Archive for the 'No Win No Fee' Category

Published in Truckstop News July 2010.

In this month’s issue Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury Compensation firm Hinchliffes Solicitors will consider “THE IMPORTANCE OF STRONG MEDICAL EVIDENCE IN SUCCESSFUL PERSONAL INJURY CLAIMS”

What is the role of medical evidence in personal injury claims and why is it so important?  To make a successful claim for personal injury compensation, you need to prove three things.  Firstly, that someone else had a legal responsibility for your safety and welfare; secondly that they failed in their responsibilities towards you; and finally that you suffered an injury as a direct result.  No matter how serious your injuries are, you will only be able to recover accident compensation if the first and second criteria are satisfied.

Published in Truckstop News May 2010.

In this month’s issue Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury Compensation firm Hinchliffes Solicitors will consider “THE IMPACT OF THE NEW PROCESS FOR DEALING WITH ROAD ACCIDENT CLAIMS”

From 30 April 2010 there will be an entirely new process for dealing with road accident claims involving a personal injury.  This has been forced through by the Government, acting under pressure from insurance companies, and it will affect all cases where the overall value of the claim is less than £10,000.  In practice, this will include the overwhelming majority of road accident compensation claims.  However, what are the implications for you - can you be sure that your case will be properly conducted by your solicitor and that you will receive the full amount of compensation you are entitled to?

Published in Truckstop News January 2010.

In this month’s issue Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury Compensation firm Hinchliffes Solicitors considers “THE PITFALLS OF DEALING DIRECT WITH INSURERS IN A ROAD ACCIDENT CLAIM”

This article looks at the very beginning of road accident claims, how they are funded and the pitfalls to be aware of, particularly regarding insurance companies.  However, similar issues could apply to any type of accident compensation claim.

For many commercial entities involved in the personal injury claims business, an accident is purely a commodity to be bought and sold.  Despite the apparent lack of openness, almost all insurance companies will trade a claim for cash, potentially exploiting the injured party rather than protecting their interests.  Many insurers may soon be launching advertising campaigns to persuade the public to deal with them direct, but concealing their real motivation.

Like all injury compensation claims, a road accident claim can only be pursued by solicitors.  Adverts from claims companies on TV, on the Internet and in newspapers might suggest they will handle each case personally, but this is incorrect.  They actually sell the claim to solicitors on their appointed panel, often for a price of between £600 and £800.  The chosen solicitor will usually handle the matter on the basis that the injured person pays no legal costs, but some claims companies either charge a set amount or take a slice of the compensation once the case is successful, and which can amount to a substantial figure.  Before responding to this type of advertising, why not do some research and find a firm of specialist claims solicitors with a proven track record, and deal with them direct.

Hinchliffes Solicitors, a leading firm of personal injury claims solicitors, have issued a warning to people looking for personal injury compensation to be wary of companies who state they are specialists in this area.

They have found that the current trend is for almost everyone involved in personal injury claims to assert that they are specialists.  Companies want you to use their services and will do and say almost anything to attract your business.  One definition of the word ’specialist’ is someone “who is devoted to a particular occupation or branch of study or research”.  However, they may be devoted to a particular occupation, but that does not necessarily mean they are any good at it!

Hinchliffes Solicitors, one of the leading firms of personal injury compensation solicitors, help people every day to make personal injury claims.  The firm has recently confirmed that over £5,500,000 in compensation has now been recovered for clients who have used their services to make a successful injury compensation claim.

The Principal and owner of the firm, Solicitor Steven Hinchliffe, said: “This is a great achievement and shows that our committed team of specialist solicitors and skilled support staff can provide a high quality, personal service, putting clients’ interests and wellbeing first.  Whether the injured person has suffered a relatively minor injury (such as a whiplash injury in a road accident) or a devastating and catastrophic injury (such as a head injury or loss of a limb following a work accident), our specialist personal injury solicitors have the legal know-how to achieve the best possible level of compensation for the client.”

LEGAL WELCOME

Local personal injury specialists Hinchliffes Solicitors have become founder members of a nationwide alliance of solicitor firms, QualitySolicitors.com.

The group selected 100 of the top firms nationwide to form the founder membership, and has chosen Hinchliffes Solicitors as one of them.

Steven Hinchliffe of Hinchliffes Solicitors, based at Sandys Road, said he was very pleased the firm had been invited to join the group.  He said: “We are delighted that our high-quality client-focused service has been recognised by being accepted into this exclusive organisation.“

ENDS

PERSONAL INJURY CLAIM SOLICITORS:-

If you have suffered any form of accident or contracted an industrial disease contact personal injury specialists Hinchliffes Solicitors for immediate legal advice, to find out if you are entitled to make claims for injury compensation.  All cases are conducted on a No Win - No Fee basis, where the Client keeps 100% of the compensation recovered.

Call now on 0800 138 1348 to speak direct to a personal injury lawyer or go to our Start Your Claim Now  page to submit details of your personal injury claim online.

Specialist personal Injury claims solicitors, Hinchliffes Solicitors, have become founder members of an exclusive nationwide alliance of high quality solicitor firms, Quality Solicitors, whose recent successful national launch was widely reported in the press, on the web, on TV and radio.

Hinchliffes Solicitors joined the alliance as it is the UK’s first ever truly national legal brand promoting the use of real solicitor firms over “call-centre law”, soon to be provided by supermarkets and banks.   The alliance has initially selected 100 of the top solicitor firms nationwide to form the founder membership, and has chosen Hinchliffes Solicitors as recognised specialist claims solicitors providing accident claims advice to members of the public wishing to make personal injury claims.

Some basic elements need to exist for a successful accident compensation claim to be made.  The most common types of accident claims are a road accident claim or an accident at work claim.

To succeed in an accident compensation claim, the accident must have happened because someone was at fault and the victim suffered an injury.  The other party must have been aware that their actions (or lack of action) could cause injury, and which is commonly the situation when they are either another road user or an employer.

It is normally necessary for an injured person wishing to claim personal injury compensation to start Court proceedings in support of their claim within three years of the date of their accident.  If they do not do so the claim will usually be lost, as it will have become statute barred because of the provisions of the Limitation Acts.

However, the Court of Appeal recently decided that when Judges are exercising their discretion whether or not to waive the three year time limit, they should not automatically regard the person or company responsible for causing the accident to be prejudiced by removing their ability to use the passage of time as a defence.

Published in Truckstop News -  March 2009.

In this month’s issue Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury firm Hinchliffes Solicitors will consider “UNINSURED ROAD ACCIDENT CLAIMS AND THE MOTOR INSURERS’ BUREAU”.

The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (”MIB”) was established in 1946 as an organisation to deal with claims by innocent victims who have suffered personal injury or damage to their property because of a negligent uninsured or untraced driver.  The MIB has entered into agreements with the Government to provide financial compensation in these situations.

Under the Road Traffic Act 1988, every insurance company underwriting compulsory motor insurance is obliged to be a member of the MIB and to contribute to its funding.  A staggering one out of every 20 drivers is uninsured, and as a result every insured driver pays around £30 more for their premium to cover the claims settled by the MIB.