If you have had an accident at work, what do you really need to know before you take any action? Here are 7 key questions you need to consider.
1. How Much Will Making A Work Accident Claim Cost You?
This is frequently the most important question to ask for anyone considering making a claim for compensation. If you have been injured in an accident at work you may still not be fit to work and therefore are already out of pocket. At that point you do not need to have to pay legal costs on top of everything else, so you must ensure that you find a solicitor that is prepared to represent you without you having to incur any legal costs.
This can be achieved either by making a claim under a legal expenses insurance policy, or by ensuring that your solicitor can help you under a 'No Win, No Fee' agreement. If your solicitor offers to help you under this type of agreement, make sure that question two below is also answered positively.
2. If I Win My Claim How Much Of My Compensation Will I Keep?
Most specialist accident at work solicitors should now be able to confirm to you that if you win your claim for compensation you should be able to keep 100% of the compensation awarded to you. If you are told that you must pay an administration or set up fee and that some legal costs will be payable by you, you should walk away and speak to someone else.
3. What Accident At Work Experience Does Your Solicitor Have?
It is rare that people are injured at work, so when you are you want to be sure that the solicitor you are asking to help you has experience of work accident claims. You can find out their level of experience by asking some basic questions such as::
* Do you specialise in accident at work claims?
* How long have you been dealing with these types of claims?
* How many work accident claims have you handled in this time (approximately)?
* How many work accident claims have you won?
* How many claims have you taken all the way to a court hearing?
If they provide you with answers that give you confidence in their ability then you are safe to proceed to the next question.
4. How Long Will Your Claim Take?
It is important that you know at the outset of your claim how long it is likely to take. An average claim can take anything from six months to two years but it very much depends on the extent of your injuries and the nature of the accident. You should not be searching for a solicitor that provides you with unrealistic dates as to when you can anticipate a settlement, but one that provides you with confidence that they will work to a genuine timescale.
5. Will Treatment Be Available For You?
Whilst you expect your solicitor to fully understand the legal aspects of a claim, it is also important that they look after the physical elements of your claim. If you have suffered a serious injury you may well need further treatment. A competent work accident claim solicitor should have the connections to be able to arrange this treatment privately for you, recovering the costs as part of your compensation claim.
6. How Will You Make Contact With Your Solicitor?
Your claim is going to take a reasonable period of time to settle, so you need to be sure that the solicitor that is helping you is easy to communicate with. Do they provide you with a telephone number as well as their email address? Do they inform you when you can expect a response to any letters or telephone calls and are the response times satsifactory?
7. Prospects Of Success.
Finally, what chances do they give you of making a successful compensation claim? Do they think you have a good claim or are there potential difficulties? You need the answer so that you can prepare yourself and not have unrealistic expectations.
Conclusion.
If you are happy with the answers you receive to the questions above you can be reasonably confident that you have found a solicitor that is capable of helping you with all of your needs.
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Visit Work Accident Solicitors to find out more if you have been
Injured At Work. Alternatively you can read our free
Work Accidents Guide to discover everything you need to know about making a Work Accident Claim. Nick Jervis is a solicitor (non-practising) and a consultant to Work Accident Solicitors who specialise in Work Accident Claims.
