If you are reading this blog, you may have been involved in a road traffic accident, and are suffering the effects of whiplash. If you are keeping up with the latest news, then you may also be expecting to get some calls and texts from law firms or referral agencies saying that they would like to take on your claim.
I say this as this is what happened to one of Jack Straw’s constituents after he had suffered an accident. It was subsequently found that insurers actually sell on the information of their customers who have been involved in accidents. We of course have known about this practice for years. The good news is that it’s now more out in the open!
Law firms can pay up to £800, or even £1000, as it was reported in the Telegraph, for a claim. So if a law firm has paid so much for your claim, the profits they stand to make from the claim are greatly reduced. In order to redress the balance, it can then mean that they reduce the amount of time they spend on your claim, and therefore give you a poorer service. This in turn could impact on the amount of compensation you receive if they are not willing to fight tooth and nail to negotiate you the highest amount possible.
So – how do you maximise your compensation….
- Go to a law firm directly – as discussed above, it is advisable to avoid going through middlemen such as insurers or referral agencies. This way you can choose the law firm yourself, and research them fully before instructing them. Leave the destiny of your claim in your own hands.
- Ensure you get 100% of your compensation –make sure you will get every penny of your compensation, with no deductions, and no hidden charges.
- Ensure you pay no costs – before instructing a law firm, ensure that, win or lose, you do not pay any of your solicitor’s costs. A good tip to ask your solicitor (and ensure this is reflected in your agreement) is whether their costs are restricted to whatever they recover. If they are not, there may be a chance they can come to you for whatever they cannot recover from the other side. Scary stuff…
- Choose a solicitor with experience – a solicitor will use all of their experience, skill, and expertise to maximise your compensation, so it can make all the difference choosing a solicitor who has experience in whiplash claiming.
If you require any further information regarding your whiplash claim then please feel free to give us a call.
