Goulburn & Southern Tablelands · Personal injury solicitors explained

Personal injury solicitor Golspie

Solicitors are regulated professionals. Here's how that protects you, in plain terms.

Trust matters when someone is handling your injury claim. The reassuring part is that solicitors in NSW work under professional rules, and anyone can check that a solicitor is entitled to practise. For people in Golspie after a crash, this guide covers what a solicitor does, what they need from you, and where to turn if the relationship breaks down.

Postcode: 2580

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Dividing the work: you and your solicitor

Working with a solicitor is a partnership with clear roles. Your solicitor brings legal knowledge and handles the formal work. You keep control of your treatment, your information and the decisions that matter most. Here is how that generally divides.

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?

Is this solicitor entitled to practise?

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

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

From Golspie: meetings, records and language

The ACT has its own scheme. If the crash happened over the border, make sure your solicitor knows at the outset, because different rules generally apply there. If a doctor at Goulburn Base Hospital wrote down the crash differently from how you remember it, tell your solicitor now. A difference you raise early is much easier to deal with than one the insurer points out later. Solicitors aren't licensed council by council. Whether you live in the Upper Lachlan Shire Council area or across the state, the same professional rules apply to any NSW solicitor, and their practising certificate can be checked the same way.

Region
Goulburn & Southern Tablelands
Postcode
2580
Public hospital in the region
Goulburn Base Hospital
Local government area
Upper Lachlan Shire Council

A solicitor for your claim: needed or not?

Many motor accident claims are handled by the injured person with no solicitor at all. Others reach a point where formal advice makes a real difference. These lists are a general guide to which is which.

Often worth talking to a lawyer

  • An offer has arrived and you want advice before you decide
  • You started the claim yourself and it has become hard to manage
  • You would rather someone else dealt with the insurer for you
  • The other side's insurer disputes what happened

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
  • You only want a general explanation of how the scheme works

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 Golspie
  • If you're ready to engage a solicitor and wondering about the first meeting and the costs paperwork, the compensation solicitor page covers that ground. Compensation solicitor in Golspie
  • For the stages of a CTP file, from statutory benefits through to settlement, see the car accident solicitor page. Car accident solicitor in Golspie

What you tell your solicitor, and who else sees it

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.

Accredited specialists, in plain terms

'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

The lawyers we connect people with are described as independent and experienced in motor accident claims. If a formal title matters to you, ask the solicitor directly which ones they hold.

You instruct, your solicitor advises

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.

Changing solicitors

Changing solicitors part-way through a claim is allowed, and people do it for many reasons: poor communication, a move interstate, or a loss of trust. It's worth being clear about why before you switch. The new solicitor can generally request the file. Ask both what happens to fees for work already done, because arrangements vary and surprises help nobody.

Concerns about a solicitor

Many problems with a solicitor come down to communication: calls not returned, decisions made without you, or a bill you didn't expect. Say so in writing, and be specific about what you want to change. If the problem is serious, or raising it gets nowhere, the NSW Legal Services Commissioner's office deals with complaints about lawyers' conduct and legal costs. Changing solicitors is a separate option.

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