Compensation solicitor Ben Buckler: first call to first weeks

Engaging a solicitor means formally asking them to work on your claim. It usually starts with a short phone call to check the basics: when the accident happened, what the insurer has decided and whether any deadline is close. If the solicitor can help, a first meeting follows. After that, you receive written information about costs and, if you decide to go ahead, sign a costs agreement. Only then does work on your file properly begin.

Some people engage a solicitor after months of handling the claim themselves. Others do it in the first weeks after a serious crash. Either way, the start is similar. Before the first contact, jot down the key dates, what the insurer has decided and what you're hoping the solicitor can help with. It makes the conversation shorter and more useful for both of you.

Meeting remotely doesn't mean a lesser service. The solicitor still needs the full story and the documents, and you still get to ask every question you have. What changes is logistics: documents are emailed or uploaded before the call, and anything to sign is sent to you afterwards. If you can't scan, clear phone photos are generally accepted.

Before a remote meeting, check the technology rather than the dress code. Test the video link, charge your phone and have your documents within reach. If a family member is helping you, let the solicitor know they're joining. Afterwards, you'll generally receive a summary or the next documents by email, which you can read in your own time.

The first meeting has two jobs. One is for the solicitor to understand your claim well enough to say whether they can help. The other is for you to understand how they'd work and what it would cost. Good first meetings cover both. If you leave unsure about either, it's reasonable to send a follow-up question before you agree to anything.

You generally don't have to decide anything at the first meeting. It's common to take the costs documents away, read them properly and come back with questions. If you'd like a family member or friend with you for support, that's usually fine; let the solicitor know beforehand. Some people write down the answers as they go, since a lot of information arrives at once.

• Confirms the accident date and which rules apply
• Explains how their costs are worked out
• Outlines what they'd do first if you engage them
• Answers your questions about the process

A costs disclosure is the solicitor's written explanation of how they'll charge. In most cases it describes the basis of their fees, an estimate of what the matter may cost overall, and other expenses that may come up along the way, such as medical reports. Read it carefully even if it looks like standard wording. If an estimate or term doesn't make sense to you, ask before going further.

The costs agreement is the document you sign to confirm the arrangement. It sets out what you're agreeing to pay, and when. Read it before you sign it, take it away if you need to, and ask about any term you don't understand. In CTP claims, legal costs are also capped by regulation. If the agreement is described as no win, no fee, read what that generally means first.

A common worry is that engaging a solicitor will upset the insurer. It generally shouldn't. Insurers deal with solicitors all the time, and in many claims correspondence simply starts going to the solicitor instead of to you. Decisions are still made under the scheme rules. What changes is that someone familiar with those rules reads each letter before you act on it.

Engaging a solicitor doesn't mean you can't answer your phone. If your case manager calls about payments or treatment, you can generally talk it through as usual. Where a conversation turns to fault, settlement or anything that needs your signature, it's reasonable to say you'd like your solicitor involved and to ask for the request in writing.

Expect some paperwork in the early weeks. Authorities to release your records, forms confirming your details, perhaps a questionnaire about your injuries and how they affect your day. Return them promptly, because the solicitor can't request records without them. As information comes in, they'll start to form a view of your claim and what it needs next.

Your part in these weeks is simple but important. Keep going to treatment, keep your Certificate of Fitness current, and pass on any letter from the insurer as soon as it arrives. Tell your solicitor about changes, such as a new diagnosis or a change in what you can do. Small updates help them keep the file accurate from the start.

• Signing authorities to release your records
• A request to the insurer for copies of its file
• Questions about your earnings before the accident
• A written outline of the next steps