The main goal that any personal injury lawyer should have in the front of their mind when they are being instructed by a new client should be “I am going to get my client the compensation they deserve.” However, the amount of claims that are being made against personal injury firms is rising, this is because lawyers are either forgetting the goal that they should be setting out to achieve, firms are piling too many cases on to one solicitor or firms are employing solicitors who are ill-equipped to perform the role they have been given. This is leading to their clients being under compensated for their injuries.
For us here at Loyalty Law, being a firm totally committed to client satisfaction and finding the best lawyer for you, this is concerning news. There are high numbers of personal injury claims made every day in the UK but the proliferation of claims should not lead to a decline in the services a firm provides to their clients. We feel strongly about this. Some personal injury firms are opting to take on more instructions than they can reasonably deal with which is causing cases to be pushed through much faster than they should be. Also in some firms under qualified staff are being given claims which that they have not been trained to deal with due to the heavy workload the firm has taken on.
Each client should receive a high standard of service, and a personalised service, rather than becoming just a number. There is a lot to be said for conducting a personal injury claim without face-to-face contact as this can make the process a lot less of a hassle for the client but due to claims commonly being dealt with without meeting the client, solicitors must be vigilant. One of the common errors arising is the misinterpretation of medical reports. This is unacceptable. When a solicitor does not have the time to properly read and understand a medical report, questions need to be asked and clients are right to question their firm. Another pertinent issue that keeps coming up in these negligence claims is that many clients are being pushed in to early, low offers of settlement. Again this appears to be so a firm can tick another case off the list and move on with their even pressured work load.
It is predicted that the problem is merely going to get worse, not better, until the Jackson reforms come in next April. Firms are under huge stress as they work tirelessly to get as many claim settled as possible whilst people can still take advantage of no win no fee schemes. For some firms, their client focus is not lost, and these are the firms that Loyalty Law deals with. Yes, getting an injury claim settled is important, and for some clients they would rather take a lower settlement that carry on with a claim for years, but this is always, always, down to the client. All clients must receive full advice about their options at all times throughout a personal injury claim. Furthermore, the firms we work with will always ensure all the correct steps are taken to ensure the right compensation amount is calculated. The pressure of the personal injury sector should not lead to degeneration in services, and Loyalty Law strongly stands by this.
Author: Nicholas Jervis
No Comments - “Negligence Claims Against Personal Injury Firms Are On The Rise”