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When you have an accident, where do you turn for help? Who plays the most important role in helping you recover from your accident? Most people would answer 'hospital' or 'doctor'. Few think about the important role played by an accident solicitor. Yet the accident claim solicitor can make the difference between a successful claim that results in the compensation you need, or one that falls between the cracks.

Think about it. You've suffered an accidental injury. You want to recover physically. You also need to recover financially. You will have to rebuild your life after the accident and get back to normal. If you take your accident claim for granted, if you don't think carefully about your choice of an accident compensation solicitor, getting back to normal might be more difficult than you imagine.

Your Feelings

When you suffer an injury, it affects your ability to work and your way of life. Even a minor accident or injury can have an impact more than you might think. After the accident, you seek the help of an accident claim solicitor and you assume everything will be fine. You'll be compensated fairly. The compensation won't make up for the trauma you suffered in the accident, but at least you'll receive the accident compensation you deserve.

What happens if you don't get the compensation you deserve and need? What happens when your accident claim falls through the roof, or when you lose most of your compensation to hidden fees you weren't expecting?

Everything depends on the accident claim solicitor you select.

Mutual Feelings

After an accident, the last thing you probably want to think about is going through a lot of effort to select the right solicitor. Most likely you've never been through the accident claim process before; it's not something you've ever had to think about or deal with. So you just go through the motions, thinking all you need is a solicitor to help you process your claim. You don't think about the qualifications that a solicitor should have. After all, a compensation claim is straightforward and should take care of itself. You will receive your compensation. The solicitor is just there to push papers for you.

Wrong.

Too often, accident victims don't receive the compensation they should. Their claim is not handled competently and suddenly they are left without compensation, without a job, without the promising future they worked so hard to achieve before the accident. All because they selected the wrong solicitor; because they thought it didn't matter which one they choose ' they thought they're all alike.

Selection Process

Selecting an accident compensation solicitor is one of the most important decisions you will make following an accident. It's not just a matter of filing an accident claim. You need one who knows exactly what to do and how to do it. Too many solicitors don't know how to get the job done properly. As a result, a claim that should be handled easily can be completely run off track.

Many will see you, the accident victim, as a source of money. They might be competent in handling your accident claim and winning compensation for you. But then they take a huge bite out of your compensation by way of hidden fees they never discussed with you up front. Because you already signed the papers ' completely unaware of what you were signing ' you're stuck with this situation. So much for your accident compensation.

Consider Your Choice

You should put as much care into selecting your solicitor as you do with the most major decisions in your life. Your solicitor holds the key to your future. It means the difference between getting your life back on track, or losing everything you've worked so hard to achieve ' all because of an accident, and because you weren't careful in choosing the right solicitor to handle your accident claim.

It's easy to see why you wouldn't think carefully about your choice. After all, it's not your fault you were in an accident, and the last thing you need is another headache. You just want to process your claim and put everything behind you. You don't feel like taking the time to carefully screen a solicitor. You just want to move ahead and get your compensation.

But if you don't use care in choosing the solicitor who will handle your case, you will be facing even bigger headaches for the rest of your life.

Background Search

When you choose an accident solicitor to handle your case...

• Check their professional history
• Have their cases been successful?
• Is their track record proven?
• Does their professional history demonstrate tenacity, a determination to pursue each claim to a successful conclusion?
• Does the track record demonstrate that the solicitor knows how to judge the validity of an accident claim?

Interview

Next, interview the accident solicitor. Ask questions. You are hiring them to do a job for you. You are the boss. This is your future at stake ' your injury compensation, your recovery. Just as you would only want the most competent and enthusiastic person working for you to build your business, you want the same with something even more important ' rebuilding your life after the accident.

You want to hire a specialist who will be diligent with their work; one who knows which steps to take to handle your case expertly and win you the compensation you are entitled to; one who offers a personalised service, who will take your claim as seriously as they would take their own. A solicitor who already has a game plan and ready to begin actively seeking a settlement on your behalf.

Pay attention to the way your case is being discussed with you.

• Does the solicitor ask questions that lead you to believe they know the best steps to take?
• Are they straightforward about the game plan?
• Is the solicitor forthcoming with detailed information and answers to your questions?
• Does the solicitor communicate easily with you?
• Do you feel confident he/she will keep you in the loop at each stage of the claim process?

Keep Asking

Finally, ask them about fees. Be sure they give you straightforward answers to your questions and doesn't seem to be hiding information or using language you don't understand. You do not want an compensation solicitor who takes a huge chunk out of your compensation to cover hidden fees. Your life was set off track by your accident ' not the solicitor's. You are the only one entitled to receive the settlement cheque. Don't let this terrible event make them wealthy, and don't choose one you suspect is trying to deceive you about the costs of handling your claim.

While it seems the incompetent accident solicitors outnumber the competent ones, you can still find the best solicitor to handle your case. But you won't find the best solicitor if you don't look, ask and if you don't take care in selecting them. Choose them with the same diligence you'd use in selecting a spouse. After all, your future security and prosperity depends directly on the solicitor who will see your claim through to a successful conclusion and win you the compensation to rebuild your life.