INITIAL ENQUIRIES
We are happy to provide you with a free, no obligation consultation to discuss your potential clinical negligence claim.
If, following this, we think that you have a claim with sufficient prospects of success to enable us to pursue it for you then we will determine the most appropriate method of funding for your claim.
WAYS OF FUNDING YOUR CLAIM
The main types of funding available for clinical negligence claims are:
- Legal Expenses Insurance (LEI)
- Legal Aid
- No Win No Fee
- Private Paying
1. Legal Expenses Insurance
You may already have an insurance policy which will pay the legal fees for a clinical negligence claim through, for example, your home insurance.
We will be able to check your policies to assess whether or not you have suitable cover. Sometimes such cover does not apply to clinical negligence claims or the indemnity under the policy may not be sufficient for the needs of your case.
We would recommend that you contact us before you contact your insurance company as sometimes insurers will request that you instruct a solicitor of their choice, often based elsewhere in the country. You do not have to agree to use the lawyers suggested by your insurer.
2. Legal Aid
We are one of the few firms in the North East of England who hold a franchise from the Legal Aid Agency to carry out legal aid medical negligence work. Legal Aid is now however only available in medical negligence cases where a child has suffered a brain injury during pregnancy, childbirth or in the eight week post natal period and as a result is severely disabled.
If you believe your case is one where Legal Aid may be available we will be able to assess whether an application for public funding is likely to be successful.
3. No Win No Fee
If you do not have existing cover through an insurance policy and your claim is not eligible for Legal Aid then it is likely your case would be funded under a No Win No Fee Agreement/Conditional Fee Agreement.
Under such an Agreement if, following investigation, your case is unsuccessful you will not be charged anything, hence the name No Win No Fee.
4. Private Paying
If you want to pay for your claim privately we will let you have details of our terms and conditions of business including our hourly rate.
We will let you know during the initial consultation process which types of funding are available to you. We will ensure you understand the position regarding funding your case and are happy with this before you instruct us to proceed and investigate your claim.
Therefore, please call one of our solicitors today on 0191 222 1030 for a free consultation or complete our website enquiry form in relation to your claim.
