What Qualifications Should My Accident Lawyer Have?

Choosing an accident lawyer is never easy, especially when you consider just how many law firms are out there competing to take on your case. If you want to start a claim, the most important thing to bear in mind is a lawyer’s experience. A lawyer who has successfully worked on cases similar to your own is extremely valuable, because you will have somebody fighting your corner who knows how to build winning claims for compensation.

Accident lawyer qualifications

In terms of qualifications, it goes without saying that you should be extremely vigilant when it comes to choosing a lawyer. To be a solicitor, one has to have a law degree or a conversion qualification in law. One must also have completed the Legal Practice Course and solicitors must have two years training with a practice before they can call themselves a solicitor. To be qualified as a solicitor in the UK if from outside the EU, one must take qualifications that are recognised by the Law Society. Solicitors must also pass a CRB check.

All in all, it takes around seven years to become a solicitor. Personal injury solicitors are actually specialists in personal injury law – they are solicitors who have chosen to work in this field specifically. So, they are best placed to process your accident claim.

If you’ve found a solicitor you would like to represent you but you are unsure of their qualifications, then you can head over to sra.org.uk to check a solicitor’s record. Persons admitted to the roll of solicitors can always be trusted. The SRA are independent from the legal profession.

Accident lawyer experience

If all your lawyer’s qualifications check out, then it’s time to consider experience. Personal injury solicitors usually specialise in a specific type of accident. So, there are road traffic accident solicitors and workplace accident solicitors, for example. When you start a claim, the law firm handling your case will pass you onto the best solicitor for the job. This is always the case, because the law firm will want to maximise the chances of claim success and the best way to do that is to assign an experienced, highly regarded solicitor to you.

With regard to experience, there are two types. There’s case experience, and then there’s practice experience. The number of years a lawyer has practiced does not necessarily determine the number or type of cases they have worked. Preferably, you want a lawyer with both, however these are hard to come by.

Opting for a lawyer with lots of experience handling cases similar to your own is the best move overall. Such a lawyer will work hard to get you the justice you deserve, so that you can get on with your life.