LEGAL AID SOLICITORS

We are a national network of legal aid solicitors who are members of the Law Society Panel of medical negligence experts. Less than 1% of solicitors are entitled to apply for public funding to take legal proceedings on behalf of their clients for clinical negligence claims. Our solicitors are highly qualified specialists who are all authorised by the Law Society to make an immediate application for public funding. Proceedings involving negligence by a healthcare provider are often complex and technical and it is essential that you are properly represented to ensure that you establish liability and obtain maximum compensation. Not all applicants will satisfy the requirements however the solicitor appointed by you may choose to deal with your claim on a no win no fee basis.

If your claim is for injury to a child under the age of 18 then only the child's income if any is taken into account and most children will therefore qualify with no financial contribution. Most children who suffer from cerebral palsy or a birth injury will qualify even though the child's parents may have substantial income and assets.

To obtain public funding for a medical negligence claim, legal aid solicitors must ensure that their client complies with the financial requirements and satisfies the criteria outlined by the Legal Services Commission which includes:

• Cost-benefit.
  Is the ratio between the expected value of the claim and the expected legal costs of the case and must satisfy the parameters required by The Legal Services Commission.
• The prospects of success.
  Cases of less than even prospects of success will not usually receive public funding unless they are of critical importance to the applicant. Cases with very good prospects will probably pass the overall test unless they are trivial or the cost exceeds the likely benefit.
• The importance of the case.
  Involves the Legal Services Commission in making a judgement about importance of the matter to a reasonable person in the circumstances involved, not on the strength of feeling of the particular applicant. These might include the amount of compensation anticipated to be involved and the consequences for the applicant if it were not obtained.

If you would like free advice and information from a specialist solicitor then just complete the contact form and a member of The Law Society panel of medical negligence experts will contact you by telephone with no obligation.