Questions to ask a solicitor

Some useful questions to ask a potential solicitor about their ability to deal with your claim:

1. How much time will you provide free to assess my case? (Most solicitors offer at least a free half hour consultation)
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2. How will the costs of investigating my case be paid for and how much will I be expected to pay towards those costs?
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3. Which solicitor within the firm will have responsibility for my case and are they a member of AvMA’s specialist panel?
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4. How much experience do they have of my particular type of case and how many clinical negligence cases have they dealt with?
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5. Can you guarantee that I will be able to speak to this solicitor and how much of the work is delegated to other, more junior solicitors?
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6. For cases involving neurological injury to a baby at or around the time of birth
   Does your firm have a clinical negligence contract with the Legal Aid Agency? (Legal aid is restricted to cases involving a neurological injury to a baby at or around the time of birth, and solicitors need to be on either AvMA’s or the Law Society’s clinical negligence panel to qualify)
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7. For cases where urgent action is needed because the case is close to the three year limit for making a legal claim
   Is the solicitor able to deal with my case urgently and will this have any cost implications?
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8. How do you rate my chances of making a successful claim?
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9. What level of damages (‘compensation’) would it be realistic to expect if I am successful?
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10. How long would you expect the case to take?
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11. What type of conditional fee agreements will you offer for my case? (Different firms may have access to different deals for insurance cover if you are using a conditional fee agreement (no-win no-fee) – be sure to ask about any costs that are involved and require approval before you are committed)
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12. What happens if I want to change firms?