How do you know if your Solicitor is any good?

After you have chosen a solicitor, during the progress of your case, ask him/her

1. Has a court action been started?
2. When will a court action be started?
3. Have your opponents admitted fault in writing?
4. If so, can you get some compensation on account while the case is progressing?

Hardly any compensation cases actually get to court. Most are settled well before a court hearing. But 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 actually think your case is worth.

1. Has the solicitor obtained the written material upon which your opponents will rely at court?
2. Has the solicitor obtained the witness statements that will support your case?
3. Has the solicitor obtained the witness statements from your opponents?
4. Has the solicitor worked out your financial loss as a result of the injury?
5. Has the solicitor been informed by the court that the case is fixed for trial?Ý

sk this question 6 months and then 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 and also ask: If not, why not, and when will this be done?

A good solicitor will be able to tell you these things, and you have the right to expect answers. 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 many 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 24 hours, and certainly within a few days of asking. If you do not get an answer within this time, something is likely to be wrong.

It should be possible for a solicitor to get most accident and disease compensation cases to court within 3 years of you instructing the solicitor. Some cases will be more complicated, but the older your case gets, the more important it is to ask the right questions about what is happening in it.

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 seem to be taking, or if you are forever ringing or writing without getting a reply, you should think about changing to another solicitor. You can do this by ringing another solicitor and saying you are thinking of changing. The new solicitor will sort it out with the old one.

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