Solicitors, despite all the good work they do on behalf of their clients, tend to have a relatively poor reputation and the majority of people have a lack of trust in them.

There are various reasons for this, not least the number of so-called \”ambulance chasers\” and injury claims solicitors that have cropped up over the last decade or so. The ironic thing is, most established solicitors have been doing that kind of work for years, they just didn\’t go about finding new business in such an unethical manner.

Regardless though, the new \”claim society\” in which we find ourselves has damaged the reputation of perfectly trustworthy, perfectly ethical solicitors as much as it has led to a hike in insurance premiums. So the question now is, how do you find a trustworthy and ethical solicitor? What signs should you look for?

I\’ll try to answer that question for you.

Personal Recommendations

No matter what sort of legal representation you require, try to speak to people you know and trust and get their opinions on the solicitors they may have used in the past. From this you will discover both the good and the bad about the lawyers in your area.

Whether it\’s conveyancing on a house you\’re considering buying, you need defending in a criminal case or you\’re suing for medical negligence, find someone you know who has used a solicitor in the past, ideally for the same thing but that isn\’t a requirement, and get them to tell you who they used and their experiences with them.

It\’s not just about the result either. Did your friend or family member receive good service, were they communicated with regularly and in detail, was everything explained to them in a simple and understandable manner? These are important factors when it comes to the solicitor, though yes, it also helps if they actually provided the right result too!

Accreditations

One very simple thing to do is to check a firm of solicitors\’ accreditations. Using the example of a medical negligence solicitor, you can generally visit their website and see a list of accreditations. For medical negligence look for the following:

Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA) – this is a charity organisation patient safety and justice for those who have suffered some form of medical negligence. This one is important because they have a clinical negligence lawyer panel. If the solicitors you are looking at has members on this panel, you can put some trust into them.

Solicitors Regulation Authority – this official body issues accreditations only to proven solicitors in various fields, including medical negligence. If the solicitor you\’re looking at has this, then you can be sure they are a professional outfit.

Law Society – another official body that gives accreditations to trustworthy solicitors firms. Their \’kitemark\’ is the LEXCEL accreditation. It is awarded for excellence in client handling and legal practices and is reviewed every year. Therefore, if your solicitor can prove it has held it for a number of years, you can put your faith in them.

Successes

Although, as I\’ve said previously, choosing a solicitor should not only be based on success rate, it is still a key component. You would\’t hire a mechanic who can\’t fix cars so you don\’t want to hire a solicitor who can\’t win cases. When speaking to a firm, ask them about their success rate and in what fields. Ask for examples, don\’t just accept numbers. Anyone can make those up, especially the untrustworthy solicitor.

Using a combination of the above you can rest easier that the solicitor you choose will do a good joob on your behalf and will treat you in a considerate manner.

Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Pearson Hinchliffe, medical negligence solicitors and specialists in claiming medical negligence compensation.

Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Pearson Hinchliffe (http://www.ph-medicalnegligence.co.uk), medical negligence solicitors and specialists in claiming medical negligence compensation.

Author Bio: Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Pearson Hinchliffe, medical negligence solicitors and specialists in claiming medical negligence compensation.

Category: Legal
Keywords: medical negligence claims, medical negligence solicitors, medical negligence compensation