Macarthur & Wollondilly · Personal injury solicitors explained

Personal injury solicitor Warragamba

What a solicitor does, what stays with you, and how to check who you're dealing with.

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 Warragamba can start with our free claim check, and many claims never need a solicitor at all.

Postcode: 2752

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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.

Warragamba and the solicitor relationship

From Campbelltown or Picton, a city meeting means the Airport & South Line, the Southern Highlands Line or the Hume Motorway. Many solicitors take instructions by phone or video instead. Hospitals serving the area include Nepean Hospital. Chasing records from them is usually the solicitor's job. Turning up for treatment, and telling your solicitor about any new referral or diagnosis, stays with you. Living in the Wollondilly Shire Council 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
Macarthur & Wollondilly
Postcode
2752
Nearest public hospital
Nepean Hospital
Local government area
Wollondilly Shire Council

A solicitor for your claim: needed or not?

Not sure whether you're ready to instruct a solicitor? Look at what has happened in your claim so far. These lists sum up when it tends to be worth it and when it usually isn't.

Often worth talking to a lawyer

  • The insurer wants statements or documents and you're unsure what to give
  • You need formal advice on a decision the insurer has made about you
  • You already have a solicitor, but the relationship has broken down
  • Your claim may be heading to a hearing

You may not need one

  • You only want a general explanation of how the scheme works
  • SIRA's free CTP Legal Advisory Service can answer your statutory benefits question
  • Your injury has healed and your benefits have been paid

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?

  • 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 Warragamba
  • 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 Warragamba
  • For the stages of a CTP file, from statutory benefits through to settlement, see the car accident solicitor page. Car accident solicitor in Warragamba
Two people talking through paperwork across a desk in a bright office

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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?

The Law Society's specialist accreditation scheme

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.

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

Good instructions start with good information. Tell your solicitor everything relevant, including the parts that don't help you, like an old injury or a gap in treatment. They can only advise properly on the whole picture. Then, when a decision is needed, they will set out the options. You choose, and they act on your choice.

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.

Changing solicitors

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.

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

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

Complaints, and where they go

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.

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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