FAQ's
Personal Injury FAQ's
1. How much will it cost to Instruct Law Connect Solicitors?
2. Will Law Connect Solicitors deduct money from my Compensation?
3. What does no win no fee mean?
4. Will you deal with my Compensation Claim on a no win no fee basis?
5. What if I have had an accident but I am not sure if I have a valid Claim for Compensation?
6. What costs do I have to pay if I lose my Compensation Claim under the no win no fee arrangement?
7. You are not local to me, is this a problem?
8. Can a child or a mentally incapacitated person make a Compensation Claim for an accident?
9. What if I have not had time to visit a General Practitioner, the Hospital or another medical Expert for a medical record of my suffering?
10. Can I claim my lost or reduced earnings as a result of the accident?
11. What if I have not taken any time off work as a result of my Injuries?
12. What else can I claim for in addition to my Injury Compensation Claim?
13. Do I have to await my Compensation Settlement Claim to be concluded before I can claim my out of pocket losses?
14. How long will my Compensation Claim take to settle?
15. How much can my Injury Claim be worth?
16. Will I have to attend Court ?
17. What sort of evidence should I obtain to assist my Compensation Claim?
18. Are there time frames in which I can bring my Compensation Claim?
19. Are there other Time Limits that I should consider that can influence my Compensation Claim?
20. Why should I chose to instruct Law Connect Solicitors to handle my Compensation Claim?
Litigation FAQ's
1.What will I be charged?
2. Do I need to bring money with me when I come to see you or instruct you to commence my Case?
3. What documents do I need to bring with me for you to assist me with my Case?
4. It is Expensive to take matters to Court?
5. Can I recover my costs from the other party if I am successful in my Case?
6. You are not local to me, is this a problem?
7. What else can I claim in addition to my Civil Claim for Damages relating to my Case?
8. Do I have to await my settlement claim to be concluded before I can claim my out of pocket losses?
9. How long will my Case take to settle?
10. How much can my Claim arising from my Case be worth?
11 . Will I have to attend Court?
12. What sort of evidence should I obtain to assist my Case?
13. Are there time frames in which I can bring my Case?
14. Are there other time limits that I should consider that can influence my
Case?
15. Why should I chose Law Connect Solicitors to handle my Case?
Immigration FAQ's
1.What will I be charged?
2. Do I need to bring money with me when I come to see you or instruct you to commence my Case?
3. What documents do I need to bring with me for you to assist me with my Case?
4. Is it essential that I need to come into your office to see you?
5. I don’t speak English will this cause a difficulty in you helping me with my Case?
6. Do I need to attend a Court Hearing?
7. What types of visas can you assist me with?
8. How long will my Case take?
9. Why should I chose Law Connect Solicitors to handle my Case?
Personal Injury FAQ Answers
1. How much will it cost to Instruct Law Connect Solicitors?
Law Connect Solicitors operate on a largely ‘No Win No Fee basis’. This means that we don’t charge our Clients for any of our Fees because we will recover our Fees from the Insurer of the person or organisation responsible for causing your injury and associated losses.
2. Will Law Connect Solicitors deduct money from my Compensation?
No. We will not deduct anything from your compensation and you will keep 100% of your Compensation Award. We offer a genuine cost free service.
3. What does No Win No Fee mean?
No Win No Fee, means exactly that, if you don’t win your case, you don’t pay Law Connect Solicitor’s Legal Fees or Costs OR even the othersides Legal Fees and Costs. Also, if you do win your case, then you still do not pay us anything. You, therefore, pay us nothing at all. There are No upfront fees AND No hidden costs or charges.
4. Will you deal with my Compensation Claim on a No Win No fee basis?
We deal with most non fault accidents on a No Win No Fee basis. We will assess your claim to consider whether we can offer our services on a No Win No Fee basis on Consideration of your Compensation Claim. If your Compensation Claim is a non fault Accident that the other party that caused the Accident is fully or partly at fault for the Incident and has an Insurance Policy in place or financial viability for us to pursue to secure a successful Compensation Claim against, we will accept to handle your Claim on a No Win No Fee Basis. We will confirm to you clearly, if we will be prepared to assist you with your Compensation Claim on a No Win No Fee basis. Our Assessment of whether we would be prepared to take on the Compensation Claim on a No Win No Fee Service is considered on a Case by Case basis based on the facts of your Compensation Claim. We would recommend that you contact us for a Free Consultation to enable us to Advise you immediately on this.
