and redress. Notable amongst these are claims management companies. They’ll offer to pursue the claim for you with the minimum of fuss. Unfortunately these companies are not regulated. Solicitors are, and are covered by the rules of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL). This association was formed over 20 years ago with the express aim of fighting for the rights of people injured through negligence. The accredited scheme provides a framework for best practice, and awards quality solicitors a kitemark for achieving a suitable level of expertise. APIL has also launched an initiative called People First. The intention of this is to unsurprisingly put the victim’s at the forefront of the process, and to give them as much information and guidance about the legal process and any potential pitfalls as possible: this includes where to find the right advice, how to deal with insurance small print, and what to do if they’re injured at work. This initiative has been ratified by the British safety Council, the National Patient safety Agency, and the former chair of the Health and Safety Commission.

APIL has always recommended that injured people should always choose the services of qualified personal injury lawyers, rather than the services of claims management firms, or middlemen, as they call them. APIL acknowledges that only qualified lawyers have the necessary experience to deal with personal injury claims, and that an APIL kitemark guarantees a quality of service that can be trusted. The scheme is monitored by an independent academic quality council, whose job it is to oversee the actions of its members, and to ensure that they always conform to agreed standards.

Accredited members have the highest levels of expertise and knowledge, and will always endeavour to tell injured people exactly where they stand and what is going on at any given time. APIL lawyers will abide by a code of conduct which dictates that they will always put the best interests of injured people first, and provide clear, honest and impartial advice in language that is simple to understand and comprehend.

Legal aid was abolished by the government in 2000, and replace by what are called conditional fee arrangements, more commonly known as no win, no fee claims. An APIL registered lawyer will explain all the funding issues clearly, and tell clients how no win no fees claims work, and what you might expect to pay. Generally most people are advised to take out an insurance policy before pursuing a claim: these policies will cover the costs should the action be lost. If the claim is successful, the costs will be paid by the other side.  There may, however, be instances where it’s possible to use the legal protection clauses that are included on household, car or holiday insurance policies to fund the claim. A qualified and experienced personal injury lawyer will help victims consider all of these options, and recommend the best course of action to take.