Newcastle & the Hunter · Personal injury solicitors explained

Personal injury solicitor Lambton

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

If a lawyer has been suggested for your motor accident claim, you may be wondering who exactly you'd be dealing with. This page explains the roles of solicitor, lawyer and barrister, what a solicitor's job is, and what stays with you. It also covers how to check a solicitor's standing. People in Lambton can start with our free claim check, and many claims never need a solicitor at all.

Postcode: 2299

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  • By phone & online, no office to visit
  • Helping people in Lambton & New Lambton

Dividing the work: you and your solicitor

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.

From Lambton: meetings, records and language

John Hunter Hospital, Calvary Mater Newcastle, Maitland Hospital or Belmont Hospital may hold your records. Your solicitor generally needs your written authority before requesting them. Living in the City of Newcastle area places no limit on which NSW solicitor you use. What counts is that they hold a current practising certificate and deal with motor accident claims, wherever they happen to be based.

Region
Newcastle & the Hunter
Postcode
2299
Nearest public hospital
Calvary Mater Newcastle
Local government area
City of Newcastle

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
  • The other side's insurer disputes what happened
  • You already have a solicitor, but the relationship has broken down
  • An offer has arrived and you want advice before you decide

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

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?

  • Injured at work rather than on the road? That is usually a workers compensation claim, which runs under different rules from CTP. The free claim check 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 Lambton
  • 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 Lambton
  • For the stages of a CTP file, from statutory benefits through to settlement, see the car accident solicitor page. Car accident solicitor in Lambton
A bearded man on a phone call indoors, looking down as he listens

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Questions about the solicitor relationship, or whether you need one at all? Start with a free claim check.

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Solicitor, lawyer or barrister?

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

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.

How to check who you're dealing with

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Confidentiality and legal privilege

It helps to know what stays private. Conversations with your solicitor are generally confidential, and some may be privileged. But a claim runs on evidence, so medical reports and records relevant to your injury are generally shared with the insurer. If there's something in your history you would rather not see in the file, raise it with your solicitor early and ask what must be disclosed.

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.

Complaints, and where they go

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.

Frequently asked questions

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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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