5. What if I have had an accident but I am not sure if I have a valid Claim for Compensation?
Even if you are unsure if you have had an Accident that entitles you to make a Compensation Claim, you can contact us for a Free No Obligation consultation. You are under no obligation to instruct us to deal with the Compensation Claim, however, you can speak to our friendly team for a Free Consultation to discuss the merits of your Compensation Claim and we will advise you fully on your Compensation Claim's possible prospects of success.
6. What costs do I have to pay if I lose my Compensation Claim under the no win no fee arrangement?
Nothing. Not a single penny. Law Connect Solicitors offer a completely No Win No Fee Service, when we accept your Compensation Claim under the No Win No Fee arrangement, which should give you absolute peace of mind that you are offered a cost and risk fee service. We will purchase an Insurance referred to a ‘Before the Event Insurance’ or an ‘After the Event Insurance’ so that in the event that you were unsuccessful in pursing a Compensation Claim, then the Costs of the opposing party will be paid for under this insurance scheme.
7. You are not local to me, is this a problem?
No. There is no requirement for you to even visit our offices for us to commence a Compemsation Claim on your behalf. In fact, a lot of our local Clients don’t need to visit our offices, as we can conduct most of the Claim handing in written and telephone communications. In Compensation Claims that are straight forward, we hope to resolve and conclude the Claim Process fairly quickly. If you have a more complicated Compensation Claim where you would prefer to visit us, we will make the arrangements to enable you to do so. We can also accommodate home visits for some Clients that are restricted in their ability to travel to us, for ease of convenience.
8. Can a child or a mentally incapacitated person make a Compensation Claim for an accident?
Yes. However, a Mentally Incapacitated Person and a Child that is under the age of 18 is deemed by law as unable to make decisions about their Compensation Claim. It is a strict provision in accordance with legal requirements that a Representative who can be a family member, friend or a guardian will be appointed to act on behalf of this person to provide all instructions regarding the handling of the Compensation Claim on behalf of the Child or Mentally Incapacitated Person.
9. What if I have not had time to visit a General Practitioner, the Hospital or another Medical Expert for a medical record of my suffering?
It is not essential that you attend upon a Medical Practitioner to establish a medical record of your injury. However, this said it is in fact helpful that you are provided (with medical guidance) any essential or recommended Treatment or Medical Guidance of the extent of your Injuries and Suffering. Delays in obtaining any Treatment and prolonging your suffering, (where your symptoms could be deemed to have recovered earlier with the necessary treatment intervention) could even affect the concluded Settlement Value of your Compensation Award. It is also usually helpful to obtain a contemporaneous Medical Note of your Injuries to assist questions that your Injuries are directly attributable to the accident based on a comparative attempt to obtain the necessary treatment. This can be very helpful to establish that your Compensation Claim Award is sole attributable from injuries relating to the accident and not other external factors.
10. Can I claim my lost or reduced earnings as a result of the accident?
Yes. All loss of earnings, reduced earnings and loss of overtime or shift allowance, which resulted as a result of the accident, can be reclaimed from the responsible party, as part of your Compenstion Claim. This is of course only if your Employer has not paid this to you as part of your contractual entitlement to receive sickness absence pay from your Employer. Also if there are any lost opportunities of promotion or further opportunities at work, these can also be considered as part of your Compensation Claim. It is important to provide documentary information about your Earnings by way of Wage Slips or Accounts (if you are self employed).
11. What if I have not taken any time off work as a result of my Injuries?
Not having absence from work doesn’t prevent a Compensation Claim for your Personal Injury and other related losses from being established. It is not unusual for people to return to work in these difficult financial times and seek either lighter duties or reduced hours at work. It is always useful, however, to ensure that your difficulties in completing work related tasks or any reduced hours, loss of overtime or opportunities to take a promotion opportunity are noted. Not taking time off work will not bar you from bring a rightful claim for a lost opportunity of promotion at work.
12. What else can I claim for in addition to my Injury Compensation Claim?
You can make a claim for all out of pocket losses that you incur as a direct result of the accident as part of your Compensation Claim, including ;
- Travel Related Costs, (Mileage, Public Travel Costs and Parking Costs);
- Loss of Earnings and Lost Work Opportunities in Employment (Overtime, Shift Allowance, Bonuses, Holiday Pay and Income Loss from missed Promotion Opportunities);
- Vehicle Related Losses (Motor Insurance Policy Excess, the Cost of a Replacement Vehicle ,Service and Unclaimed Road Tax if your vehicle is deemed beyond economic repair or Repair Costs, Damaged items in the vehicle, Loss of Use and Inconvenience, Storage, Hire and Recovery Charges and Loss of Diminution Value of your Vehicle if you have a prestige vehicle and the repairs conducted have caused a loss of value to your vehicle);
- Damaged Clothing or other damaged items
- Substituted Care related costs incurred (for Child Care, Elderly Care or Disabled Care);
- Medical Treatment Costs (Prescriptions, Medication, Medical Aids, Physiotherapy, Acupuncture, Pain Manipulation and/or Chiropractic Treatment)
- Any Care Claim (provided for by family or professionally paid services) for assistance with Personal hygiene and care, DIY, Gardening, Domestic chores in the home and Shopping errons.
