If you have suffered a personal injury due to someone else’s negligence then you are justified to make an accident claim to be rightfully compensated. The role of an accident claims solicitor is to claim all costs from the insurers of the individual responsible for your injuries. They are the key tools to help you financially recover from your accident. I’m sure you don’t want to be left to pay for medical expenses and the emotional trauma of an accident if you are not at fault. An accident claims solicitor will represent you and make sure you get compensated for the physical and emotional damage caused to you. Solicitors specialise in only certain areas so it is important to ensure you have a solicitor to represent you for accident and injury claims. Solicitors that are familiar with accident and injury claims will know what the current trends in the law are and the technical terminology to efficiently provide you the compensation you require. Hire a solicitor who is qualified and experienced to handle your case in a successful manner.

The accident claims solicitor will ask you to provide as much proof and evidence as possible, so it is important to be prepared. After a car accident occurs, take photographs, evidence and contact details of the other people involved in the accident so you can get adequately compensated for. The solicitor will need to see your medical reports to determine the amount of compensation you will have a right to demand from the person responsible. Solicitors are responsible for arranging a medical exam if you have not already obtained a medical report after the accident has occurred. It is vital to safeguard yourself from disaster by asking what will happen in the event of a loss. Solicitors in the UK follow “No Win, No Fee” policies that state your right to not have to pay any fees to the solicitor if they do not win the case for you. However, it is better to be careful and question beforehand what procedures are followed by the solicitor if the case is not won.

In the UK, you legally have 3 years to make a claim from a personal injury caused by someone else. This date starts from the day the accident occurred. Personal injury claims for soft tissue injuries are usually settled in about 6 to 9 months, while serious injuries take a longer time. The more serious and complicated the injury you want compensation for, the longer the process will take. Many people looking for compensation make the mistake of going directly to the insurer of the person responsible instead of going through a solicitor. By making this mistake, the insurer will take full advantage of the situation and will try to get rid of your claim as quickly and cheaply as possible. This means you might not get the amount of compensation that you actually deserve. So keeping everything in mind, ensure you hire the right accident claims solicitor and get full compensation for your injuries.

Solicitors have many opportunities for public speaking, whether it be advocacy in the court room, presenting a commercial law seminar or simply promoting the firm at a local networking event. Whatever the occasion, you need to make it count.

Be prepared!

Good preparation is the key! If you have prepared well, you will be relaxed and confident and your audience will have confidence in you. Practise your presentation in advance. Read through it several times, making corrections as necessary. Or record your speech beforehand to hear how it sounds.

Structure and signposts

Like any journey, people like to know where they are going. When you prepare your speech, make it clearly structured. You may have three or four main points that you want to make. Arrange your material around those main points. Don’t be afraid to use signpost words like ‘firstly . . . secondly etc’ or ‘I will now give you three reasons why . . .’ Have an arresting introduction, a structured body and a persuasive conclusion.

Present your speech – don’t read it!

Reading a speech has been described as ‘advocacy suicide’! Solicitors may have the most persuasive arguments but if they can’t put them across in a way that is engaging, the listeners will switch off! Make note of the main points and then talk about them! You don’t use detailed verbatim notes when you talk to your friends or family – so why use them when you do a speech?

Speak slowly

Speaking too fast is probably the most common mistake that solicitors make when they deliver a speech. It is often due to nerves or sometimes we are afraid of boring our listeners! Slow down and be confident that people are listening. I used to write reminders on my notes, such as ‘Slow down’ or ‘People are listening’. Sometimes, what sounds too slow to the speaker is just the right speed for the listeners.

Project your voice

Don’t mumble. But don’t shout either. You need to project your voice in such a way that you can be heard by the person who is furthest away.

Appropriate use of humour and story telling

Everyone likes to be amused and humour is an excellent way of maintaining your audience’s attention. I am often amazed how a story can capture the attention of an audience. Even in the court room, there is a place for being light-hearted. Be careful though and make sure that it does not detract from your message.

Good eye contact

It can feel uncomfortable to look your audience in the eye when you speak but without good eye contact, you may come across as untrustworthy. Look at a variety of encouraging faces in the audience in different places around the room. If you are addressing a Tribunal, be sure to include the ‘wingers’ as well as the Chairman.

Avoid irritating mannerisms

Many solicitors (and indeed barristers) have irritating mannerisms that only serve to detract from their message. Keep them under control – otherwise listeners will be distracted and irritated! Don’t play with the loose change in your pocket. Don’t rock from side to side. Don’t say ‘um’.

