Changing Solicitors During a Personal Injury Claim

We understand that everyone’s situation is different and as a full-service law firm, we can support you where you really need it. Our teams can also continue to advise you on personal or business issues if you need us in future.

We can help with buying or selling a house, family matters, employment issues and financial planning to protect your long-term financial position.

We’ve helped clients all over the UK claim more than £1.5 billion in compensation. You can rest assured we’ll do everything we can to make your claim successful. Our teams are based in offices across the country so we can help you wherever you are. We’re also set up to work completely remotely, so you won’t have to travel if you don’t want to.

If you do decide to move your claim to us, you won’t have to worry about how this happens or how to deal with your current solicitors. We’ll do this for you so you can focus on your recovery and what really matters to you.

Our fee structure varies depending on the type of case. We offer no-win, no-fee arrangements for personal injury cases, fixed fees for some services, and hourly rates for others. We always discuss fees upfront.

The amount of compensation you can claim depends on the kind of injuries you’ve suffered and how they’ve affected you.

The more serious your injuries and their impact on your life are, the more compensation you will need to pay for things like adaptations to your home, medical bills and loss of earnings.

Broadly speaking, personal injury compensation is broken down into two parts: general damages and special damages.

General Damages

This is money that you receive for what the law calls “pain, suffering and loss of amenity.” The amount of compensation is worked out using recognised guidelines and by looking at what other people have received in similar cases.

Special Damages

This includes compensation for your lost earnings and any wages you might lose out on in the future (if you can’t return to work or to the same position). This is designed to repay any expenses your accident may have led to, such as transport to hospital and equipment you’ve had to purchase to make life easier.

Most of the personal injury claims we handle do not go to court. Even if we have to go through the court process, and a hearing date is set, it’s not unusual for your opponent to try and settle your claim before. There are usually two reasons we might have to take your claim to court:

1. There is a dispute about responsibility for your injury
2. There is a dispute about the amount of compensation we’re claiming.

If your claim does go to court, rest assured that our personal injury solicitors are extremely experienced in this area. Our team have taken cases as high as the Supreme Court and have helped shape the law through our work.

We understand that you may be worried about appearing in court. While it’s unlikely you will, if you have to we’ll make sure you’re fully prepared and will be there to support you throughout the process.

Normally, you have three years from the date of an accident to start a claim for compensation. For children, the three-year time limit begins on their 18th birthday.

There’s no time limit for people who don’t have the mental capacity to make legal decisions – this often applies to those who have suffered serious brain injuries.

In fatal cases, the family of the person who died have three years to make a claim, starting from the date they died or from when they found out the results of a post-mortem.

If you were injured in a criminal attack or assault, applications to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme need to be made within two years of the incident. We’ve helped many people to claim under this scheme, so call us and we will talk you through your options.

For accidents that occurred outside the UK, then the time limit for claiming can be shorter. In these cases it’s vital that you contact us as soon as possible.

If the person or organisation responsible for your injuries accepts blame, we could help you get early compensation payments before your claim has settled. Also known as interim payments, funds can be secured early to help pay for:

• Care costs
• Equipment (such as a wheelchair)
• Household bills
• Loss of income
• Prescription charges
• Private medical treatments
• Rehabilitation
• Travel expenses to hospital appointments.

An interim payment will be part of your final compensation sum and will be deducted from your final award. Some cases can take a while to settle, due to the nature of your injuries and the complexity of your case, so getting access to interim payments can be very beneficial while your claim is ongoing.

The final amount of compensation that you receive will depend on the full extent of your injuries and the medical care you require. It might affect any means-tested benefits that you receive, but we can discuss this with you in a free initial consultation to talk about your case.