- Renovation or decoration costs professionally incurred that would otherwise have been done personally had the accident not happened
- Alterations to your accommodation for changes or adjustments because of your physical needs and injury
This list is not conclusive. If you are unsure of other out of pocket losses that you may be entitled to claim, please feel free to contact us for further guidance.
13. Do I have to await for the whole of my Compensation Settlement to be concluded before I can claim my out of pocket losses?
No, not necessarily. Whilst Insurance companies do prefer to make global payments to include a settlement of your Personal Injury Compensation Award and out of pocket expenses together (because it saves on administration costs) this doest stop us from asking for part settlements. It can, however assist to globalise the negotiation process of a settlement for your Compensation Claim in full. Law Connect Solicitors will always seek interim payments for losses incurred to you, wherever possible. If necessary, where the Third Party Representatives fail to recognise early Compensation Settlements for income losses and vehicle losses, for example where liability (fault for the accident) is accepted in the case, Applications can be made to Court to seek Interim Payment Orders by the Court to secure payments, by compelling the Third Party Representatives to release the interim payments sought by orders from the Court, where necessary.
14. How long will my Comensation Claim take to settle?
The time frame to settle a claim varies from claim to claim, depending on Liability, Medical Issues and the nature of the negotiations between the parties on each individual claim. We aim to secure settlements of CompensationClaims as quickly as possible and pride ourselves on our efficient turn around for settlement of Compensation Claims. It is important to us that your Compensation Claim is resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible.
15. How much can my Comensation Claim be worth?
Your claim will be assessed based on the extent of your injury and suffering on considering the medical reports that we will organise and arrange. We will ensure that we give you the best possible guidance on the value once we have considered your medical report(s) and the evidence supporting your out of pocket expenses related heads of claim.
For a general guideline you can consider the guidance provided in this website on our Claims Estimation page.
Your out of pocket expenses Compensation Claim has to be established based on the medical evidence and other relevant evidence supporting the Compensation Claim(s) submitted.
16. Will I have to attend Court?
Most cases do settle without the requirement for a Court Hearing for the accident circumstances and/or the settlement amount to be considered before a District Judge at Court. Law Connect Solicitors aim to settle matters as quickly and efficiently as possible, without the need to take litigation action. However, our team are keen to progress matters to litigation quickly if it is seemingly obvious that the fault party’s representatives are challenging issues and causing unnecessary delays in the settlement of your Compensation Claim. In such cases litigation action will be commenced as quickly as possible and Court appearance by you may become necessary if the matter proceeds to a final hearing.
17. What sort of evidence should I obtain to assist my Compensation Claim?
The evidence is very dependent on your accident circumstances and the availability of evidence. Common examples are witnesses, cctv footage, photographs of the accident scene and your injuries aswell as general evidence for your out of pocket expenses claims. Dependent on your accident circumstances there could be several other things that are recommendable for collecting relevant evidence so please contact us for further legal advice and guidance as quickly as possible to enable us to identify other important evidence that we consider will be helpful for your claim.
18. Are there time frames in which I can bring my Compensation Claim?
Yes All claims involving a Personal Injury must be issued in a Civil County Court within 3 years from the anniversary of the claim (however, claims involving children which must be issued within 3 years from the date that the child turns 18). All claims for Contractual Related Damages (non-personal injury associated), for example a hire claim and vehicle associated losses, which must be issued in a Civil Court within 6 years from the anniversary of the claim.
If your Compensation Claim is not issued within these times scales, your Compensation Claim will become statute barred and you will be prevented from raising a Compensation Claim in a Civil Court. Please note that there are different time limits for registering a Compensation Claim with the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority Your Compensation Claim must be initiated with the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority within 2 years of the date of the Injury.
