It’s a big question! And it’s one you might ask as part of your decision making process when it comes to who you want to represent you for your claim for compensation. But to be honest, it doesn’t really matter if you choose a solicitor miles and miles away from you! And here’s why:
The claims process involves us specialist lawyers dealing with a lot of third parties; and they really are dotted all over the country! Firstly, are the defendants’ insurers. They may be anywhere in the country – it’s usually completely dependent on who they are insured with! A lot of the larger companies have main offices dotted all over the place, so in dealing with them – us solicitors will be corresponding with them by phone, email, fax and post.
And if the claim needs to be fought a little harder, then it’s likely the insurers will nominate solicitors to act on their behalf. And again, their solicitors could be anywhere around the country; again it’s completely dependent on who their solicitors are.
I recently wrote an article on the new reformed road traffic accident process, which is all now largely administered and progressed through an online portal. This of course means that the vast majority of the correspondence between us lawyers and the other side is all through a secure online portal and again probably requires no personal interaction with the other side.
Ultimately the decision of course is yours. However, whatever you decide to do, there are certain aspects you need to be aware of, and certain criteria you should always use when choosing your representation for your claim:
Specialist Solicitors – We for example fall in to this category – we deal only in claims for personal injury (we don’t deal with any other types of law at all!) which means we really are experts in the field. And you should always make sure to get an expert on your side – it’s the only way you can be guaranteed that you will receive the maximum compensation you are entitled to receive, and you get it in the quickest possible time.
Who’s Dealing with Your Claim? – A lot of companies out there, particularly claims management companies, simply employ young and inexperienced claims handlers to deal with your claim. What you need is an actual specialist personal injury lawyer fighting your corner for the claim. And we can guarantee it!
Service Levels – it’s always best to get representation from a firm that places you as the priority during the claims process; a firm that prides itself on efficiency and making the best out of your claim. For example, we contact our clients at least every 14 days so they are always in the know, and experience firsthand how fast we work for them. We also action all of our incoming mail on the same day – some firms may leave “non-urgent” mail for a few weeks until it needs to be dealt with. We treat every piece of correspondence as urgent and we sort it on the day we receive it – which really does make the process quicker. Little examples like this that a firm may utilise makes your claim quicker and more efficient – and it’s important to choose a firm that operates on this basis.
But as I have stated above, the choice is entirely down to you. You may genuinely feel more comfortable with a local firm – so if you do, make sure they fall within the above category also. It’s no good having a local firm that will fail you in the service they provide to you!
Make sure you look around for who gives you the best advice on claiming, and who promises you the better service for your claim for compensation!