Inner West · Personal injury solicitors explained

Working with a personal injury solicitor from Enfield

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 Enfield, 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: 2136

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  • By phone & online, no office to visit
  • Helping people in Enfield & Enfield South

Dividing the work: you and your solicitor

Knowing where your solicitor's role ends and yours begins saves a lot of frustration. The split below is general, and a good solicitor will explain it for your own claim at the start.

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

In NSW, 'lawyer' is the umbrella word. Most lawyers who help people with injury claims are solicitors: they advise you directly, run the claim, deal with the insurer and prepare documents. Barristers are lawyers who concentrate on advocacy and particular kinds of advice, usually briefed by a solicitor for a hearing or a difficult question. In most motor accident claims, the solicitor is the person you deal with.

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

If you want a different solicitor

If you're thinking about moving to another solicitor, first tell your current one what isn't working. Sometimes one frank conversation fixes it. If not, you are generally free to go. The new solicitor will usually handle the transfer of the file. Keep your own copies of key letters throughout, so a change never leaves you without the basic information about your claim.

Instructing a solicitor from Enfield

If Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Concord Repatriation General Hospital or Canterbury Hospital saw you, tell your solicitor which one and when. They generally need your written authority before asking for the notes. The Burwood 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
Inner West
Postcode
2136
Nearest public hospital
Canterbury Hospital
Local government area
Burwood Council

Do you need a personal injury solicitor?

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

  • You need formal advice on a decision the insurer has made about you
  • The insurer wants statements or documents and you're unsure what to give
  • You would rather someone else dealt with the insurer for you
  • Your injury is serious and the claim is likely to run for a long time

You may not need one

  • SIRA's free CTP Legal Advisory Service can answer your statutory benefits question
  • You're managing your own claim comfortably and it's on track
  • What you mainly need is medical help or a new treating doctor

Legal help and medical care run side by side. Ask us about doctors and allied health who know CTP claims, including GPs who complete the Certificate of Fitness.

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 Enfield
  • If your question is about the first meeting, what to bring and the costs documents, the compensation solicitor page fits better. Compensation solicitor in Enfield
  • For the stages of a CTP file, from statutory benefits through to settlement, see the car accident solicitor page. Car accident solicitor in Enfield

Giving instructions: what it means

Your solicitor works for you, on your instructions. In practice, they explain your choices, give their advice, and then do what you decide, within the law and their professional duties. The biggest decision, whether to accept an offer to settle, belongs to you. Take the time you need, and ask for the advice in writing if that helps you think.

If you're unsure what your solicitor is asking you to decide, say so. It's reasonable to ask what happens under each option, what the risks are, and what they would recommend and why. You can also ask for time to think or to talk it over with family. Instructions given under pressure are the ones people most often regret.

Accredited specialists, in plain terms

The Law Society of NSW runs a specialist accreditation scheme. Solicitors with several years of practice, including substantial time in one area such as personal injury, can apply, and those who pass its assessment may call themselves accredited specialists in that area. It is formal recognition of depth in one field. Many capable solicitors are not accredited, and the title says nothing about how a particular claim will go.

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.

Checking a solicitor's practising certificate

A practising certificate is, in effect, the licence a solicitor needs to provide legal services. In NSW the Law Society of NSW issues them, and you can generally search its online register to confirm a solicitor holds a current one. If you can't find someone, check the spelling, ask them for their full registered name, or contact the Law Society.

Titles on websites

Words like 'expert' on a website are marketing, not formal titles. 'Accredited specialist' is a formal title. If a solicitor uses it, you can ask which area of law it covers.

Read next:Do I need a lawyer? Quick check

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

Having a family member on a call is usually fine, but a third party's presence can sometimes affect whether a conversation stays privileged. Ask your solicitor before sharing sensitive details in front of others.

If something goes wrong

If you believe a solicitor has acted improperly or charged unfairly, you can generally take it to the NSW Legal Services Commissioner. Before that, put your concern in writing to the solicitor and give them a chance to respond. Keep copies of everything. Changing solicitors and making a complaint are separate steps; you can take one without the other.

A clipboard of blank forms, folders and pens laid out on a wooden desk

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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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