19. Are there other Time Limits that I should consider that can influence my Compensation Claim?
Yes, there are often difficulties in obtaining police reports if these are not applied for and there are often difficulties in obtaining CCTV footage which can be wiped in days and if not hours. Witnesses can move and change telephone numbers and they can lose interest in assisting you with your case and obtaining their Witness Evidence early can be helpful to succeed on establishing case issues in dispute early on or securing their attendance at Court with a witness summons, where necessary.
20. Why should I chose to instruct Law Connect Solicitors to handle my claim?
Law Connect Solicitors have a team of friendly and experienced staff that are ready to take full conduct of Compensation Claims and Handling. We offer precision and excellence in our service. Please review the feedback from our existing Client’s who have provided their feedback on our outstanding Service Standards, which demonstrate our high level of service standards.
Litigation FAQ Answers
Law Connect Solicitors will charge an hourly rate for the work conducted and you will be regularly advised at different intervals of the charges that are incurred as your case progresses. Law Connect Solicitors offer an efficient service to ensure that our charges are incurred for progressive and relevant work to assist with your Compensation Claim. We can offer fixed rates for some Civil Matters that involve a simple and predictable process of work involved for us. We can discuss this with you in more detail after an initial consultation after we have established some details of your case
2. Do I need to bring money with me when I come to see you or instruct you to commence my Case?
In order for Law Connect Solicitors to take on your Case you will be required to provide some money on account. This amount will vary depending on your Case and the Fees that are charged. Any funds that we take on account will be deducted from your final bill.
3. What documents do I need to bring with me for you to assist me with my Case?
We require documentation to comply with money laundering checks. Please ensure that you bring or provide 2-3 of the following common forms of Documentation;
- Passport
- ID Card
- Birth Certificate
- Drivers Licence
- Bank Statements
- Proof of address – (Utility Bills, rent agreements)
- Any other relevant documentation including correspondence with the opposing party and contractual dispute details
4. It is Expensive to take matters to Court?
In addition to our fees, the Court require fees for filing Court Forms and Documents and Listing Hearing Fees, which are involved at different stages of the litigation process. Claims can cost a minimum of £1000 in Court fees for cases claimed up to say £5000.
5. Can I recover my costs from the other party if I am successful in my claim?
The Courts only have the power to order costs against the losing party, if the Court Orders the claim for costs to be recoverable. This is often determined by the damages that are likely to be worth more than £5000 and where the issues are complicated and where they cannot be dealt with at a Small Claims Hearing and require the Court to time table directions to assist with the case. In some very exceptional circumstances, where the conduct of a party has been considered to be inappropriate and unreasonable the Court can order costs against a party to the action.
6. You are not local to me, is this a problem?
No. There is no requirement for you to even visit our offices for us to commence a case on your behalf. Depending on the circumstances of your case, you may not need to visit our offices as we can conduct most of the Claim Handing in written and telephone communications to assist with costs, wherever possible. In Cases that are straight forward we hope to resolve and conclude the claim process fairly quickly. If you have a more complicated Case where you would prefer to visit us, we can be flexible in making the arrangements possible and we can accommodate home visits for some Clients that are restricted in their ability to travel for ease of convenience.
7. What else can I claim for in addition to my Civil Claim for Damages?
You can make a claim for all breaches of a contractual agreement as set out in the an agreement you may have. You can also claim out of pocket losses that you incur as a direct result of the incident, including relevant rectification costs to put you back into the position as a result of any breach of contract, loss of income related costs and travel related costs etc;
(This list is not conclusive. If you are unsure of other out of pocket losses, please feel free to contact us for further guidance)
8. Do I have to await my Settlement Claim to be concluded before I can claim my out of pocket losses resulting from my Case?
No, not necessarily. Whilst Insurance companies do prefer to make global payments to include a settlement of your final award and out of pocket expenses together because it saves on administration costs and can help to globalise the negotiation process of a settlement for your claim. Law Connect Solicitors will always seek interim payments for losses incurred to you for. If necessary, where the Third Party Representatives fail to recognise early settlements for income losses for example, Applications can be made to Court to seek interim payment orders by the Court to compel the Third Party Representatives to release the interim payments sought, where necessary.
9. How long will my Case take to settle?
The Time Frame to settle a Case varies from claim to claim, depending on liability, issues in dispute and the nature of the negotiations between the parties on each individual Case. We aim to settle claims as quickly as possible and pride ourselves on our efficient turn around for claims. It is important to us that your claim is resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible.
10. How much can my Claim resulting from my Case be worth?
Your Case will be assessed based on the extent of the basis of your Claims submitted. We will ensure that we give you the best possible guidance on the value once we have considered your claim and the supporting evidence.
