Do You Need a Solicitor?

There are numerous times in your life where you may be faced with an issue where you think 'Do I really need a solicitor?' The answer to this question is usually based on a wide range of issues such as:

• Can I do it myself?
• How expensive is a solicitor?
• Where can I find a solicitor?
• If I want legal advice, how do I know it will be good?
• What will happen when I contact a solicitor?

Can I do it myself?

The main advantages of representing yourself rather than instructing a solicitor in any matter are:

• The costs are minimal;
• You can say what you want to say rather than being filtered by a solicitor; and
• You are in complete control of your case and not relying on a third party.

However, it is very important to consider the following points which could be a disadvantage:

• In many cases, if you are successful then you can recover the majority of your legal costs from the other side;
• You are likely to be facing a solicitor/barrister who will have extensive legal knowledge;
• If you do not have a legal advisor/solicitor with you then it could actually harm your case and possibly lead to you being in contempt of court.

How expensive is a solicitor?

The cost of instructing a solicitor varies depending on the area of law, the complexity of the case and the solicitor responsible for your case. However, there are certain things to be aware of when considering whether you want legal advice:

• Public Funding/Legal Aid - For many areas of law, there is public funding available providing you satisfy the merits and financial test. The merits test is based on the chances of success for your case whereas the financial test is based on your monthly income and disposable capital (See our Guide to CLS Funding for more details).
• Conditional Fee Arrangements - These are also known as 'No Win No Fee' cases and are most common for personal injury. A conditional fee arrangement means the solicitor will not charge you anything for their services if you are not successful. The solicitor makes money by charging you an inflated rate if you are successful, so ensure that you fully understand the terms of the Conditional Fee Arrangement before agreeing to it.
• Insurance - For many areas of law, it is worth checking whether you are insured for legal cover, for example as part of a car insurance policy.

You can compare solicitors' fees in the results section of our website and see if they provide a 20 minute FREE first interview. To find out more information about how solicitors charge and what the figures mean, please visit our How Do We Compare Solicitors page.

It is also worth looking at the previous case studies a firm provides as this may give you a guideline as to how much you may be charged for a similar case.

Where can I find a solicitor?

There are many websites out there which simply provide a list of solicitors that may be close to where you live. However, it is important to find out whether the solicitor provides the area of law that your issue relates and whether they have previous experience in that area of law. CompareLegalSolutions.com sorts solicitors by distance from your postcode and area of law and allows you to compare solicitor firms based on quality, previous work undertaken and fees. We also provide a firm profile where you can read all about the solicitor firms before you decide who to contact.

If I want legal advice, how do I know it will be good?

Many people believe that every solicitor is an expert in every area of law and you will never get a poor quality solicitor. Unfortunately, like any other profession there are poor solicitors. How can you avoid these solicitors? We compare solicitors based on firm quality and quality for each category of law, ensuring you get the full picture before choosing one. Also, make sure you take the time to read the case studies provided to ensure they have experience of similar cases and read the firm profile to see what type of firm they are.

What will happen when I contact a solicitor?

After you contact a solicitor through www.comparelegalsolutions.com, the appropriate solicitor for your case will contact you within 24 hours to discuss your case further.

After an initial conversation, you should expect your solicitor to send you a client care letter that explains how they will handle your case, who will be responsible for your case, the likely costs and the solicitor's terms & conditions (including complaints procedures). This is a minimum standard of client care that is set out by the Law Society.

The solicitor must keep you informed throughout the entire process of ongoing costs and provide you with a detailed bill of costs at regular intervals. This is to ensure that you can clearly understand what you are being charged and raise any complaints should you think they are unreasonable.

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