What Questions Should I Ask A Personal Injury Solicitor?

When making a personal injury claim, it is important that you feel comfortable with your Solicitor. Experience and transparency are important for ensuring that you understand the process and are successful. It is essential that you are confident in your Solicitor’s abilities.

So that you can be sure of your choice, we have put together a short guide on what you should bear in mind when choosing a Solicitor to deal with your claim. The questions below are designed to ensure that you receive the information you need before proceeding.

Ask About Their Personal Injury Case Experience

  Is your firm suitable for my case?

Solicitor’s firms come in all sizes and capacities. Even an experienced personal injury firm might not always have the people or resources to assist you fully.

However, at Cantillons Solicitors, we have an experienced team of over 30 people to assist you in your time of need. Many of our Solicitors specialise and excel in personal injury claims and medical negligence claims.

Have you dealt with personal injury cases like mine before?

 A Solicitor who has dealt with similar cases has a better chance at successfully representing your personal injury claim or medical negligence claim.

With that in mind, Cantillons Solicitors, have more than 40 years of experience and have helped thousands of clients with personal injury cases and medical negligence cases.

Our Solicitors are highly experienced litigators, who have worked on every type of personal injury claim, medical negligence claim and other civil matters. For example, we have represented clients who have suffered spinal injuries as a consequence of a car accident, burn injuries as a result of a workplace accident, a broken finger as a result of a farm accident and a broken wrists as a result of a fall on a footpath.

Over the last four decades, we have represented clients who have experienced both catastrophic injuries and minor injuries. No matter how big or small a client feels their claim is, we are committed to the claim and will ensure you are represented with the best experience.

Who will handle my case?

At Cantillons Solicitors, our team has extensive experience in personal injury claims and medical negligence claims, putting you in capable hands. Upon contacting reception, you will be put in contact with a member of the litigation team who will deal with your query.

Ask About Personal Injury Claim Fees and Timelines

 What are your fees?

 Do not be afraid to ask your Solicitor about their legal fees.  It is important that you have all the information you need upfront. A Solicitor is legally obliged to give you information about their charges.

However, when it comes to litigation and Solicitor fees in Ireland, it is not always possible for the Solicitor to give the client an exact figure at the initial stages. Where that is not possible, they must offer an estimation of their actual costs. Where neither of these is possible or practicable, they must tell you what they will base their charges on. For more information on Solicitor fees in Ireland, please see the Law Society website.

Note that, in contentious business, a Solicitor may not calculate fees or other charges as a percentage of any award or settlement.

“No win no fee” Solicitors

 A term commonly used in relation to Solicitors fees, (particularly in personal injury cases and medical negligence cases), is “no win no fee”. This essentially means that if you lose your case, your Solicitor will not charge a professional fee for his/her work. No win no fee arrangements allow people, who may not have the funds to pursue a claim to do so. However, it is important to note that if you lose your case, you may be liable to pay the other sides costs, and possibly the costs of your own reports and outlay etc.

How long does the process take typically for a personal injury claim like mine?

An experienced Solicitor will be able to estimate a timeline based on similar cases. There are of course multiple variants that can cause a claim to process faster or slower. Your Solicitor should be dedicated to ensuring that your claim is processed as quickly as possible.

What are the time limits for a personal injury claim?

There are strict time limits within which personal injury claims and medical negligence cases must be taken.

Generally speaking the time limit is two years but on occasions, the time limits may be shorter or longer. If you have suffered an injury, you should contact a member of our team as soon as possible.

Ask About Your Own Personal Injury Claim

 Can I make a personal injury claim?

 To successfully represent you in your case, a Solicitor has to first understand your story.

Every personal injury case and medical negligence case is different so it is important to review your case with an experienced personal injury Solicitor.

At Cantillons Solicitors, our Solicitors will meet with you to understand your story. We are always happy to accommodate you at a time and place that best suits your needs. If you would like to speak to a member of our team outside of office hours then this of course can be arranged. We represent clients from all over the Country and are happy to accommodate a virtual consultation, via Zoom or otherwise also.

Will my case go to trial?

Some cases do go to trial, but most cases are settled by the parties involved before that.

What is my case worth?

 In previous years, the Book of Quantum was used as a guide for calculating damages in personal injury cases. As of April 2021, the Personal Injuries Guidelines have replaced the Book of Quantum.

The Personal Injuries Guidelines, published by the Judicial Council, provide assistance in determining the amount of compensations payable for certain types of injuries. These guidelines aim to bring about consistency across personal injury awards.

Contact Our Personal Injury Solicitors in Cork

If you are looking for a personal injury solicitor, please contact Cantillons Solicitors using the contact form below,  Our offices are located at 39 South Mall, Cork.

Contact us at Cantillons Solicitors at Cork  +353 (0)21 4275673 or Dublin +353 (0)1 264 1802 or email info@cantillons.com  if you would like more information.

* In contentious business, a Solicitor may not calculate fees or other charges as a percentage or proportion of any award or settlement. Many Personal Injury Solicitors portray themselves as “no win no fee Solicitors Cork” or “no win no fee Solicitors Dublin”. This term can be misleading and it is essential that you discuss fees with the Medical Negligence Solicitor you ultimately choose. At Cantillons Solicitors, we are entirely transparent

Mary Scriven

Partner

Experience

Mary represents clients before the district, circuit and high court, who have suffered injuries as a result of:

• sexual abuse,
• farm accidents,
• road traffic accidents,
• bicycle/cycling accidents,
• accidents at work and
• slips and trips.

Mary has won many legal battles to date, the most recent being the victory for Louise O’Keeffe in Strasbourg in her case versus Ireland, which was a landmark win.  The Court’s findings were a major victory for her client, for the Firm and most importantly for the children of Ireland and the protection of their rights.

Qualifications & Associations

• Law Society of Ireland
• University College Cork– Bachelor of Law degree
• Admitted as a Solicitor in Ireland