Take every opportunity

When I learnt to drive a car, I read a book on the subject, watched an instructional video and observed other drivers. But it was only when I got behind the wheel myself that I actually learnt to do it! It’s the same with public speaking. Take every opportunity. You will improve with practice.

Have you suffered an injury in the last three years that was caused by an accident that was not your fault? It is important for you to remember that you can file a claim for compensation following such an accident.

In fact, it is your responsibility to do so. You have a responsibility to you and your family to right a wrong that can have lasting effects many years down the road.

Many people fail to avail themselves of their right to file such a claim and then miss out on financial compensation that could help them recover from their injuries, acute stresses and their losses in quality of life. You have probably seen advertisements about how law firms will win compensation for you without you, the injured party, having to put up a dime; this is in fact true and is how the system is designed to operate.

This form of personal injury practice was put in place to help victims of accidents claim the compensation to which they are entitled without having to pay any fees up-front. It is your responsibility to yourself and your civil and legal right to file a compensation claim after being victimized by an accident that was not your fault.

Remember that being victimized in an accident cannot only leave you with devastating physical injuries, such as shattered or fractured bones, torn muscles or ligaments or head and neck injuries, but also with psychological trauma that can severely impair the quality of your life. Such injuries include post traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, major depression and acute stress disorder, all of which can severely impair your life quality and, therefore entitle you to compensation.

Indeed, any accident-induced injuries that are not your fault, psychological or physical, could leave you facing lifestyle impairments as well as severely compromised abilities to work. Injuries such as these can devastate your life and those of your family.

Although compensation does not take your pain and frustration away, it can make things a little more tolerable by helping you with money worries and the medical expenses required to help you recover. A claim for compensation can be filed immediately after you have suffered due to someone elses negligence, whether it is the result of a vehicular, work or other type of accident.

For example, if you were involved in an automobile accident caused by the negligence of another, you can and should claim compensation not only for your mental and physical injuries, but also for the damage done to your car. If you were injured on the job, physically or mentally, it is important to remember that you can file for compensation without jeopardizing your job.

The point is that regardless of the type of accident you are suffering from, personal injury law and its contingency fee arrangements enable you to file a claim to receive compensation for both your emotional and physical damages. Also, filing a compensation claim can be effortless, quick and easy.

In the past, difficulties would arise because accident victims would have to fund the lawsuit themselves; however the conditional fee agreement has been brought into practice and applies to all civil litigation except family proceedings. It means that compensation claims no longer have to be funded by you, the victim.

They can now proceed on a no win no fee basis: If your claim is unsuccessful you will have nothing to pay. However, if it is successful, all of your lawyers fees will be paid out of the compensation that you have been awarded.

This means you have no up-front costs to pay when filing a lawsuit. It does not get any better than that.

Shropshire Divorce Solicitor leading the Family Law team at Martin Kaye Solicitors in Telford warns divorcing couples after a husband leads a divorce “pay fight”.

The Telford Solicitor said that “well-publicized divorce cases have led to several wives becoming millionaires in their own right. But now, it seems some of the husbands are planning to take action and many others could follow suit.”

It has been announced that Alan Miller, who was instructed to pay his wife £5 million – even though they had only been married for 18 months – has decided to challenge the ruling in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

”His original case and its result set the standard for this kind of case, and it has had far-reaching effects in divorce courts all over the UK,”.

The Court decided no matter how long a couple had been married, the starting point for dividing the assets should be a 50-50 split. And although they said Mrs Miller did not ‘need’ 50% of the assets, they decided that was irrelevant, and that the assets should be divided equally. Mr Miller claimed that the law was now “confused and unpredictable” as family court judges were given too much discretion. He also claims the payout to his former wife had breached his human rights and is challenging the decision.

”The same rules were applied to the case of Mr and Mrs Charman, and paved the way for her £48 million payout, despite the fact that Mrs Charman had run the home and it was Mr Charman who had built up the major share of their assets.”

”Family Law teams such as ours will be following this appeal with great interest, as the European Court’s decision could have massive implications for day-to-day divorce hearings. District Judges work very hard to reach sensible decisions based on what is fair and reasonable, and they will no doubt be pleased to receive clearer guidance on the approach they should be taking.”

Couples considering divorce are strongly advised to seek legal advice from a specialist divorce solicitor.

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