Deciding to engage a solicitor is one step. Knowing what happens next is another. For people in Macquarie Links, the start usually looks like this: a short first call, a meeting by phone or video, a written costs disclosure and costs agreement to read, then a few weeks of the solicitor gathering records and setting out a plan. This page walks through each part so there are fewer surprises along the way.
Macarthur & Wollondilly · Working with a compensation solicitor
Compensation solicitor Macquarie Links: first call to first weeks
Not a law firm: a free triage and referral service. This page explains what happens once you engage someone.
Postcode: 2565
- Free claim check, no obligation
- By phone & online, no office to visit
- Helping people in Macquarie Links & Bardia
What engaging a solicitor means
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.
What happens at the first meeting
Expect the first meeting to feel more like a structured conversation than an interview. The solicitor needs enough of the story to judge whether they can help, and enough of the paperwork to spot any deadline that's close. They'll often take notes as you talk and ask to keep copies of your documents. It's also your chance to ask how they would approach the claim.
It's normal to feel a little overwhelmed at a first meeting, especially soon after a crash. A few simple habits help: keep your documents in one folder, bring a short timeline of what's happened, and write down your questions before you start. If there's anything you'd rather discuss privately, you can ask for part of the meeting to be just you and the solicitor.
- Checks whether any deadline is close
- Outlines what they'd do first if you engage them
- Answers your questions about the process
- Tells you what they need from you next
Macquarie Links: no need to travel for a first meeting
If Campbelltown Hospital or Camden Hospital treated you, bring what paperwork you have to the first meeting. The solicitor can request the rest once the authorities are signed. The drive to Liverpool, about 8 km away, isn't part of engaging a solicitor. First meetings commonly happen by phone or video, and the costs documents can be sent online for you to read in your own time. Whether you live in the Campbelltown City Council area or anywhere else in NSW, engaging a solicitor for a motor accident claim works the same way: a first meeting, a costs disclosure, a costs agreement, then work on your file.
- Region
- Macarthur & Wollondilly
- Postcode
- 2565
- Distance to Liverpool
- ~8 km
- Local government area
- Campbelltown City Council
Engage someone now, or wait?
Engaging a solicitor makes most sense when something in your claim needs acting on. If the claim is simply running, you may not need anyone yet. These lists are a guide, and a free claim check can help with your own facts.
Often worth talking to a lawyer
- The insurer wants a signature, a statement or an assessment and you're unsure why
- You started the claim yourself and it has become too much to manage
- A decision letter has arrived and the time to challenge it is already running
- The accident was a while ago and you're not sure which deadlines have passed
You may not need one
- Your claim has only just been lodged and nothing has been decided
- You've recovered and don't expect ongoing effects
- You're still deciding whether to claim at all
Before a first meeting, check that your Certificate of Fitness is current. If you need a doctor who understands CTP claims, or allied health support, we can suggest doctors and allied health as well.
Not quite your situation?
- If the injury happened at work, including on the road for work, workers compensation is usually the scheme that applies first, not CTP. After a crash, a CTP damages claim may still be possible. We can point you to the right help. Free claim check
- If you haven't yet worked out what kind of claim you have, or whether any lawyer would help, the compensation lawyer page starts there. Compensation lawyer in Macquarie Links
- If your question is how a no win, no fee arrangement works and what might still be payable, the no win, no fee page explains it. No win no fee lawyer in Macquarie Links
- For checking a practising certificate, understanding how solicitors are regulated or moving your file to someone new, see the personal injury solicitor page. Personal injury solicitor in Macquarie Links
What to bring to a first meeting
A little preparation makes the first meeting more useful. Most of these are things you already hold. If something's missing, don't put off the meeting; the solicitor can usually request records once you've engaged them.
- A written list of your questions about costs
- Photos of the scene, the vehicles or your injuries
- Payslips, tax returns or other records of what you earned before the accident
- The police event number, if the crash was reported
- Your CTP claim number, if you've lodged a claim
- Your most recent Certificate of Fitness
- A list of your GP, other doctors and allied health practitioners treating you
General information, not legal advice. Each solicitor may ask for different documents, and time limits apply.
