Legal Advice The Legal Encyclopaedia Find out the Law! Menu Skip to content Home Road Traffic Accidents Medical Negligence Cycle and Motorbike Road Traffic Accidents Wills and Probate Slip, Trips and Falls Legal Advice for Businesses No Win No Fee Agreements Accidents at Work Public Liability Accidents Contact Us Free Legal Advice What is Legal Advice? Legal advice is any advice which can help you to understand the law in the jurisdiction that you are in. You should not seek advice outside of your jurisdiction, because the laws and legal systems are different. Be aware that the legal system in Scotland is different to the system in England and Wales. Legal Advice which is given is based on a professional opinion, rather than a personal or subjective one. You can use this advice to help you to make an informed decision about your circumstances. You do not have to follow legal advice that you have been given, although this could affect your legal position. Who can give free legal advice? In the United Kingdom, legal advice can be given by a range of different people, depending on what advice is required. In criminal law cases, advice is normally given by a solicitor or barrister who has completed formal legal training. In civil cases, a wider range of people may be able to provide you with valid legal advice. This includes; claims advisors, the Citizens’ Advice Bureau and free legal advice from Legal Expert subject matter experts, charity associates, professional advisers and more. These people can help to give you basic advice so that you understand how to progress with a case. In some circumstances, these people may point you towards a qualified solicitor, if they feel as though you would benefit more from speaking to someone with a legal qualification. Where can Free Legal Advice be Obtained If you are in need of free legal advice, there are a few different outlets that you can consider. The people who you approach for this advice may vary, depending on your current legal situation. One of the primary sources of free legal advice in the United Kingdom is Citizens’ Advice (formerly the Citizens’ Advice Bureau). This organisation exists to protect the individual rights of citizens in various different fields. If they cannot help in a particular area, they are often very good at signposting clients to organisations which may be able to offer help instead. Fields which Citizens’ Advice covers include; landlord-tenant disputes, immigration, housing, asylum, employment issues, welfare benefits, debt management and will writing. Some solicitors actually work with Citizens’ Advice to offer free legal advice to vulnerable people. You may also be able to access free legal advice from solicitors and claims advisors. Many solicitors offer free claims advice on a “no win, no fee” basis. In the first instance, they will offer legal advice about the claim without charging anything and without requesting that the potential client signs a contract. If they decide that a valid claim exists which is worth pursuing, then they may ask the client to sign an agreement which sets out what will happen if the claim continues, including what will be paid to the solicitor if the claim is successful. If you have a concern about a specific area of the law (such as housing rights) you may want to get in contact with a specialist charity. Charities, such as Shelter, may be able to provide you with basic legal advice to help to point you in the right direction. It may also be possible to get free legal advice on other areas of the law, so long as you meet certain eligibility criteria. This advice is provided under the Legal Aid scheme, which is designed to allow vulnerable members of society to get legal representation even if they cannot afford it. It is worth noting that solicitors do not have to give legal advice for free. Many will charge a reduced fee for their initial consultation, but this rate could increase once the solicitor agrees to take on your case. Make sure that you understand all of the charges before committing to using a legal service. Legal Aid In 1949, the Legal Aid and Advice Act was passed to offer legal aid and advice to people who may not be able to get advice normally. However, the extent of the Legal Aid act has been curbed slightly in recent years, meaning that it is not available to as many people as it once was. It is normally available in Criminal Law cases, although there is reduced availability in civil cases. If you have been charged with a criminal offence and you do not have access to a solicitor, you should ask to see a legal aid solicitor as soon as possible. If you are involved in a civil case, you can use the Checklegalaid website to find out whether you might be eligible. This website can also help you to find qualified Legal Aid providers in your area if you are eligible. However, this website will not be able to give you a final decision, so it is best to talk to a solicitor before assuming that you can definitely access legal aid. What is a Public Liability Accident What is a Public Liability Accident? If a space is being used by members of the public, then the space must be safe and free from unnecessary risks. If an accident or injury does occur whilst a member of the public is using that space, then the owner of the space may be liable. This is described as public liability. Duty of Care and Legislation In English and Welsh law, the owner of the land or the property is considered to have a duty of care to protect those who use that space, so that users do not suffer unreasonable harm or loss whilst doing so. If an accident or injury does occur, then the law will seek to establish whether negligence has occurred. This is usually done by considering whether the potential for harm was foreseeable, and whether it was fair, just and reasonable for the owner to have had a duty of care over the injured party. Why Free Legal Advice is Important with Public Liability Compensation Claims? It is very important to get free legal advice because you might not even have a public accident claim so if you pay a solicitor upfront then its very possible you might not have a claim and you will lose your money. Our best advice it to get free legal advice and also go with a no win no fee claim service that way you are not risking your money. It is important to find out if a company has Insurance for public liability when claiming The owner may not have a duty of care over people who were not using the area for its intended purpose. Public Liability Accidents There is a wide variety of different types of public liability claims, in part because there are so many different places where these incidents can occur. Homeowners, hotels, workplaces, public spaces, parks, hospitals, transport hubs, shops, sports grounds and many other sites are all places where public liability claims may be raised. Slips, trip and falls are probably one of the most common types of incidents which trigger public liability claims. Other incidents include; head and brain injuries, sporting injuries, holiday injuries, food poisoning claims and many more. Any type of incident where the individual or company who owns premises has failed in their duty of care can give rise to a public injury claim. What Should a Person do if they are Involved in a Public Liability accident If you are injured in a public place, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. As well as helping to treat your injuries, this can help to provide you with adequate medical records in case you do decide to make a claim for compensation. Keep all documents relating to the claim, in case you need to use them as evidence. You should also report the incident to the owner of the land, so that they have the opportunity to take steps to prevent the same type of accident from happening to someone else. If you decide that you would like to make a claim, you should begin your claim as soon as possible. There is a three year limitation period on this type of claim in England, and you will not be able to make a claim if this period has elapsed. How to Make a Public Liability Claim You have the best chance of making a successful claim if you use the services of a qualified public liability expert. They will listen to your case and advise you about whether you can make a valid claim. They will also assess your evidence to tell you how much the claim could be worth. Once they have created a solid claim on your behalf, they will contact the liable party to let them know that a claim is being made against them. The defendant may choose to offer a compensation settlement straight away, or else they may try to negotiate a smaller award. If they choose not to make and offer at all, or an agreement cannot be reached, then the case may end up going to court. In these circumstances, your solicitor will advocate for you. Contact Us Legal Advice for Businesses Road Traffic Accidents Contact Us Home Privacy Policy © 2016 probertencyclopaedia.com - All Rights Reserved error: Content is protected !!