Hawkesbury · Personal injury solicitors explained

Personal injury solicitor Bilpin

Your solicitor advises and acts on your instructions. The big decisions stay yours.

Most people have never engaged a solicitor before a motor accident, and the vocabulary alone can be confusing: solicitor, barrister, practising certificate, accredited specialist, privilege. This page sorts those terms out for people in Bilpin, in plain English, so you know who you're dealing with. It isn't legal advice, and it doesn't assume you need a solicitor. Our free claim check helps you decide that.

Postcode: 2758

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Your solicitor's job, and what stays with you

People sometimes expect a solicitor to take over everything. They don't, and they shouldn't. Some tasks only you can do, and some decisions only you can make. This is a general picture of who does what.

Your solicitor's job

  • Advising you on your rights and options, in plain terms
  • Dealing with the insurer and preparing formal documents
  • Gathering the evidence you authorise them to obtain
  • Explaining any offer, then acting on your instructions about it

What stays with you

  • Your treatment, and keeping your own records of it
  • Giving clear instructions and accurate information
  • Telling your solicitor promptly about any change
  • Deciding whether to accept an offer or keep going

General information, not legal advice. How the work is split can vary, so ask your solicitor to explain it for your claim.

Who's who in legal help

Most people deal with only one lawyer during a motor accident claim, and that is their solicitor. The solicitor gives advice, deals with the insurer and keeps the file moving. If a claim needs a hearing or an opinion on a difficult point, the solicitor may brief a barrister, who then works alongside them. Knowing who is who tells you who to ask, and who answers for what.

Read next:Do I need a lawyer for my CTP claim?

Checking a solicitor's practising certificate

Every solicitor practising in NSW needs a current practising certificate. You can generally check a solicitor's details on the Law Society of NSW's online Register of Solicitors, which lists solicitors who hold a current certificate. It is a quick check, and it is reasonable to do it before you sign anything. A solicitor won't be offended that you looked.

Titles on websites

A firm's website can describe its people however it likes. The practising certificate and any accreditation are what the register and the Law Society actually record.

Read next:Do I need a lawyer? Quick check

Instructing a solicitor from Bilpin

Records held by Hawkesbury District Health Service in Windsor, Nepean Hospital or Blacktown Hospital can generally be requested by your solicitor once you give written authority. The Hawkesbury City Council area is one of many that a solicitor may work with by phone and online. Distance doesn't change their duties to you: confidentiality, acting on your instructions and keeping you informed apply wherever you are.

Region
Hawkesbury
Postcode
2758
Nearest public hospital
Hawkesbury District Health Service
Local government area
Hawkesbury City Council

A solicitor for your claim: needed or not?

Engaging a solicitor is a serious step, usually with a written agreement and an ongoing working relationship. It is worth taking when your claim needs it, and not before. Here is a rough guide.

Often worth talking to a lawyer

  • An offer has arrived and you want advice before you decide
  • The other side's insurer disputes what happened
  • The insurer wants statements or documents and you're unsure what to give
  • You started the claim yourself and it has become hard to manage

You may not need one

  • Your injury has healed and your benefits have been paid
  • What you mainly need is medical help or a new treating doctor
  • SIRA's free CTP Legal Advisory Service can answer your statutory benefits question

A solicitor can't treat your injury. If you need a GP who understands the Certificate of Fitness, or physiotherapy or psychology, we can point you to doctors and allied health experienced with CTP.

Not quite your situation?

  • Hurt at work, or in a crash while you were working? That is usually a workers compensation claim first, which is a different scheme from CTP. Tell us what happened and we can point you to the right help. Free claim check
  • If you're still dealing with the injury itself, what to record and how to choose a lawyer, the personal injury lawyer page starts there. Personal injury lawyer in Bilpin
  • If your question is about the first meeting, what to bring and the costs documents, the compensation solicitor page fits better. Compensation solicitor in Bilpin
  • For the stages of a CTP file, from statutory benefits through to settlement, see the car accident solicitor page. Car accident solicitor in Bilpin

If you want a different solicitor

You can generally change solicitors if the relationship isn't working. Your new solicitor usually arranges for the file to be transferred. The first solicitor may be entitled to be paid for work already done, and how that's handled depends on the arrangement you signed, so check it or ask before you switch. Try raising the problem directly first; plenty of issues can be fixed.

The Law Society's specialist accreditation scheme

'Accredited specialist' is a title with a specific meaning in NSW. The Law Society of NSW grants it to solicitors who have shown substantial experience in one area of law and passed the scheme's assessment. Personal injury is one of the areas covered. The title is optional: a solicitor doesn't need it to handle injury claims, and plenty of experienced ones don't hold it.

About the lawyers we connect people with

We describe the independent lawyers we connect people with by their experience with motor accident claims, not by any title. Whether a particular solicitor holds accreditation is a fair question to ask them yourself.

Confidentiality and legal privilege

Solicitors owe you a duty of confidentiality. In general, what you tell them about your claim isn't shared with others without your permission, except where the law requires it. Separately, legal professional privilege can protect certain communications made for the purpose of getting legal advice. The details are technical, so if something sensitive worries you, ask your solicitor how it would be handled.

Others in the room

If a friend or relative joins your meetings, check with your solicitor first about anything sensitive. Who is present can sometimes matter to whether advice stays privileged.

Who decides what on your claim

'Instructions' is the word for what you tell your solicitor to do. Your solicitor advises you on the options and the risks, but acts on your instructions. That means the key decisions are yours: whether to lodge a particular claim, whether to challenge a decision, and whether to accept an offer. A solicitor can recommend firmly, but shouldn't decide for you.

A solicitor can't follow an instruction to do something improper, such as mislead the insurer or hold back material they may be obliged to disclose. Their duties to the court and the law come first. That protects you as much as anyone, because a claim built on a full, honest account stands on firmer ground.

Concerns about a solicitor

Most concerns are worth raising with the solicitor first, or with the principal of their practice. If that doesn't resolve it, complaints about lawyers in NSW generally go to the Office of the NSW Legal Services Commissioner, an independent body that deals with complaints about conduct and about legal costs. That is separate from a complaint about a CTP insurer, which goes elsewhere. Time limits can apply, so don't leave it too long.

Two people going through a bound document together, one pointing at a clause

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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.

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