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Our FAQs
Your Urgent Questions Answered: How We Can Help
We understand that after a major trauma, you have urgent questions about finance, care, and the legal process. Please review the sections below for detailed answers about our services.
General FAQs
What is considered a Major Trauma or Catastrophic Injury case?
A Major Trauma or Catastrophic Injury profoundly alters a person’s life, requiring long-term care and adaptation. This typically includes Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), Spinal Cord Injuries, severe amputations, and complex multiple fractures. We focus exclusively on multi-track cases where the damages are substantial and complex.
How long will a Major Trauma claim take to settle?
Due to the complexity of the injuries and the need to assess long-term prognosis, Major Trauma cases typically take 2 to 4 years to settle. Our focus during this time is on securing regular interim payments to meet your ongoing care needs.
What is APIL, and why is APIL accreditation important?
APIL (Association of Personal Injury Lawyers) is a national body dedicated to improving the law for accident victims. Our firm is an APIL Accredited Practice. Additionally, Richard Meggitt is an APIL Accredited Senior Litigator, demonstrating recognized, high-level expertise in complex injury cases.
Do I need to live near your office to instruct Major Trauma Lawyers?
Absolutely not. While our senior solicitors, Richard Meggitt and Ralph Clark, are based in our offices, we successfully represent seriously injured clients nationwide. We are committed to conducting personal home visits throughout the life of your case, and utilise video conferencing for all other meetings.
What is the role of the medical expert in my claim?
Medical experts in a legal claim are not for treatment; their sole role is to provide an independent opinion on your condition and future prognosis. We instruct leading specialists whose reports form the foundation of your claim’s valuation, quantifying your long-term needs for care, therapy, and equipment.
When do Major Trauma Lawyers instruct a Barrister in my claim?
We involve specialist Barristers early in the multi-track process. They provide crucial, high-level advice on case strategy, complex liability arguments, and the quantification of damages to ensure we build the strongest possible case from the outset.
Can I change my legal team if I already have a solicitor?
Yes, you can. If you feel your current solicitor is not meeting the demands of a complex multi-track catastrophic injury claim, we can conduct a free, confidential case review to assess your claim’s progress and potential valuation. We will handle the entire process of transferring your file seamlessly and without
any cost to you.
What is the Serious Injury Guide, and why is your firm a signatory?
The Serious Injury Guide (SIG) is a best-practice framework developed collaboratively between claimant lawyers, defendant lawyers, and insurers. As a signatory to the SIG, we commit to a collaborative, transparent, and expedited process for managing serious injury claims.
What happens if the client’s first language is not English?
We have extensive experience managing complex claims across multiple languages. We provide professional interpreters who accompany either Richard Meggitt or Ralph Clark to all necessary meetings and appointments and arrange for all critical legal and witness statements to be fully translated.
What is the primary duty of the medico-legal expert?
The primary duty of every medical expert is to the Court, not to the client or the firm instructing them. This duty is to be independent, objective, and unbiased. This impartiality ensures the medical evidence used to value your claim is robust and accepted as authoritative by the courts.
Which Barristers do you work with for Major Trauma claims?
We consistently instruct senior counsel from top-tier chambers, including 4KBW (e.g., Andrew Granville Stafford) and Ropewalk Chambers (e.g., Edward James). This ensures your case benefits from advocates who are recognised leaders in High Court claims.
Claims involving children: What is the specialist process?
Claims involving children require specialist expertise. We are on the panel for the Major Trauma Support Partnership (MTSP). The final settlement must be approved by the Court (usually the High Court). The compensation is paid into a protected account under the Court of Protection’s authority and managed by an appointed Deputy. When the child reaches 18, we advise on creating a Personal Injury Trust to safeguard the funds.
No Win No Fee FAQs
How does the No Win No Fee agreement work for my claim?
Our service is typically provided under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), known as No Win No Fee. This means you will not pay any legal fees if your claim is unsuccessful. This ensures you have no financial risk when pursuing the multi-million-pound compensation required for your lifetime care and support.
What is your maximum Success Fee?
For catastrophic injury claims, our Success Fee is competitive and will not exceed 10% (plus VAT) of your total compensation.
Do I have to pay for the cost of the medical evidence?
No, you do not. We fund the entire cost of the medical evidence upfront. For complex claims, some reports can cost up to £10,000 each. We cover these substantial disbursements without any financial risk to you.
Can you help with immediate financial needs outside of compensation payments?
Yes. We provide an immediate interest-free loan of up to £5,000 to help cover urgent, unforeseen expenses while we secure your first interim payment.
Are there any other costs if we lose the claim?
No. Unless you have acted dishonestly.
How do you ensure my compensation money is protected for my future?
We work closely with our financial planning contacts, including Frenkel Topping, to advise you on the long-term protection of your settlement. This includes advice on creating Personal Injury Trusts and using Court of Protection deputyship to safeguard the funds for your lifetime needs.
Rehabilitation FAQs
What specific support is provided to the families of the injured person?
We ensure families have direct access to our specialist team and provide free access to benefit advice through the Frenkel Topping Service, which is critical for securing all available state support for the family and the injured person during the claims process.
How do you use the Rehabilitation Code in my case?
We actively adhere to the Rehabilitation Code (2015) principles from the outset. This is a professional standard that ensures a structured, collaborative, and immediate assessment of your clinical and support needs, putting your recovery at the heart of the legal process.
What immediate psychological and logistical support do you provide?
We provide immediate, free psychological therapy, delivered either face-to-face or via video link, to both the injured person and their family. Furthermore, we also arrange and pay for taxis to help people get to medical appointments.
How can I afford private rehabilitation and care before my case settles?
Our first priority is to secure Interim Payments—partial payments of your compensation made early in the case. These funds are used immediately to pay for private treatment, specialist equipment, and case management, ensuring your recovery starts without delay.
What is an Immediate Needs Assessment (INA), and why is it important?
An INA is a formal assessment conducted by an independent case manager to determine your exact clinical, social, and vocational needs. The resulting report provides the evidence and blueprint used to justify your request for funding and forms the starting point for calculating your final future care damages.
Who funds the rehabilitation—the insurer or your firm?
The defendant’s insurer is expected to fund the rehabilitation under the Rehabilitation Code, as this benefits the client. However, our commitment goes further: If the insurer initially denies liability or delays funding, we will fund the Immediate Needs Assessment (INA) and the initial rehabilitation package ourselves to ensure your recovery starts immediately
