If you've ever opened a phone book or used a search engine to look for an injury lawyer, you've probably been overwhelmed. Where is the objective advice? Everything appears to be an advertisement for a firm - whether they're blatant about it or not, the information can all seem to look highly biased.



Injury law is a hot commodity for lawyers and clients. The payoffs can be huge and the clients are highly motivated. It's not always about getting money for material rewards—many injury clients truly need help with medical bills and living expenses from having their regular lives interrupted. There will always be people who try to take advantage, exaggerate, and truly are in it just for a big payoff - but those cases get more attention than the thousands of typical cases.

Injury lawyers also have to fight a sad stereotype of the “ambulance chaser.” Again, these types of lawyers do exist - checking with hospitals, police station call logs, etc. to get their business leads. But don't let a few unethical professionals spoil the whole bunch. You can find an ethical, responsible, trustworthy injury lawyer if you need to file a claim or suit.

Injury lawyers will most likely specialise in torts law - the area of law that deals with civil wrongs and damages. In fact, any time you hire an attorney, you should ask specifically about their specialties, and experience in handling the type of case you're involved in. The more experience they have with your type of case, the better and informed they will be as to standard practices, and can better advise you on possibilities, the process, and potential outcomes in the UK system.

You may be surprised to find out that few injury cases actually go to trial. You should still look for an injury lawyer who has trial experience, because you want someone who will be prepared to handle a trial if needed. Many injury suits are settled out of court because they can be difficult, timely, and expensive.

Another good piece of advice, when pursuing an injury lawyer's services, is to ask about fees up front. Fees can be flat, a percentage of a settlement or an award, they can be hourly, or on a contingency (where the client does not have to pay anything up front). It's important to have the fees established up-front so that you know what you're getting into and what you stand to gain/lose by the outcome. It's the kind of information that could influence you to either continue or discontinue pursuing the case.

Finally, if you are working with an injury lawyer and you feel the communication is not where it should be, you need to confront that issue. Clients tend to have a lot of questions, especially if they've never been involved in court or law proceedings before. There's a lot riding on the outcome - physically, psychologically, sometimes even one's whole economic future - so you, the client, deserve to have clear, effective, and timely communication from whomever you work with. If it's not working, you should strongly consider moving on.

Be cautious, informed, and ask questions when looking for an injury lawyer. Don't accept the first offer of help that comes along. There are many highly ethical and responsible injury lawyers who you can trust—make sure you find one.