Once you have chosen a solicitor, and your case is underway, these are some good questions to ask:

To get the best result for you, your solicitor should start a court action quickly if you have a good case, and take all the steps to get it to court. This puts pressure on the other side, and shows them that you are serious. It discourages insurance companies from offering less than they think your case is worth.

Some solicitors are reluctant to do this. Ask this question 12 months after a court action has been started. If this has not been done 12 months after a court action has been started, ask this question regularly. If it has not been done 2 years after you instructed your solicitor, something may be seriously wrong.

Recently, Courts themselves have taken much more control of the progress of cases to a court hearing. But you still need your solicitor to press on with your case.

If you are not convinced by the answers you get, you are entitled to ask another solicitor about your case. Clients sometimes stay with a firm of solicitors for years after their case should have been completed. Trust between you and your solicitor is very important, but if your solicitor cannot answer these questions, there may be something wrong.

If you ask about progress on the telephone or in a letter, you should be told within a few days of asking. If you do not get a convincing answer about what is happening within a few days of asking, your case may be being neglected. If you cannot understand the advice you have been given, or whether you have a good claim, or how much it is worth, or how long it seems to be taking, or if you are forever ringing or writing without getting a reply, you should think about changing to another solicitor.