You can ask a solicitor questions, disagree with their advice and, if it comes to it, move to another solicitor. Those rights often go unspoken. This guide sets them out for people in Holroyd who were hurt on the road and are working with, or thinking about, a personal injury solicitor. Start with a free claim check if you're not sure you need one.
Parramatta & Cumberland · Personal injury solicitors explained
Personal injury solicitors explained for people in Holroyd
What a solicitor does, what stays with you, and how to check who you're dealing with.
Postcode: 2142
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- Helping people in Holroyd & Merrylands
Who does what on your claim
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
- Keeping your own copies of letters and records
- 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.
Working with a solicitor from Holroyd
If your child was hurt in a crash near Parramatta or Merrylands, the solicitor generally takes instructions from you as parent or guardian. Decisions about a child's claim need extra care, so ask how they'll be made. Solicitors aren't licensed council by council. Whether you live in the Cumberland City 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. Transport links such as Merrylands station and bus stops on Merrylands Road put a solicitor's office within reach for many people near Holroyd. If travel is hard after the crash, instruct them by phone or video; their duties to you don't change.
- Region
- Parramatta & Cumberland
- Postcode
- 2142
- Local government area
- Cumberland City Council
- Getting around
- Merrylands station · bus stops on Merrylands Road
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
- Your injury is serious and the claim is likely to run for a long time
- You started the claim yourself and it has become hard to manage
- The other side's insurer disputes what happened
- You already have a solicitor, but the relationship has broken down
You may not need one
- You want help reading a form, not help challenging a decision
- You're managing your own claim comfortably and it's on track
- You only want a general explanation of how the scheme works
If your question is only about statutory benefits, SIRA's free CTP Legal Advisory Service may answer it before you instruct anyone. Call CTP Assist on 1300 656 919 to be put through. Do I need a lawyer?
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
- For what to do after an injury, the records worth keeping and choosing a lawyer in the first place, see the personal injury lawyer page. Personal injury lawyer in Holroyd
- 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 Holroyd
- For the stages of a CTP file, from statutory benefits through to settlement, see the car accident solicitor page. Car accident solicitor in Holroyd
Free claim check
Free claim check, no obligation to instruct
Questions about the solicitor relationship, or whether you need one at all? Start with a free claim check.
Solicitors, barristers and 'lawyers' explained
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?
If you want a different solicitor
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.
Giving instructions: what it means
'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.
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.
What 'accredited specialist' means
When a solicitor describes themselves as an accredited specialist, they mean a Law Society of NSW scheme that recognises depth of experience in one area of law. Solicitors apply voluntarily, pass an assessment and must keep working in the area to keep the title. It is a useful signal, but only one. It tells you nothing about fees, availability or how clearly a solicitor explains things.
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
Checking credentials takes a few minutes. Confirm the solicitor's full name, then look them up on the Law Society of NSW register to see that their practising certificate is current. If someone else in the practice will do much of the work, you can ask who will supervise your file and look that person up too. None of this is rude; it's ordinary care with any professional.
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
Confidentiality and legal privilege
Two ideas protect what you tell your solicitor. Confidentiality means they generally can't share your information without your consent. Privilege, in broad terms, can stop communications made to get legal advice from being handed to the other side. Neither is absolute, and evidence about your injury is generally shared with the insurer as part of the claim. Ask where the lines fall.
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
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.
Frequently asked questions
Solicitors in NSW practise under the Legal Profession Uniform Law, which sets professional and ethical rules. The Law Society of NSW issues practising certificates and oversees standards, and the Office of the NSW Legal Services Commissioner receives complaints about lawyers. Solicitors also owe duties to the court. In practice, rules about honesty, confidentiality, conflicts and costs disclosure generally apply to any solicitor you work with.
It depends on the stage. Some weeks are busy; others are quiet while the solicitor waits on reports or the insurer. A reasonable arrangement is one you agree at the start: how you'll be contacted, roughly how often, and who covers when your usual contact is away. If a long silence worries you, ask. Solicitors are generally expected to give clear and timely advice as a matter progresses.
No. Accreditation is optional, and a solicitor doesn't need it to handle a motor accident claim. What matters more is real experience with NSW CTP claims, which you can ask about directly, along with how the solicitor will keep you informed. The title is one signal among several, not a requirement, and its absence isn't a warning sign on its own.
A conflict can arise where a solicitor's duty to you clashes with a duty to someone else, or with their own interests. One example is acting for two people from the same crash whose interests may pull in different directions. Solicitors generally must avoid acting where there's a conflict, or manage it within strict rules. If you're worried about one, ask the solicitor directly; they should explain.
Yes, within limits. Your solicitor generally can't pass on what you tell them without your consent, except where the law requires it, and some advice may also be privileged. Private isn't the same as kept out of the claim, though: records about your injury are normally shared with the insurer because the claim depends on them. If something in your history worries you, raise it early and ask whether it has to be disclosed.
Probably not. Most motor accident claims are resolved without a barrister, through dealings with the insurer and, where needed, the Personal Injury Commission. A solicitor may brief a barrister for a hearing, a complex legal question or court proceedings. If that's suggested, ask why, what the barrister will do and how it affects what you'll pay, so you can give an informed instruction.
Personal injury solicitor: suburbs near Holroyd
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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.