Have you suffered an injury in an accident that wasn’t your fault? Have you had to take time off work to recover from your injuries? Have you needed to pay for medication or treatment? If so, you may be considering making a claim for compensation from the person who caused the accident. How will you decide which solicitor to use to represent your claim?

Deciding which personal injury solicitor to use is a vital decision which should not be taken without careful consideration. Your choice of solicitor will determine how much compensation you will receive, the standard of any treatment organised and how efficiently your claim is dealt with.

To help you make the right decision we have compiled the ten most important questions to ask when choosing a personal injury solicitor to deal with your claim:

1.Are you a member of The Law Society’s Personal Injury Panel? The Law Society of England and Wales is the professional body for solicitors and sets the standards for the entire industry. To become a member of the society’s Personal Injury Panel solicitors must meet strict requirements and are independently assessed on an annual basis.

2.Are you accredited by Chambers UK Guide To The Legal Profession? This guide is widely regarded as the leading source of the UK’s top personal injury solicitors and barristers. This guide is unlike any other, as solicitors are only included when recommended by the market. No-one can buy their way into the rankings.

3.How many years experience do you have in personal injury claims? Experience is important in any profession, but it is particularly the case with the legal profession. Personal injury solicitors who have dealt with claims for a long period of time generally have a more thorough understanding of the law and the legal process. They will have more experience in dealing with different types of claims and should have a good success rate, which will have big influence on the outcome of your claim.

4.Do I have to pay any fees? Most solicitors work on a no win, no fee basis – which means your solicitor will take on your case on the agreement that if you lose, they will not get paid. However if your claim is unsuccessful, you may still have to pay your opponent’s legal fees and your other expenses. Therefore you should choose a solicitor that offers a completely no cost service which doesn’t require you to pay any fees and protects you fully from all costs.

5.Do you take any deductions from my compensation? If you win your claim, your solicitors will be able to charge a ‘success fee’, and this is usually paid for by your opponent’s solicitor. However, any amount of the success fee not paid by your opponent’s could come out of your compensation. You should choose a solicitor that guarantees you receive 100% compensation.

6.Do you specialise in my type of personal injury? The issues surrounding different types of injury vary considerably, and it is important to choose a solicitor who understands the issues relating to your particular injury. They can then help to organise the most relevant treatment and rehabilitation as well as ensure you receive the maximum amount of compensation for your injury.

7.Do you have access to the best rehabilitation and treatment services? An injury can dramatically alter a person’s life and in many cases no amount of compensation can restore the type of lifestyle they had before the accident. You should choose a personal injury solicitor that arranges rehabilitation and treatment with the UK’s best medical centres to ensure you recover as quickly as possible.

8.Will you visit me at home or at the hospital? If you would prefer to speak to a solicitor face-to-face about your claim, you should choose a solicitor that will visit you at home or in hospital. This doesn’t necessarily mean a local firm, as many of the leading solicitors are happy to travel to different parts of the country to discuss you injury.

9.Do you have any feedback from previous customers? Previous customers are the best judge of a solicitor’s service. So why not ask your solicitor if they have any customer feedback that you can see.

10.Will my claim be dealt with professionally and compassionately? Being involved in an accident can cause a dramatic impact on the lives of the injured person and his/her friends and family. Whether you have suffered a minor injury or more serious one, you should choose a personal injury solicitor that understands these issues and deals with your claim sympathetically as well as efficiently.

George Ide, Phillips is one of the UK’s leading personal injury solicitor firms organising compensation and rehabilitation for people injured in a non-fault car accident, industrial accident or other type of accident. Our service is completely cost-free and risk-free.