If you have been the victim of medical negligence then it's safe to say that you will want to claim compensation for your troubles - after all, the healthcare system is supposed to be safe and effective and if you have been neglected then it's only fair that you receive some sort of compensation for this.
Even though this may be true, filing a claim and going ahead with the lawsuit definitely isn't as easy as it sounds - it is a very complex process and you will have to talk to a solicitor most probably for at least a few hours. You will have to explain your story and go through other processes which we will discuss below.
Preparing Your Claim
The first step that you will want to take is finding a good solicitor that has experience in both the legal and medical industry - this is so important simply because medical negligence claims are usually extremely complex and so your solicitor will be required to have a lot of knowledge and expertise - failing to find a suitable solicitor will only diminish your chances of having a successful claim.
There are many other things that you will want to take into consideration when choosing a solicitor such as location, size of the firm, and their payment structure which will be discussed in more detail below.
Things to Consider
Your solicitor is going to be one of the most important factors that you will want to take into consideration throughout the claim process. He/she will be at the forefront of the whole process and will represent you in court and will also help you through any of the paperwork, they will even ensure that the documents are adhered to after the court hearing has taken place.
Many people often look around for the best prices when choosing a solicitor but this is the wrong thing to do simply because you want to get the best person for the job! Having a good solicitor means that you will benefit from much better, more personal advice and your case will have a much better chance of being successful.
The No Win No Fee Structure
When deciding on a solicitor, you should pay extra close to attention to what types of payment structure they offer. You might find that some solicitors will operate on an hourly or a fixed-price basis, regardless of whether your claim is successful or not. The bad thing is that these pricing structures are terrible as there is simply no way for you to judge whether you have a good claim or not. The good thing is that many of these firms are switching over to the no win no fee structure.
The no win no fee structure is an option that the firm will set up which states that you only have to pay the legal fees if your claim is successful, if it's not then you won't have to pay anything! As you can probably see this is by far the best option and many firms now offer this payment structure so it's worth looking for one that does.
Source by James Eccles
