The role of a personal injuries solicitor

As experienced Limerick-based personal injury solicitors, we've noticed quite a bit of misinformation around the role of a personal injury solicitor. While the media often focuses on attention-grabbing or contentious personal injury cases, the vast majority of personal injury claims are to do with people injured due to the negligence of a third party.

Personal injury claims are designed to ensure a person is compensated for medical expenses and the time they may be unable to work while recuperating from an injury. In today's blog, we want to discuss the role of a personal injury solicitor to hopefully give clients a clear understanding of what is solicitor does in these types of cases.

Personal Injury Solicitor

First and foremost, it must be stated that we are personal injury solicitors. This means we work with individuals and not with insurance companies. Although we made advise an individual who is having some issues with their insurance company, our team primarily focuses on the person and the circumstances surrounding their injury. In Limerick, we often represent individuals who have been injured in a road traffic accident. Road accidents can be particularly distressing as they leave a person with long-term medical bills and a long recuperation time.

PIAB

It's a myth that most personal injury cases end up in front of a judge. In Ireland, this isn't the case. All personal injury cases, excluding cases involving medical negligence, are first sent to the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB). This is a government organisation set up to handle personal injury claims. A personal injury solicitor submits the claim to the PIAB. The board assesses the evidence and the injuries before suggesting a compensation amount. The claimant and negligent party then decide if they are willing to accept and or pay this amount. If one or both parties refuse, then and only then will the personal injury claim go to the courts. The vast majority of personal injury claims are settled at the PIAB stage.

In the broadest possible strokes, a personal injury solicitor's role is to give the best legal advice to the claimant. They also compile all the necessary legal paperwork. As a Limerick personal injury firm, we also believe our role is to explain to customers their legal rights in plain, straightforward English. Our solicitors understand how distressing and disruptive an injury can be to a person's life. Therefore we offer a sympathetic and understanding ear. By leveraging our decades of experience, we can usually advise after one consultation if it is in your interest to pursue a personal injury claim. If you've been injured in an accident involving a third party, please contact our Limerick solicitors firm today.