How To Find Expert Sexual Abuse Solicitors

Welcome to our guide on how to find expert sexual abuse solicitors. If you’re a victim of sexual abuse, you may be considering making a claim for compensation for the physical or psychological damage done to you. You should know that it is possible to claim for psychiatric issues without related physical injuries. 

Sexual abuse solicitors guide

Sexual abuse solicitors guide

Sexual abuse is a crime as outlined in the Sexual Offences Act 2003. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) defines child sexual abuse as when a child is incited or forced to engage in sexual contact. 

If you’ve been harmed as a result of sexual abuse, then you may be able to claim. It’s not a legal requirement for you to claim with a solicitor and you can do so without. However, you may find that their support and expertise help the claims process run more smoothly than it would otherwise.

How Can Sexual Abuse Solicitors Help You?

When making a sexual abuse claim, you could claim against the perpetrator directly if you know who they are and they have the funds to pay you compensation. However, this may not be possible.

If the assailant isn’t identified or doesn’t have the assets to pay you, you may claim through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). This agency is government-sponsored and awards monetary compensation to victims of violent crimes.

Regardless of what avenue you choose, one of the solicitors from our panel can help make the claims process easier for you to navigate.

Read on to find out more about how sexual abuse solicitors could help you. Alternatively, contact us directly for free legal advice from our team of skilled advisors. They may be able to connect you with a solicitor from our panel to start your sexual abuse claim today. 

If you have found this article as a victim of sexual abuse, we would like to warn you that some elements of this article may be upsetting or difficult to read. Feel free to contact us directly instead of reading this article. Our advisors can handle your case with confidentiality and sensitivity. 

Select A Section

  1. Why Do You Need The Right Sexual Abuse Solicitors?
  2. What Should You Look Out For When Choosing Sexual Abuse Solicitors For Your Claim?
  3. Find A Solicitor You Feel Comfortable With
  4. How Much Could You Claim With Sexual Abuse Solicitors?
  5. Make A No Win No Fee Victim Of Crime Claim

Why Do You Need The Right Sexual Abuse Solicitors?

The process of making a violent crime claim through the CICA is slightly different to making a standard personal injury claim. You may be wondering what help sexual abuse solicitors could provide.

Even though the CICA compensation payouts for injuries are set at a flat rate, there are further expenses you could claim for, such as special expenses or a loss of earnings. An expert solicitor can help you build your application to the CICA to ensure that everything is included in your claim. 

The solicitors on our panel have years of experience to bring to your case. In addition to this, they have the expert knowledge to guide you through the CICA claims process and make it as smooth as possible. 

Get in touch today to find out more about how the solicitors on our panel could help you. One of our advisors could offer you a no-obligation valuation of your claim. 

What Should You Look Out For When Choosing Sexual Abuse Solicitors For Your Claim? 

This section will look in more detail about the desirable qualities you should look out for in sexual abuse solicitors. It is important to hire the right solicitor for your specific claim, especially for sensitive cases such as for sexual abuse. 

Do They Have Relevant Experience?

When considering which solicitors to hire, it is important to know if they have the experience needed to work on your case. We recommend that you hire a solicitor who is experienced in both personal injury claims and sexual abuse claims. 

A solicitor with experience in sexual abuse claims can handle your case sensitively and can advise on the best steps to take in the CICA claims process. They will be knowledgeable in exactly how you can get the most out of your CICA claim. 

Are They Qualified To Handle Criminal Injury Claims? 

It is also important that your sexual abuse solicitors have the correct qualifications in order to represent you legally. All practising solicitors must be registered with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in order to legitimately take on clients for claims. You can check this website to see if your solicitor is qualified to handle your specific case. 

Check The Solicitors Track Record

You could also check a sexual abuse solicitor’s record through the SRA. You can search your solicitor, the types of claims they have handled, and the outcomes of those cases. 

This is helpful, as you can see whether that solicitor has represented others successfully in the past. If they have had a higher amount of successful claims, you may feel more confident in your own chances of success if you hire them. 

Find A Solicitor You Feel Comfortable With  

If you are looking to make a sexual abuse claim, you will likely have to discuss a difficult event. It’s important that you feel comfortable with your solicitor so that you can trust they will handle your claim sensitively. 

One way you could do this is by requesting your solicitor to be of a specific gender. For example, if a man sexually abused you, you may not feel comfortable with a male solicitor. If you call our advisors, you can ask to work with a female solicitor from our panel if you feel this would make the process easier for you. 

