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Mirror Legal Services is dedicated to
helping you deal with your claim for compensation in a
way that is convenient to you and your lifestyle. The
following questions and answers provide additional
information about our service and are intended for
general guidance only. If you feel your query still
hasn't been answered by the questions below you can
email us or call us on 0800 916 9040.
Click on a
question to reveal the answer.
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| What will it cost me to claim? |
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Mirror Legal Services is
committed to conducting your claim in the most cost
effective manner possible and ensuring that wherever
possible, you will receive 100% of the compensation
awarded to you or received as a result of a
settlement.
We will act on your behalf under a
Conditional Fee Agreement, a method of funding claims
for personal injury compensation fully approved by the
Law Society of England & Wales. Broadly, if your
claim is a success, the costs of a solicitor
representing you are recoverable from the opposing party
and we will always do our very best to make sure that
you do not have to pay anything for your legal
representation.
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| What about costs in CICA and Motor
Insurers Bureau "Untraced Driver" claims? |
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Some claims, such as
Criminal Injury Compensation Claims and claims against
untraced, so-called "hit and run" drivers, do not
facilitate the recovery of legal costs. In those cases,
if we are to represent you, we will always try to keep
our costs to a minimum but they will have to be paid by
you, out of the compensation recovered on your
behalf.
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| What if I lose my case? |
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If we take your case on but it is unsuccessful,
we will not make any charge for our professional
services incurred in representing you.
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| Who will deal with my claim? |
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Your claim will be investigated by Russell Jones & Walker, one of the UK's leading personal injury law firms, with a reputation for excellence in personal injury litigation. Read more about them at http://www.rjw.co.uk
When your
claim has been investigated, the remainder of the case
will be handled either by Russell Jones & Walker or
by an experienced and reputable firm of solicitors, with
particular expertise in personal injury cases.
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| How much compensation will I
get? |
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It is not possible for us to give an indication
of the value of your claim until we have had an
opportunity to obtain and consider some detailed medical
evidence relating to the nature and extent of your
injuries and the prognosis for your
recovery.
Courts award damages based upon
compensation awards that have been made in previously
decided cases and by reference to the Judicial Studies
Board Guidelines http://www.oup.co.uk/isbn/0-19-925795-7 for the assessment of damages in personal injury cases.
At the end of the day a judge's discretion is unfettered
but he will usually have regard to the Guidelines and
relevant previous decisions of the Court.
Your
solicitors will be able to give you more detailed advice
about the value of your claim, specific to your
particular injuries and circumstances.
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| How long will my claim take? |
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It will depend on the circumstances. If your
opponent admits liability for your claim, it is likely
that it will be concluded faster than if liability is
disputed. Furthermore, if your opponent's insurer agrees
to a figure to compensate you for your injuries, that
would result in a speedier resolution of your claim than
if damages fell to be assessed by a court.
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| When will my compensation be
paid? |
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Your compensation will be paid when your
opponent (or his/her insurer) agrees to pay a sum in
settlement of your claim, or when a court awards
compensation to you but sometimes an interim payment can
be obtained so that you receive part of your
compensation before your claim is finalised.
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| Will I need to appear in Court? |
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Not necessarily. Many personal injury cases are
concluded without the need for a court hearing. Your
solicitor will discuss this with you in more detail but
if your accident is very clear-cut and the opponent (and
his/her insurers) agree an amount of compensation for
your injuries, it may well be unnecessary for you to
attend court for a hearing. |