Questions to ask a potential solicitor

Useful questions to ask a potential solicitor:

The following are questions that you may wish to ask a solicitor when discussing your potential claim. It is important that you are comfortable that you solicitor has the expertise to handle your case but also that the solicitor is someone that you will be comfortable in dealing with on an ongoing basis.

General questions:

• Which solicitor in the firm will have responsibility for your case?
• How does the solicitor rate your chances of making a successful claim?
• What level of compensation (damages) would the solicitor realistically expect you to receive if your claim is successful?
• What are the options for funding the case? e.g. no win, no fee; legal expenses insurance (before the event insurance or after the event insurance); public funding (legal aid)
• How long will it take to conclude the case?

Questions specifically for Personal Injury only:

• How much experience does the solicitor have in personal injury cases and what proportion of the solicitor’s caseload relates to this field?
• Is the solicitor a member of APIL (Association of Personal Injury Lawyers)?

Questions specifically for Clinical Negligence only:

• How much experience does the solicitor have in clinical negligence cases and what proportion of the solicitor’s caseload relates to this field?
• Is the solicitor a member of AvMA’s specialist panel?
• Does the firm have a clinical negligence franchise from the Legal Services Commission? (to qualify for a franchise for public funding aka Legal Aid, a solicitor needs to be on either AvMA’s or the Law Society’s clinical negligence panel.