Making a medical negligence claim can be traumatic but it is usually the only way you can seek compensation for yourself and bring the company involved to justice. Often a claims company will have a large amount of small print related to their contract with you, and it is important you read this before you commit to their services.

Here are some reasons to read the small print before you commit to using a claims company;

Costs

Although the company may state it is no win no fee, it may become apparent that there are actually other charges involved that you are obligated to pay. For example a company may request you pay a cancellation fee if you decide to cancel your claim. You may also find that the figure you receive at the end is greatly affected by their fee, so you’ll want to know how much they plan to charge should you win the case.

Time

Some companies have a time limit as to how long the claim can last. This can be both negative and positive in relation to your claim as it could mean the company are obligated to complete within a certain date, or it could mean that they remain unobligated to continue the case if it does not complete within a certain date. You’ll want to speak to the company about this to ensure that you are not going to be left with an unresolved case after a certain amount of time.

Conditions

Some companies offer guaranteed compensation which usually comes with many specific conditions. For example; a company may only offer this service for Medical Negligence Claims in London or other major cities and be extremely picky about the circumstances of the case as well. This means that the no win no fee offer could only apply to cases where there is no risk involved for the company and some companies are not upfront about whether or not you qualify for this offer so you may commit to claim and later find out you need to pay costs if the case is lost.

Your involvement

Most claims will involve your obligation to receive medical assessment from a third party paid by the company you are making a claim against. This means you may have to travel to another city to have a medical assessment and you may also need to have treatment and counselling depending on the injuries you are claiming for.

Evidence 

You should check how much evidence you are required to provide in order to sway the case in your favour. Although the solicitor will work on your behalf, you may still be required to seek evidence that supports your case. For example, you may need to provide evidence that you endured specific injuries or trauma and the case may be taken on provided you can give that evidence to the solicitors. Some small print may detail your obligation to pay costs to them for services if you do not provide the evidence you stated you had in order to support the case.