Will I Have To Go To Court? Personal Injury Claim Process in Manchester
When bringing a personal injury compensation claim, you should not immediately worry about having to go to court. Even where cases are actually filed at court, this is often used as a tactical ploy to put pressure on the other party to come to a settlement.
As your Manchester personal injury solicitor** will inform you, very few cases actually make it as far as trial. Personal injury cases in particular tend to settle before they go to court, unless there is a dispute over liability or the amount of compensation that has to be paid out (which is not as often as people might think). This is especially true on no win, no fee* personal injury cases. If the matter proceeds to trial, insurance companies may have to make large payouts for legal fees and therefore will try to limit their liability by settling before the trial. Not to mention that there are penalties imposed by the court for not attempting to settle the matter prior to going to trial.
What if my Claim Does go to Court?
If the matter cannot be prevented from going to court, then your personal injury solicitor** in Manchester will prepare you for what will happen in the event that you need to go to court. You should be prepared to give evidence about the matters that are in dispute, most of which would have already been provided to the court by way of a witness statement. You will have a barrister representing you in court, but should be prepared to answer questions from the other party’s barrister and the judge on your evidence.
There can sometimes be a long time between filing a claim at court and the trial starting. This is because there are various procedures and protocols that have to be concluded in the interim, such as disclosure of evidence and the exchanging of witness statements. This allows the parties time to narrow the issues in dispute, get a feel for the other side’s case, and make attempts to settle the matter if necessary. Once the trial begins, it is very difficult to say how long it will last, and it will depend on how many things are in dispute.
Personal Injury Lawyers Manchester
There are hundreds of solicitors in Manchester, and you need to make sure that you choose personal injury solicitors you can depend on. Call our accident solicitors** on 01615 168 871^ or contact us online.