How Much Could You Claim With Sexual Abuse Solicitors? 

This section includes a table of compensation amounts for sexual abuse. These figures are taken from the CICA tariff of injuries. 

Edit
Offence Injury Type Amount Notes
Sexual Offence Against Victim of Any Age Sexual Assault £3,300 This covers penetrative or oral-genital acts that do not include a penis.
Sexual Offence Against Victim of Any Age Sexual Assault £8,200 This includes a pattern of frequent abuse for 3 years or more.
Sexual Offence Against Victim of Any Age Sexual Assault £22,000 This could cover sexual abuse that has resulted in serious internal injuries.
Sexual Offence Against Victim of Any Age Non-consensual penile penetration of the vagina,
anus or mouth		 £11,000 This offence would have been performed by the one attacker.
Sexual Offence Against Victim of Any Age Non-consensual penile penetration of the vagina,
anus or mouth		 £16,500 This would be a pattern of repetitive incidents by one or more attackers over a period of up to 3 years.
Sexual Offence Where Victim is a Child or an Adult with Mental Incapacity Sexual Assault £3,300 This would cover a serious pattern of repetitive non-penetrative sexual and physical acts under the clothing.
Sexual Offence Where Victim is a Child or an Adult with Mental Incapacity Sexual Assault £8,200 This covers repetitive incidents over a period of 3 years or more.
Sexual Offence Where Victim is a Child or an Adult with Mental Incapacity Non-consensual penile penetration of the vagina,
anus or mouth		 £11,000 This could cover one incident of this type of offence.
Sexual Offence Where Victim is a Child or an Adult with Mental Incapacity Non-consensual penile penetration of one or more of vagina,
anus or mouth		 £22,000 The sexual abuse will have resulted in serious internal injuries.
Sexual Offence Where Victim is a Child or an Adult with Mental Incapacity Non-consensual penile penetration of one or more of vagina,
anus or mouth		 £44,000 The abuse will have resulted in serious internal injury with a severe and disabling mental illness.

You could also claim special expenses as part of your claim. This aims to cover direct costs associated with your criminal injury. You could potentially claim for:

  • The cost of physical aids that were damaged in the attack, such as walking sticks
  • Loss of earnings
  • Funeral costs
  • Adaptions to the home

To be eligible to claim special expenses, the costs must be necessary, reasonable, and a direct result of the crime. You also need to have been unable to work for 28 weeks or more. 

Loss of earnings claims will not be backdated to the date of injury, but special expenses payments will. Loss of earnings will also be paid at a Statutory Sick Pay (SSP).

Get in touch with our advisors for free legal advice today to find out more. 

Make A No Win No Fee Victim Of Crime Claim

Hopefully, after reading this article, you feel you understand more why a solicitor could be beneficial to you. But you may be concerned about the fees attached to hiring a lawyer. 

A No Win No Fee agreement could benefit you. This means that you are not obligated to pay your solicitor for their work if your case does not succeed. You don’t even need to concern yourself with upfront or ongoing costs. 

However, you may be wondering, ‘what fee do sexual abuse solicitors take for successful No Win No Fee claims?’. Your solicitor will deduct a success fee from your compensation amount for successful claims. This will only be taken once your compensation is fully paid. This success fee is also legally capped, which means you will get to keep the majority of your compensation amount. 

If you think a No Win No Fee agreement could work for you, why not get in touch? Our team of advisors are here to help you 24/7 with specialised legal advice about your claim. If they think you have a good chance of success, they may pass you on to an experienced solicitor who can help you start your sexual abuse claim today. 

To get in touch, you can:

Sexual Abuse Victim Resources

Thank you for reading our guide about sexual abuse solicitors. We hope you found it helpful. For further helpful resources, please see below. 

How to Sue a Nightclub for an Injury – Our guide on how to sue a nightclub. 

Help and Compensation for Rape Victims – This article can provide support and information for rape victims looking to make a claim. 

How to Make a Claim for Depression – If what has happened to you has led to depression, you could potentially make a claim. 

Sexual Abuse – The Childline guide to sexual abuse and what to do if it could be happening to you. 

Rape Crisis – A registered charity aiming to support victims of sexual assault in England and Wales. 

Help After Rape and Sexual Assault – An NHS page on what options are open to you for support after rape or sexual assault. 

Thank you for reading our guide on sexual abuse solicitors. 

Guide by AO

Publisher ET