{"id":7122,"date":"2011-05-13T08:12:48","date_gmt":"2011-05-13T07:12:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theinjurylawyers.co.uk\/injury-lawyers-blog\/?p=7122"},"modified":"2011-05-13T08:13:31","modified_gmt":"2011-05-13T07:13:31","slug":"how-much-is-my-claim-worth-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theinjurylawyers.co.uk\/injury-lawyers-blog\/2011\/05\/13\/how-much-is-my-claim-worth-5\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much is My Claim Worth?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"This is an age old question \u2013 it\u2019s something I get asked a lot by our new clients. Unfortunately, it\u2019s a little bit more difficult to answer than you might think.<\/p>\n

However \u2013 with my advice below, you stand a chance at making sure you always get the maximum you are entitled to claim for.<\/p>\n

How is it worked out?<\/span><\/strong>
\n<\/p>\n

Your claim comes in to two parts \u2013 one for your injuries, and one for your financial losses.<\/p>\n

Your injury claim is based on the nature, severity, length, inconvenience, and degree of suffering<\/em><\/strong> the injury has caused you. The gist of it is, the more you suffer, the more its worth.<\/p>\n

We work this out based on medical evidence<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 you will need to attend a medical appointment with a fully qualified medico-legal expert to produce a report defining the above. You then need a fully qualified, specialist personal injury lawyer<\/a> to assess the report, do their homework, and maximise your compensation<\/a> payout based on their unique experience and skills.<\/p>\n

So \u2013 to guarantee the maximum amount:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Avoid Dealing with Insurers and Defendants Directly<\/span><\/p>\n

Insurers and Defendants are not lawyers \u2013 they are not on your side (in fact, they\u2019re THE opposing side), and they don\u2019t have your best interests at heart. This practice is dangerous and has the potential to drastically reduce your payout. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Get an independent lawyer on your side<\/em><\/strong> that specialises and deals only in injury claims. With a good lawyer, you are not charged <\/em><\/strong>whether claim wins or loses \u2013 so you will receive 100%<\/em><\/strong> of anything awarded to you, and you have the benefit of an expert fighting for your claim.<\/p>\n

Avoid letting your insurers refer your claim<\/em><\/strong> over to a lawyer. They don\u2019t do it for free; they get a referral fee<\/em><\/strong> which will either come out of your payout<\/em><\/strong>, or leave you with a cash strapped lawyer<\/em><\/strong> and a reduced level of service<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Lower service levels = lawyer with less money to fight harder for your claim!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Avoid claims management companies<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These are middlemen \u2013 not lawyers. They will pass the details of your claim over to a law firm; and, of course, they do not do this for free. Referral fees can go for anything between \u00a3300 to \u00a3800<\/em><\/strong>. This money isn\u2019t recoverable from the other side. You either get a percentage reduction<\/em><\/strong> of your claim, a fixed amount taken away<\/em><\/strong> from your claim, or a reduced service level<\/em><\/strong> from a lawyer with less money to spend on your case.<\/p>\n

Lower service levels = lawyer with less money to fight harder for your claim!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Get a Real Expert Lawyer<\/span><\/p>\n

Make sure you get a fully qualified, specialist personal injury lawyer<\/a>. Specialism speaks for itself. Enough said on this one!<\/p>\n

Recoup Your Losses<\/span><\/p>\n

If you have to pay anything out for your claim, you should keep evidence of what you\u2019ve paid out for so we can claim it back for you as part of your financial losses claim. You\u2019d be wise to keep receipts<\/em><\/strong> of any medication you pay out for, invoices for any treatment<\/em><\/strong> you have, and tickets<\/em><\/strong> for any public transport used, amongst other important bits of information.<\/p>\n

Your losses claim can include: lost earnings, medication expenses, treatment expenses (although a good injury lawyer will get you private medical care from the outset at no costs<\/em><\/strong> to you!), travel expenses, care and assistance (people helping you out whilst you\u2019re injured).<\/p>\n

So:<\/p>\n