Free claim check
Free claim check, then the right help
Let us know where your claim stands. If a solicitor would help, we'll connect you with an independent one who can generally meet by phone or video.
Dealing with the insurer once you've engaged someone
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.
No need to travel for the first meeting
A video meeting covers the same ground as one across a desk. The solicitor can see your documents if you hold them up or share your screen, and you can see them as you talk. If video is hard for you, a phone call works too. Many people find it easier to concentrate in familiar surroundings, especially while they're still recovering.
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.
Two costs documents to read before you sign
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.
Before you sign a costs agreement, check that it matches what you were told at the first meeting and in the disclosure. Look at how fees are calculated, what other expenses might be charged and what happens if the arrangement ends early. Some agreements are described as no win, no fee, and the terms vary, so read the detail. If anything is unclear, ask and get the answer in writing.
Ask for it in writing
Anything you're told about costs is worth having in writing. Keep the disclosure, the signed agreement and any emails about fees together with your other claim papers.
Read next:No win, no fee explained
After you sign: the early weeks
The first weeks after you engage a solicitor are mostly about gathering information. They'll usually ask you to sign authorities so they can request records from hospitals, your GP and other treating practitioners. They may also ask for records of your earnings. Some requests take time to come back, so this stage can feel quiet. That doesn't generally mean nothing is happening.
A good early plan is specific. It says what the solicitor is waiting on, what they expect to do once it arrives, and whether anything is time-sensitive. It doesn't need to predict how the claim will end, and no one can honestly do that this early. Ask for the plan in writing if it helps you keep track.
- Signing authorities to release your records
- Requests to hospitals, your GP and treating practitioners
- A check of every deadline that applies
- Questions about your earnings before the accident
Frequently asked questions
Often you can. Many solicitors send costs agreements and authorities through a secure online signing service, and some accept a scanned or photographed signature. A few documents may still need a handwritten signature, or a witness, depending on what they're for. The solicitor will tell you which is which. Keep a copy of everything you sign, even when it's done with a click.
In the first weeks, the solicitor gathers information. You'll usually sign authorities for your records, send copies of insurer letters, and answer questions about your injuries and earnings. The solicitor tells the insurer they're involved, checks every deadline and looks at any recent decision. By the end of that early stage, you should generally have a plan for what comes next. Keep going to treatment throughout.
An authority is your written permission for someone to release information to the solicitor. Hospitals, doctors and other organisations generally won't send your records to a third party without one. Signing them early lets the solicitor request records directly, so you don't have to chase each one yourself. Read what each authority covers, and ask if you're unsure why a particular record is needed.
Yes, in most cases. Solicitors who work on motor accident claims regularly meet clients by phone or video, especially people who are in pain, can't drive or live some distance away. You'll usually be asked to email or upload documents beforehand. If you'd prefer to meet in person, ask whether that's possible. Our claim check works by phone and online too, so no part of getting started needs an office visit.
In most claims, yes. Many people keep speaking to their case manager about treatment approvals, payment dates and travel costs. It's sensible to tell your solicitor about those conversations, and to check with them before agreeing to anything more formal, such as giving a statement, attending an assessment or signing a form. If you're unsure whether a call is routine, ask the case manager to put the request in writing.
Often, yes. Ask when the meeting is being arranged, so the solicitor can plan for it; it's especially worth doing before you discuss the costs documents. How an interpreter is arranged can vary between solicitors. Separately, CTP Assist on 1300 656 919 can arrange an interpreter for questions about a CTP claim. A family member can help with everyday things, but a professional interpreter is usually better for anything you sign.
Compensation solicitor: suburbs near Macquarie Links
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CTP Lawyer is not a law firm. This page is general information, not legal advice; the independent lawyer you speak with can advise on your own situation.