Not Happy With Your Solicitors?

Copyright (c) 2011 Nicholas Jervis

If you are making a claim for compensation for whiplash, a work accident or any other accident where you have suffered an injury, what should you do if you are not happy with your solicitors? The purpose of this article is to explain that you have options and do not have to stay with the solicitors that have been chosen for you or that you chose at the beginning of your claim.

How You First Found Your Solicitor.

Normally, there are two ways that are used to find a solicitor to help you with your accident claim. These are as follows :

You chose your own solicitor; or.

Your solicitor is chosen for you by your insurer or legal expenses insurer.

We will look at each of these in turn.

You Chose Your Solicitor.

There is absolutely no reason why you cannot change your solicitor if you originally selected them. You might find that you simply do not get on with the solicitor you have chosen or that you do not believe they are working quickly enough for you. This is not a problem, as you do not have to carry on with your solicitor if you are not happy with them.

Your Legal Expenses Insurance Company Chose Your Solicitor.

The more common way people find solicitors is for their legal expense insurers to select them on your behalf. You are still perfectly free to change your solicitor if he or she has been chosen for you by your legal expenses insurer. A new solicitor would be happy to take over your case and will represent you and will pick up the case from where your current solicitor left off.

You should first understand that the main reason (and often the only reason) the legal expenses insurer selected the solicitor that you are now with is because that solicitor agreed to pay them a large sum of money to be given your accident claim (often in excess of £750).

Therefore, once you understand this it might not be a surprise that you are not happy with your solicitor. Having paid such a large sum of money to take on your claim the solicitor will want to 'process your claim' as quickly as possible so that they can receive their legal costs from the other driver's insurance company. There could well be a clear conflict of interest between your desire to receive the best treatment and obtain the right amount of compensation and your solicitor's desire to complete the case as quickly as possible.

Practical Steps For Changing Your Solicitor.

Whichever way you came to find your solicitor, how do you change them if you are not happy with them? The good news is that it is a really simple process. First, find a solicitor you feel will do a better job for you, either by an internet search or a recommendation, and then when you have found that solicitor ask him to contact your current solicitors to transfer the file to them.

Your new solicitor will ask you to complete a form to request the transfer and the file should be sent to them within a matter of days. You will not be able to take your file away yourself as your old solicitor will want a guarantee from your new one that they will recover their legal costs and pay them at the end of your claim. Without this your solicitor will not release your file of papers in relation to your accident claim.

Summary.

If you are not happy with your solicitor it is a straightforward and relatively quick process to change them for a new solicitor.


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