Personal Injury Law

It’s not all no win, no fee...

Personal injury law is also related to clinical negligence. Together they involve helping clients gain compensation for injuries suffered in accidents, at home or outside, and injuries inflicted on account of negligence by medical practitioners.

This area of law is plagued by unfortunate stereotypes that have derived from perpetual “no win, no fee” advertising and the perception of personal injury lawyers as ambulance chasers. However, the reality of personal injury law is far from these misconceptions.

Why is personal injury law important? What does it involve?

Equity is a cornerstone of the legal system in the UK. If someone has caused physical or pecuniary (financial loss) injury to you, then this situation should be made fair. This is the premise of personal injury law. Effectively, the aim is to right any wrongs that others have caused.

Claimants’ lawyers act on behalf of injured parties, whilst defendants’ lawyers will operate on behalf of the party accused of causing or exacerbating the injury suffered. Most defendants carry malpractice or accident insurance. As a result, in a suit filed for personal injury, the insurance company or carrier also becomes a defendant in the proceedings.

Working in this field, you will find yourself representing private individuals, local authorities, medical practitioners and employers.

Break it down for me a little bit!

As a personal injury lawyer, you will begin by collecting and verifying the details of the claim filed. You will then document the injuries received and the expenses incurred as a result of them. Furthermore, you will extrapolate the time and earnings lost on account of the injury and calculate the appropriate compensation or damages that the claimant is due.

You will check medical reports, and make provisions for further checks where required, to ascertain and support the facts of the case. Defendants’ lawyers try to reduce the liability and compensation due from their clients and look into the claimant’s culpability during the accident. They aim to reduce the amount of compensation that will be paid out and try to make sure the fee is as little as possible. They may do this through a settlement or in the course of court proceedings.

Personal injury lawyers require exceptional people management skills. Working with a wide range of people, it is also essential that you are empathetic, show genuine interest in resolving their problems and have an impressive amount of patience.

Practising as a personal injury lawyer requires you to be up-to-date with relevant legislation and regulations. You will also need a thorough knowledge of medical matters and the ability to pick up on the complexities which arise from such claims. Creative thinking and first-class communication and negotiation skills are an absolute must. On the technical side, a comprehensive understanding of insurance law, professional negligence and malpractice liability are extremely critical.