Legal Claim

Do you think you have a legal claim?

If you believe that you may have a legal claim, you would be wise to seek advice from a solicitor.

Before approaching a solicitor you should check your home insurance or car insurance documents, as you may well have legal expenses insurance through these. This type of insurance is also known as Before-the-Event Insurance. If you do have legal expenses insurance, you should contact the insurer and see if there are any specific procedures or requirements to commence the claims procedure.

Through your insurance company, you may be required to use one of the solicitors on their panel. However, you may have a particular reason as to why you do not wish to use the insurer’s own panel solicitor. In this situation, it would be advisable for you to liaise with the insurance company or your preferred solicitor of choice.

Many insurers will encourage you to use their panel solicitors but bear in mind there may be financial motives for this. An insurer is very likely to have negotiated special terms with their panel solicitors but an insurer is obliged to allow you to instruct your own solicitor, once Court proceedings have commenced.

Your solicitor is required to explore different ways of funding your litigation. Your solicitor will check with you whether you have Before-the-Event Insurance and whether you qualify for community legal funding (also known as Legal Aid). If you do not have appropriate Before-the-Event Insurance or qualify for Legal Aid, your solicitor may well suggest a ‘No Win, No Fee’ arrangement (see ‘No Win, No Fee’ arrangements for details).