No Win, No FeeWhile the vast majority of legal firms have offices in various parts of the country the days when you needed to appoint a local personal injury solicitor have long gone. In a perfect world, a face-to-face meeting might be preferable for some but improvements in technology mean this is no longer a necessity.
Communication With Clients
The Internet era has changed everything with regards to online and offline business activities. There are now numerous different ways to communicate with customers and swap, amend and sign documents. These include:
- Skype
- File-sharing services such as Dropbox
- Online diary systems such as that provided by Google Mail
- Online action plans which are available through companies such as Slack
This is just a small selection of the way in which law firms can communicate with their clients and keep them fully up-to-date with developments – and request any additional information. The beauty of the electronic era is the fact that when it comes to reading, signing and returning documents, the claimant can literally do that in their own time whether this is first thing in the morning or last thing at night. Plus, this also creates a trail of communication should there be any confusion further down the line. Certainly the sooner an agreement is signed and delivered the sooner the claim can be started.
Expanding The Range Of Choice
The fact that the vast majority of communication these days is carried out electronically can be extremely useful when it comes to personal injury claims. On occasion, especially with specialist claims, the law firms in your area may not have the necessary experience in handling such cases. However, with the option to communicate electronically in a whole range of different ways this ensures that you can pick and choose law firms or even claims management companies, in any part of the UK, who will best represent your case.
Arranging Personal Visits
There will be occasions where it may be preferable to meet face-to-face such as when clients are in the middle of long-term hospital stays as a consequence of their injuries. There may also be other occasions where online communications are not available or not preferable. Where many clients are concerned, the ability to communicate electronically in the early days ensures that any face-to-face meetings further down the line are often just a case of dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s. However, personal visits are always an option as and when required.
What Happens If Additional Medical Examinations Are Required?
Many law firms have relationships with an array of national, and sometimes international, medical bodies/companies. They will therefore be able to arrange medical examinations in your area to ensure minimum inconvenience. In many personal injury cases there will be a requirement to arrange additional medical examinations with specialists in relevant fields. This ensures that the case for compensation is as strong as possible.
Are Electronic Signatures Accepted On Legal Documents?
As the electronic era continues to have a greater and greater impact upon online and off-line businesses, the issue of electronic signatures was tackled many years ago. As a consequence of new laws, there is no legal requirement for a signatory to physically sign the document in person as this can now be carried out electronically. Electronic signatures come in many different forms which include:
- Typewritten
- An electronic representation of a handwritten signature
- Scanned signed documents
- A representation of characters unique to the individual
- Fingerprint or retina scans
- Signatures created by cryptographic methods
There is also the option of emailing or even posting physical documents for signature and return if this is more preferable to the client.
Summary
The number of physical meetings occurring in the world of personal injury has fallen dramatically since the onset of the electronic era. The ability to exchange information and even have a “visual” conversation via electronic means has saved time and helped to avoid confusion in many cases. However, for those with a preference for physical meetings and a more personal relationship with the solicitor this can still be an option.
