If you’ve suffered a serious personal injury, choosing a solicitor to represent you can be one of the most important decisions you make. Compensation is crucial to helping you to survive the massive financial impact of serious injury.  You only get one chance to make a claim. The media often give the impression that compensation is easy to come by. It isn’t. Personal injury compensation claims are vigorously defended by insurance companies. Every pound can be fought over. Having a lawyer who knows how to win cases, and how to maximise compensation, is essential. How do you find one?

Firstly, you need a solicitor, not a claims company. We are all bombarded by claims companies saying “where there’s blame, there’s a claim” and suchlike.  Many of these companies advertise on TV. But they aren’t solicitors, and they don’t have the legal know how you need on your side to win a serious injury claim.

Secondly, you need a specialist solicitor. If you needed treatment for cancer, you wouldn’t expect your GP to have the necessary specialist knowledge. It’s the same in law. Only a serious injury specialist can be certain to secure the level of compensation you are truly entitled to. Lots of solicitors claim to do medical negligence or personal injury claims, but only a small number of them have the expertise and track record to get a really good result.  

The most reliable information about serious injury solicitors comes from two sources: legal directories, which independently assess and rank firms of solicitors according to their expertise, and charities who work and campaign for serious injury victims.

The two main legal directories are Chambers and Legal 500. Google them and you’ll find their websites. Both of these guides independently assess solicitors through in depth research. They rank firms of solicitors so, for example, if you live in the North West and want to bring a personal injury claim, you can look at that section and see which are the top firms and individual solicitors doing this type of work in that region.

Another excellent source of information is respected charities who work with victims of serious injury. These charities usually have legal panels, in other words lists of firms of solicitors who are recognised and vetted for the quality of their legal expertise. For example: Spinal Injuries Association, Child Brain Injury Trust, Headway.
 
Having identified a “shortlist” of 2 or 3 firms who have proper expertise, I recommend that you get in touch with them and meet the solicitor who would deal with your case. They should give you a free initial interview (if they won’t, strike them off the list!). Ask some questions: how many cases like this have you done? Can you get me an interim payment? Can I speak to one of your existing clients and get a reference? Then pick the solicitor who you feel comfortable with. It’s important that you have a good chemistry with your solicitor, and able to trust him or her.