Legal Jargon in Injury Claims
There are a few legal terms often used in regards to personal injury claims that may be confusing to some people.
‘Liability’ is the responsibility for what caused the accident to happen in the first place. If someone has taken a specific action that led to an incident then they are liable.
‘No win no fee’ refers to cases where the lawyer agrees not to charge the claimant unless the case is won. Some people get confused by this as there is always the possibility of a charge unless the firm is also offering a 100% compensation guaranteed deal.
‘Disbursements’ are fees that are paid out to a third party who is helping to prepare the details of your case, for example, for medical reports. ‘Negligence’ is when somebody has ignored his or her duty of care and this has led to an incident occurring.
‘Compensation’ is an amount of money that is offered to make amends for the injury or accident.
‘Duty of Care’ is a phrase used to describe the responsibility of a person to prevent an incident, for example an employer providing essential personal protective equipment (PPE) for carrying out specific tasks.
When choosing a no win no fee legal firm to conduct proceedings on your behalf, your personal claims advisor should be able to explain any unfamiliar terms to you in clear language, so that you are certain about the procedures that need to be followed and what happens next. If you are unsure, just ask and they will be happy to explain anything that you do not understand.
