Should I Accept a Personal Injury Offer Without A Solicitor?

When making a personal injury claim, you may be wondering if you can go through this process without hiring a solicitor to work on your behalf. The answer to this is yes, you can. However, you may find that the process of claiming is altogether easier and runs more smoothly with a solicitor than it would without one. For this reason, we always recommend having a solicitor work on your behalf when making a claim.

Generally, claims will not go to court unless it is necessary. This is because the process of going to court can be costly and time-consuming for everyone involved. However, if you are unhappy with a compensation offer out of court, this option is open to you.

When pre protocols are completed, a claimant may be offered a “Part 36” offer, which relates to Part 36 of the Civil Procedure Rules.

A “Part 36 offer” must:

Be written formally
Specify itself to be a part 36 offer
Specify a period of no less than 21 days within which the claimant can accept the offer

If a party rejects a Part 36 offer and the court awards a lower offer, then the claimant may be forced to pay court costs. The financial risk that this entails means that parties may take a Part 36 personal injury offer seriously.

For more free legal advice about accepting a compensation award, get in touch with our team today. If you have a valid claim, you could be connected with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel.

When Should I Accept A Settlement Offer?

There are a number of different points at which you might be offered a settlement. It’s completely up to you whether you accept or reject an offer at any given time. However, if you do so without being informed, you could end up receiving less compensation than you’re entitled to.

You might be offered compensation at the time of the accident or shortly after. In some cases, this compensation might not even be monetary.

For example, if you had food poisoning in a restaurant, they may offer you a voucher to compensate you for your injuries. It’s important to note that if you take this, then you’re considered to have accepted compensation, and you will not be able to claim again. This is the case even if you realise that you have been left with long-lasting or even permanent effects from the harm you experienced.

You may also be offered compensation before the claim reaches court but after you’ve undergone a medical assessment. If you choose to work with a solicitor, they’ll be able to advise you about whether or not an offer should be accepted. If the other party refuses to offer you a settlement that you’re happy to accept, then your claim could go to court.

Why Do You Need A Solicitor To Get The Right Personal Injury Offer?

As mentioned in the previous section, it’s always advised that you get the extent of your injuries fully assessed before accepting any compensation settlement. This is because you can only claim once per incident. If you accept a low offer of compensation because the full extent of your injuries was not assessed, you’d be unable to then pursue more compensation. Assessing the extent of your injuries is something that a solicitor can help with.

Furthermore, a solicitor who has experience in personal injury claims may have the knowledge and expertise required to get you the compensation you’re entitled to. They will be able to negotiate a fair settlement for you based on the harm you’ve experienced. They’ll also have access to case law and legal precedents that could enable them to advise you on what an appropriate personal injury offer is.

You May Be Offered A Settlement In The Early Stages Of The Claim

When making a personal injury claim, the defendant could make an offer early on in proceedings. They may offer you a settlement before the full extent of your injuries have been assessed. In addition to this, a defendant can make you an offer without accepting liability.

However, a solicitor may advise you not to accept a settlement made early on in the claims process unless it’s an acceptable amount for the injuries you’ve sustained. If it’s not, then a solicitor may advise you to continue the claims process and have your injuries assessed in the hope of receiving an appropriate settlement.

What Are The Financial Benefits Of Claiming With A Solicitor?

You will be invited to an independent medical appointment as part of the claims process. Here, a medical professional will assess your injuries and how they may continue to affect you in the future. The report that they create as a result of this assessment will be used to value your claim.

When you work with a personal injury solicitor from our panel, they can arrange this appointment for you in your local area to reduce the amount that you have to travel. Furthermore, they can use the report created as a result to negotiate a fair settlement for you based on the impact of your injuries.

Solicitors are experienced in handling claims and have the requisite experience to get you an appropriate settlement. So why not get in touch with us today? We can connect you with a lawyer from our pane to represent you in your claim.

How Do I Know When To Accept A Personal Injury Offer With A Solicitor?

When you’re claiming without the representation of a solicitor, it can be difficult to know when to accept an offer of compensation. You might be unsure whether the offer that has been made is appropriate or fitting for your circumstances.

This is another reason why it might be beneficial to work with a solicitor. They will be able to let you know whether a particular personal injury offer seems fair or reasonable and advise you to accept or reject it accordingly.

