FAQ's

Q: Are you a claims management company?

A: No, claims management companies are not legal specialists and will often sell your claim to a firm of solicitors or may deduct a sum of money from any compensation that you receive at the end of your claim. Secure Law is a legal intermediary dedicated to providing ethical treatment to claimants and will pass your claim over to specialist solicitors free of charge.

Q: Will I really keep all of my compensation?

A: Yes!

Q: What is no-win no-fee?

A: No-win no-fee is what is otherwise known within the legal industry as a conditional fee agreement. It is, as the name suggests, an agreement of a condition which must happen before a fee becomes payable. If your case is not won then the relevant condition will not be met and there will be no fee applied.

Q: So is there a fee if the case is won?

A: Under a no-win no-fee arrangement, if your case is won then a fee becomes payable, however this fee is only for our legal costs which we can recover from the other side – you will not pay us a thing. Secure Law will limit its legal fees to be those costs recovered from the other side at the end of your claim and will not seek to recover any shortfall from you, the client. By operating in this way you receive 100% of the compensation recovered.

Q: How long will it take?

A: Secure Law will endeavour to settle your claim as quickly as possible and aim to conclude the majority of cases within six months. Some claims are more complicated than others and it is not always possible to settle some cases without going to trial. Either way, you can rest assured that Secure Law will keep you up to date with all developments throughout your claim and will fight to secure the best settlement terms possible.

It is difficult to predict how long an injury claim will take to conclude.  It does depend on many factors. In particular it depends upon how long it takes for you to recover from your injuries or how long it takes for the medical consultants, who are involved, to predict a forecast for the future with some certainty. It is not wise to have an injury claim concluded at too early a stage as this will have a bearing on the compensation that you receive.  Once the claim is settled, the money that you receive will be in full and final satisfaction of your claim, unless we ask for provisional damages or an interim payment (which we will do in more serious claims).   
  
There are some time limits that we must work towards.  Most injury claims will settle within the first three years of the accident. If it does not, then we shall have to take court action against the person whom we hold responsible for your injuries. That does not mean that there will be a court hearing. This will be explained to you in further detail at the time by the solicitor assisting you with the claim.
 
If at any time court action is taken and a settlement is still not achieved then your claim ordinarily will be set down for a trial before a judge within the following fifteen month period. 

Q: Will I have to go to court?

A: In the majority of cases we will be able to reach an agreement with the other side without the need for you to attend court.

Court action may be necessary if the defendant does not produce proposals or satisfactory proposals within a reasonable period of time.  Simply commencing court action does not mean that your case will proceed to a full trial.  Less than 1% of cases proceed to a final hearing.  We are obliged to issue court proceedings if we do not settle your claim within 3 years from the date of the accident. 

However, if you are called to give evidence, we will ensure you only have to travel as far as your local County Court and Secure Law will seek to recover up to £50 for loss of earnings and your reasonable travel expenses.

Q: What is the likelihood of success?

The success of your claim depends on Secure Law proving that someone else was responsible for your accident and your injuries.  Your claim will not fail, even if you were partly responsible for the accident, provided that you were not wholly responsible for it.  If you were partly responsible, however, then the amount of compensation that you will receive will be reduced.  

Q: What exactly can I claim for?

You can claim for all of your out of pocket expenses and loss of earnings, whilst off sick or any loss that is caused as a direct result of your accident and your injuries.  You should note that you have a general duty to minimise   your losses or keep them to as reasonable a level as possible.  You will be able to claim lost earnings whilst you are unfit for work, but you should return to work as soon as you are able.  This is in your best interests.
 
You should keep all estimates, invoices and receipts that relate to any out of pocket expense attributable to the accident and produce them to Secure Law.

Q: What effect will this have on my state/welfare benefits?

As a result of the accident you may not be able to continue, whether temporarily or permanently, with your pre-accident activities.  If you were employed you may have to claim statutory sick pay and possibly unemployment benefit, incapacity benefit and/or income support if your employment is terminated for any reason. If you are unemployed prior to the accident, the benefits that you receive might change because of the accident.
 
If you become concerned about your own financial position you should contact Secure Law immediately to query whether we can obtain an interim payment from the defendants.  If you are not sure of the welfare benefits that you can claim we will be pleased to advise you in that respect.
 
You should note that the Department of Social Security are able to reclaim from your compensation any state benefits which have been paid to you as a direct result of the accident.  Secure Law will provide you with further information on the "Compensation Recovery Scheme" at an appropriate time.
 

Q: Will I need to be medically examined?

Secure Law requires that you be examined by an independent medical consultant, who we will appoint.  The role of the medical consultant is to assist with the litigation claim and to help us value your compensation. The doctors report will describe your injury/initial symptoms, treatment and recovery and will also provide an opinion as to what will happen to your well being in the future.
 
It is important that you realise that the consultants and doctors which we send you to will not be primarily concerned with your treatment.  In that respect you should continue to refer to your own doctor that is treating you under the NHS or otherwise.  
 
We shall arrange to have you examined at an appropriate time.  That might not be in the near future.  A report prepared at too early a stage is not of a great deal of use to us as the doctor will be unlikely to predict the long term effect of your injuries whilst your initial symptoms are still settling. If you have had a relatively minor injury however, we will commission a report at an early stage.
 
We will have asked you to sign and return to us a form of authority that allows access to your medical notes and records.  The doctors assisting us with your claim will analyse all of your notes. Doctors treating you are bound by rules of confidentiality, as are we.
 
It is important that the doctors have access to your medical notes.  We may need to consult your pre-accident records simply to establish that there were no relevant conditions that would affect your recovery or future treatment.

Q: Can I reclaim the cost of emergency treatment provided under the NHS?

If you are taken to your local casualty department following a road traffic accident you may be charged approximately £20. If you have motor insurance cover the invoice should be referred to your insurers who will either reimburse you or directly settle the account with the hospital.  Otherwise, forward the invoice to Secure Law and we will direct it towards the other partie’s insurers. Either way, Secure Law will ensure you are reimbursed.
 

Legal disclaimer

The materials appearing on this website do not constitute legal advice and are provided for general information purposes only. No warranty, whether express or implied is given in relation to such materials. Secure Law shall not be liable for technical, editorial, typographical or other errors or omissions within the information provided on this website, nor shall we be responsible for the content of any web images or information linked to this website.