8 minute read
According to the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA), there are almost 12,000 practising solicitors in Ireland. Many of these lawyers offer medical negligence litigation services.
With an overwhelming number of options available, thoroughly researching each one before making a decision would be an unrealistic challenge.
That’s why we’ve developed this practical guide to help you identify the leading medical negligence solicitors in Ireland and make the choice that’s best for you.
Furthermore, medical negligence cases are highly complex and can take many years to conclude. Whichever law firm you choose, you might be dealing with them for a very long time.
There are three stages of research involved in selecting the right solicitor for you. Each stage should progressively refine your list of candidates until only one remains:
This article will now detail the steps involved in each stage.
You should aim to compile a robust list of potential solicitors. The two most frequently used methods to do this are as follows:
Generally, the best medical negligence solicitors are likely to appear on Page 1 of Google when you search for the required legal service. This principle holds true across various industries, including hospitality and retail.
You should include a location name such as Dublin or Ireland at the end of your search so that the results don’t show you medical negligence lawyers in Northern Ireland, Scotland and England & Wales.
The location name does not necessarily have to be your local city, town or village.
Bear in mind, medical negligence litigation is a highly complex area of law and it is not uncommon for people all over Ireland to instruct a specialist law firm even if it would not be considered local to them. They do this because their small local law firms may not have a comparable level of experience as their specialist counterparts.
For instance, someone might search: “medical negligence claims Dublin”, even if they live in Tralee or Letterkenny.
You may wish to avoid the first three results labelled as “Ad” or “Sponsored”. These are paid advertisements and often, law firms from outside of Ireland’s legal jurisdiction will advertise here, despite not being able to provide services within Ireland.
Another frequently used approach to finding a solicitor is through personal recommendations. You could consult friends and family to see if they can suggest a reputable medical negligence solicitor. When making such inquiries, ensure you clarify that it pertains to a medical negligence issue.
This is important as a trusted individual may have had a positive experience with their solicitor during a house purchase or after a road accident. However, the same solicitor may not necessarily be the most suitable for dealing with your medical negligence related matter.
Furthermore, it’s important to evaluate the relevance and recency of any recommendations you receive. An endorsement based on services rendered several years ago may not accurately reflect the current expertise or focus of a solicitor.
Once you have shortlisted three or more law firms that you are interested in, it’s time for you to adopt a solicitor’s approach and conduct thorough due diligence.
Here are some strategies to help you refine your choices:
You should check whether a law firm features testimonials and reviews on its website.
As you peruse these reviews, look for patterns in the descriptions of the service or solicitor provided by various clients. Ideally, you will encounter positive descriptors such as professional, efficient and empathetic.
Testimonials sourced from independent online review platforms like Trustpilot, Feefo and Reviews.io are generally more credible than self-published reviews.
Only reviews collected by independent third parties can assure authenticity and verification.
The greater the number of clients endorsing a solicitor, the higher the likelihood that you will also become a proponent if you choose to engage their services. Therefore, your selected medical negligence solicitor should have significantly more positive online reviews than their competitors.
Contrary to reviews, case studies focus more on quality than quantity.
You should seek out case studies that the medical negligence firm has published online or in legal journals. The more detailed the case study, the more insight it provides. These articles will offer you a glimpse into the solicitor’s approach and the effectiveness with which they have previously addressed complex legal issues in medical negligence matter.
Bear in mind, a lawyer’s previous work and the results that came after are not an indication of the outcome you may get in the legal matter unique to you.
It is natural that the most distinguished legal experts will garner media attention due to the quality of their work and the significance of the cases they handle. While many law firms showcase their media appearances on their websites, the absence of such a list does not necessarily imply a lack of media coverage.
To discover news articles featuring the firm, you can conduct a Google search by entering the firm’s name in “quotation marks” and selecting the News tab located just below the search bar.
For example:
Many law firms maintain a presence on popular social media platforms such as X, Facebook and LinkedIn. You might consider following the firms you are thinking of instructing to see if their content instils confidence in their expertise.
This will also give you a sense of the law firm’s personality. Does the firm come across as one you would want to establish a professional relationship with?
Additionally, if a law firm has a substantial following on social media, this can often be seen as a testament to their reputation and the value others derive from their contributions.
By this stage, you should have narrowed down your choices to one or perhaps two law firms. The next step is to contact them for a brief discussion about your case. This is your chance to thoroughly question your potential future solicitor.
Consider asking questions such as:
You will undoubtedly have many more questions to ask. The best medical negligence solicitors will be ready and willing to address all your queries.
By this point, you should have gathered enough information to confidently choose a solicitor with whom you feel comfortable and trust. However, if you are still uncertain, don’t hesitate to explore further options.
The most professional solicitors will not pressure you into committing or take offence if you decide to deliberate further. Remember, it’s your case, and you have the right to select the solicitor you believe is best for you.
Hopefully, this guide has equipped you well to identify the medical negligence solicitor who is most suited to your needs. If you are still reading this lengthy guide, we have a short disclaimer to share with you.
We are among Ireland’s premier medical negligence law firms. In fact, our firm acted in the case that established the principles that are now applied to all medical negligence case in Ireland. You can learn about this by reading: Dunne v National Maternity Hospital: A landmark case in Irish medical negligence law
Despite this, we have tried to keep this guide as unbiased as possible.
We are committed to the principle that everyone deserves the finest legal representation possible. We are confident that our services will withstand the most thorough scrutiny.
If you have already decided that we are the firm for you, thank you. Contact Us for a no-commitment initial consultation or visit Medical Negligence Claims to learn more about what we do. We hope to hear from you soon.
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