Are you unhappy with the service you’re getting from your personal injury solicitor? Do you feel you would get a better quality of service from another clinical negligence claim solicitor? Well, if you are dissatisfied with the standard of legal representation you are receiving, there is some good news: if you are unhappy and are looking for new representation, you can change solicitor at any time.
Harold Stock & Co Solicitors often takes over cases from other solicitors. We have considerable experience dealing with personal injury and clinical negligence claims. We are accredited by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and by the Law Society and we believe in offering a professional, personable service to each of our clients.
Why are clients dissatisfied with the existing services they’re receiving?
Well, there are all manner of reasons, but the most common seem to be:
- Never getting to speak to the same person twice
- Finding out the person dealing with their claim is not a qualified solicitor
- The pressure to settle the claim early
- The other side’s insurers advise you that they can deal with it for you without the need toinvolve a solicitor
- Lack of communication
Is it easy changing solicitors?
Well, technically your solicitor is entitled to hold on to your file until any outstanding fees have been paid; but Harold Stock & Co would work out an agreement with your previous solicitor to make sure they received any money owed when the claim has finally been settled. We also appreciate that having the conversation with your solicitor might not be the easiest, so we’ll also do that for you. You don’t need to explain why you are not happy or why you are changing.
What sort of questions should you be asking before choosing a new solicitor?
There are some issues that you will need to consider before making that important decision. Perhaps the most important issue, however, is whether you are totally confident that the new solicitor is going to do a better job for you. In order to be sure of this, you should:
- Speak to the actual person who will be dealing with your claim. Do you feel confident in the abilities of the person you have spoken to?
- Ask the person about their qualifications and experience, and for examples of similar cases that they may have dealt with in the past.
- Ask them for their proposed action plan. You really do need to know and understand what your new solicitor is proposing to do and why.
- Satisfy yourself that your new solicitor is confident that they can obtain interim payments for you
What about funding and costs?
If your claim is funded by Legal Expenses Insurance you can still change solicitors and do not have to stay with the panel firm appointed for you, regardless of what your legal expenses insurers tell you. The Financial Ombudsman Service is sympathetic to people who have lost faith or confidence in their solicitors. Under the Insurance Companies (Legal Expenses Insurance) Regulations 1990, once proceedings are issued (and this is when you do need insurance) your legal expense insurers have no choice; they have to insure you.
Your case file belongs to you, although your solicitor has the right to hold on to it until their costs are paid. However, solicitors will almost always agree to release their file in return for an undertaking from the new solicitor that they will claim those costs at the conclusion of the case.
Want to change your solicitor?
If you’re tired of never being able to speak to your solicitor on the phone, or by the lack of progress and/or updates about what they are doing on your behalf, then contact Harold Stock & Co Solicitors on 01457 835597, or email info@haroldstock.com for a free consultation about your case.
If we can help, we will ask you to sign a release form and then we will contact your old solicitors to organise for the papers to be transferred securely to us. It’s unlikely that you will need to speak to your old solicitors again.