However, it’s important to note that your solicitor does not have the final say on whether a compensation award is accepted or not. That decision is up to you. You can accept or reject an offer against the advice of your solicitor.

How Much Compensation Could I Be Offered?

This section will look closer at the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). The JCG is a document that legal professionals use to help value personal injury claims. The figures in this document are calculated from previous case studies.

These guidelines relate to general damages. This is the part of your compensation that covers the pain and suffering you’ve experienced because of your injuries.

Below, we’ve included a list of injuries and their respective compensation brackets. It is important to note that each case is judged individually, so these figures are not guaranteed.

Edit
Accident	Severity	Amount	Notes
Neck	Severe (i)	Approximately £139,210	Partial paraplegia or little to no movement in the neck despite extensive treatment. There may also be severe headaches that are difficult to treat.
Pelvis and Hips	Severe (i)	£73,580 to £122,860	Extensive fractures of the pelvis or a hip injury that has resulted in intolerable pain. There will also be some lasting disabilities.
Facial Disfigurement	Less Severe	£16,860 to £45,440	Scarring where the disfigurement causes a significant psychological reaction.
Facial Fractures	(b)	£13,970 to £22,470	Multiple fractures of facial bones that lead to some permanent facial deformity.
Nose	(i)	£9,990 to £21,700	Multiple and serious fractures that require operation and result in nerve damage.
Hand	Moderate	£5,260 to £12,460	Crush injuries, penetrating wounds and deep lacerations.
Shoulder	Serious	£11,980 to £18,020	Dislocations that causes pain in the shoulder, neck and elbow with a related weakness of grip.
Shoulder	Moderate	£7,410 to £11,980	Including a limitation of movement and discomfort for about two years.
Eye	(d)	£51,460 to £61,690	The total loss of one eye. Age, psychiatric consequences and cosmetic effect will also be considered when valuing claims for this injury.
Back	Severe (iii)	£36,390 to £65,440	Disc fractures or soft tissue injuries that have led to chronic conditions or lasting disabilities. There may also be continual pain, impaired agility and a risk of arthritis.

You could also receive special damages as part of your compensation. This seeks to reimburse you for any financial losses you’ve experienced as a result of your injury. You could potentially claim for future financial losses as well. This could include, but is not limited to:

Travel costs
Medical procedures not offered by the NHS
Loss of earnings
Adjustments to the home if required to cope with your injuries
The price of independence supports

To claim this element of your compensation, you need to be able to prove that the losses were a direct result of your injury. For example, you could show payslips to show your loss of earnings or invoices to show that you’ve had to pay for home adaptations.

Let Us Help You Get The Right Personal Injury Offer

If you’re interested in making a personal injury claim with a solicitor but are worried about the costs this could incur, we could help. The solicitors on our panel can offer representation on a No Win No Fee basis. This is a way of funding legal representation for a claim.

A No Win No Fee agreement means that you will not be asked to pay your solicitor upfront or while the claim is ongoing. Furthermore, you won’t be asked to pay them anything in the event that your claim is unsuccessful.

In the event that you’re awarded compensation, your solicitor will deduct a “success fee”. This is legally capped to prevent you from being overcharged.

Our team of advisors are available 24/7 to offer guidance about your claim. They could connect you with a solicitor from our panel to help you with the personal injury offer process if you have a valid claim.

You can:

Call us on 0800 408 7825
Use our online contact form
Use the live chat feature in the bottom right to get instant answers

Related Guides

Thank you for reading our guide on accepting a personal injury offer. We hope you found it helpful. For more related guides, please see below.

Compensation Payout for a Scarred Face – Have you been wondering how you could claim for a scarred face injury? Our guide can help you.

Carbon Monoxide Compensation Claims – An article detailing how you could claim after carbon monoxide poisoning.

Broken Back and Slipped Disc Compensation Guide – A guide on claiming compensation for a broken back and slipped disc.

Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act, 2012 – The legislation detailing the costs associated with legal representation.

Limitation Act 1980 – The legislation that lays out the different time limitations attached to making a claim.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents – A charity that aims to reduce the number of accidents through advice and guidance.

Thank you for reading our guide about when to accept a personal injury offer.

Article by AO

Publisher ET

Personal Injury Offer Guide

100% No Win No Fee Claims Guide

Should I Accept a Personal Injury Offer Without A Solicitor?