Personal Injury Case
I would like to thank you and your colleagues for the kindness shown to myself and my wife. I class myself as very fortunate to have met such kind and caring people.
Raymond, Hertfordshire
You will be able to discuss in detail the facts of your claim with a member of the personal injury team. This is usually done on the telephone but we also offer a free one-hour interview. As specialists in personal injury we are able to assess the merits and facts of a case at a very early stage. The team are experienced particularly in head and brain injury, spinal cord injury, accidents at work, in the street, on the road as a passenger, driver or pedestrian, injury whilst playing sport and as a result of industrial disease. We also have a specialist Foreign Claims Team which deals with injuries sustained whilst overseas.
What details will I be asked for?
In order that we can thoroughly discuss your potential claim with you we will ask you for the following details, and you will be called back where possible the same day.
- Details of your claim - any losses you have subsequently had and the injury which you have sustained
- Personal details
- Details of the Defendant
- Date of the accident and what medical treatment you may have required
- Financial information for funding
- The team will provide you with instant advice as to the merits of your claim. If there are complicated medical or legal issues they will be discussed with the specialist solicitors and Partners in the personal injury department.
Funding your case
There are three main ways of funding your personal injury claim.
Legal Expense Insurance
You may have insurance to cover legal or medical claims included in an insurance policy, such as Home Contents Insurance. If you do have this cover you will need to contact your Insurers in order to obtain a claim form. Once the insurers are satisfied as to the merits of any claim you wish to bring your legal costs will usually be covered under this insurance.
Conditional Fee Agreements (CFA) - 'No Win, No Fee'
A CFA is an agreement between Alexander Harris and a client where we represent the client on a no win, no fee basis. For taking this risk on behalf of a client, Alexander Harris is paid a success fee if the case is successful.
The majority of the success fee will be paid by the defendants upon successful conclusion of the case. The small part of the success fee that relates to the delay in receiving our costs is paid by the client out of their compensation.
The agreement exists in tandem with an insurance policy, which underwrites the risk of you having to pay your disbursements and the Defendant's costs if the case is unsuccessful.
Recent changes to the law have meant that upon successful conclusion of the case, any insurance premium paid by a Claimant should be reimbursed by the Defendant to the extent that the actual premium is reasonable.
This area will be dealt with in far more detail when you discuss the funding options with our team.
After the Event Legal Expense Insurance
After the Event Legal Expense Insurance is cover which can be purchased after the accident or event which gives rise to a legal claim. The policy provides insurance cover in a fixed sum for both our costs and the Defendants costs if your case is unsuccessful.
Although this insurance is now widely available the ability to obtain cover will depend on the insurers own assessment of the risks before deciding to offer insurance.
Recent changes to the law have meant that upon successful conclusion of the case, any insurance premium paid by a Claimant should be reimbursed by the Defendant to the extent that the actual premium is reasonable.
This area will be dealt with in far more detail when you discuss the funding options with our team.
This is intended as a summary of what can be a complex area. All of the financial implications of whatever recommendation we make to you will be fully explained and discussed.
Moving forward
Having assessed your case as having merit and having discussed funding, you will be given an outline of:
- How your claim will proceed
- Potential damages (compensation) you could expect to recover if your claim is successful
- Potential difficulties or strengths in your claim
- Timescales for action with regard to your case
Talk to an expert about making a claim
Call us on 0870 024 0558 or fill in our claim form and we will get back to you.