11 . Will I have to attend Court?
Most cases do settle without the requirement for a Court Hearing for the accident circumstances and/or the settlement amount to be considered before a District Judge at Court. Law Connect Solicitors aim to settle matters as quickly and efficiently as possible, without the need to take litigation action. However, our team are keen to progress matters to litigation quickly if it is seemingly obvious that the other party’s representatives are challenging issues and causing our Client’s unnecessary delays in the settlement of their claim. In such cases litigation action will be commenced as quickly as possible and Court appearance may become necessary if the matter proceeds to a final hearing.
12. What sort of Evidence should I obtain to assist my Case?
The Evidence is very dependent on your accident circumstances. Common examples are witnesses, cctv footage, photographs. Dependent on your claim facts and circumstances there could be several other things that are recommendable for collecting relevant evidence so please contact us for further legal advice and guidance as quickly as possible to enable us to identify other important evidence that we consider will be helpful.
13. Are there time frames in which I can bring my Case?
Yes. All claims for Contractual Related Damages must be issued in a Civil Court within 6 years from the anniversary of the incident.
If your Case is not issued within these times scales, your claim will become statute barred and you will be prevented from raising a claim in a Civil Court.
14. Are there other time limits that I should consider that can influence my Case?
Yes, there are often difficulties in obtaining police reports if these are not applied for and there are often difficulties in obtaining CCTV footage which can be wiped in days and if not hours. Witnesses can move and change telephone numbers and they can lose interest in assisting you with your case and obtaining their witness evidence early can be helpful to succeed on establishing case issues in dispute early on or securing their attendance at Court with a witness summons, where necessary.
15. Why should I chose Law Connect Solicitors to handle my Case?
Law Connect Solicitors have a team of friendly and experienced staff that are ready to take full conduct of your Case Handling. We offer precision and excellence in our service. Please review the feedback from our existing Client’s who have provided their feedback on our outstanding service standards, which demonstrate our high level of service standards
Immigration FAQ Answers
Law Connect Solicitors have a competitive fee structure and we do offer fixed rates for most of the Immigration matters that we deal, with to enable you to have knowledge of what you will be charged for our services
2. Do I need to bring money with me when I come to see you or instruct you to commence my Case?
In order for Law Connect Solicitors to take on your Case you will be required to provide some money on account. This amount will vary depending on your Case and the Fees that are charged. Any funds that we take on account will be deducted from your final bill.
3. What documents do I need to bring with me for you to assist me with my case?
The documentation required to submit Applications and Appeals, depends upon the type of the Immigration matter that you will be instructing us to deal with.The most common forms of Documentation that you should bring to your first meeting is your
- Passport
- ID Card
- Birth Certificate
- Drivers Licence
- Bank Statements
- Proof of address – (Utility Bills, rent agreements)
- Any other relevant documentation including correspondence with the Home Office or other officials
4. Is it essential that I need to come into your office to see you?
No. We can assist you via written communications and telephone consultations so it is not essential that you need to visit us. This said, it is very dependent on your Case Needs. It is advantageous for matters such as an Asylum matters, to arrage to have face to face contact and if necessary, we can consider an out of office visit, depending on the circumstances.
5. I don’t speak English will this cause a difficulty in you helping me with my Case?
No. We have fluent Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu and have a good understanding of most other Asian languages. We can also arrange for translators and interpreters to cater for most other languages.
6. Do I need to attend a Court Hearing?
Matters for Immigration cases are heard at Immigration Tribunals. Immigration Tribunals consider cases to decide on Appeals and matters objected to by the Home Office, so it would always be in your interest to attend a Tribunal to give oral testimony of your evidence, to support your Case.
7. What types of visas can you assist me with?
- Spouses & Fiance Applications
- Student Visas
- Visa’s for Entry Clearance
- Visitor Visas
- Work Permit
8. How long will my case take?
It is difficult to give accurate guidance on how long it can take for a Case to conclude as it differs on the purpose of your instruction matter and at what your stage you have instructed us on your Case.
9. Why should I chose Law Connect Solicitors to handle my claim?
Law Connect Solicitors have a team of friendly and experienced staff that are ready to take full conduct and handling of Case. We offer precision and excellence in our service and we offer competitive legal fees. Please contact us now for a free consultation.
0800 612 8666
360 Moseley Road, Highgate
Birmingham B12 9AZ
Chambers 221, 27 Colmore Row Birmingham, B3 2EW
Tel: 0121 636 0700
Fax: 0121 636 0800
enquiries@law-connect.co.uk