Personal Injury Claim Legal Expenses Insurance
Both no win no fee and legal expenses insurance are alternative forms of funding arrangement that can be used to pay your solicitor’s fees to help you claim compensation for personal injury.
In this article – we discuss not only the types of legal expenses insurance you might have in place, but also the significant advantages of using such policies to fund your claim.
- Personal Injury Claim Legal Expenses Insurance
Had an accident – what is the first thing you should do?
Before instructing a personal injury solicitor you should check if you have a policy of insurance in place, which will fund your legal costs in pursuing your compensation claim.
This insurance is generally known as “legal protection cover” or “legal expenses insurance”. However, different insurers may use different terminology.
You May No Be Aware You Have Legal Protection Insurance
Often you may not even be aware that you have legal protection insurance cover.
This is because, legal protection can often included as an extra on many common insurance policies that seem totally unrelated.
Hence, this is why it is essential that you check all your insurance policies.
What do legal expenses insurance policies pay for?
An insurance policy which has legal expenses insurance will typically meet your solicitor’s legal costs (both legal fees and disbursements).
Typically, as long as there is no fundamental dishonesty, it can also meet the opposition’s costs (should you lose your claim).
What types of insurance policy might have legal protection cover?
Some examples of insurance policies that may include legal protection cover, include:
Motor vehicle insurance legal protection
To use a motor vehicle lawfully on a public road in the United Kingdom you must have a valid auto insurance policy, which can have as an optional extra legal protection cover.
This cover will pay the policy holders legal cost in pursuing a claim for road traffic accident compensation.
Legal Protection For Insurance Policy Holders
If your motor policy has legal protection included then it should always cover the driver of the vehicle and other policy holders. However, it will not always cover passengers and non-policy holders involved in the same motor accident.
See our motor legal protection cover article for more details.
Household contents insurance
If you own or rent your home, you will normally have some form of household contents insurance. It may seem totally unrelated, but such policies will often include legal protection cover.
Such household contents legal expenses insurance will typically cover any type of accident, save for road traffic accidents. In addition, all family members residing in your home will typically be covered. Not just the policy holders.
See our household contents insurance legal protection cover article for more details.
Travel insurance
Travel insurance will often include legal expenses cover in pursuing injury in an accident that you have whilst on holiday. This will generally include all manner of overseas accident, including those that happen on the plane and any road accidents.
See our detailed holiday insurance legal protection cover article for a more in depth discussion.
Premium bank accounts
Some premium bank accounts require that you pay an annual fee. In return, you can receive some added benefits, such as automatic legal protection cover, travel insurance, etc.
You might not be aware of the benefits, which can change year on year. Therefore – it is helpful to check the standard terms and conditions. as you never know you may have the legal expenses insurance you need.
Union membership
Quite often your union subs will cover access to a union solicitor free of charge. This is very different than receiving help from a union representative, who is unlikely to be legally trained.
Speak To The Union Solicitor Direct
If you have union membership – we recommend that you try to speak to the union solicitor direct.
Union reps undoubtedly mean well, but they will not have the legal expertise to guide you properly.
Personal accident insurance
When doing certain high risk events, such as martial arts, you will often have personal accident insurance.
This may pay your legal expenses or even your compensation. However, you will need to check the insurance policy wording carefully.
What should you do if you are uncertain if you have legal protection insurance?
If you are uncertain as to whether you have legal expenses insurance cover, we suggest:
Firstly – you did out the policy of insurance to see if you can find the relevant clause in the terms and conditions.
Secondly, you telephone your insurer’s helpline to confirm cover and what you should do. However – have the terms and conditions plus all the small print available so that you are not mislead.
SUMMARY
To conclude – we have explained the different places that you might find legal expenses insurance that can help fund all manner f personal injury claims – both at home and abroad.
FREE – Specialist solicitor help
We offer free telephone and online help if you suffer personal injury. You can ask a question, speak direct with our specialist solicitors and have your claim assessed.
