When ‘Unknown Caller’ flashes on the screen of my mobile I’d like to leave it ring but, with two young children, there’s always the concern that it may be their school.
This morning when my phone rang, rather than being greeted by the head mistress, I was contacted by a call centre offering legal services. The cheerful agent informed me that she wasn’t calling to sell anything and that the company she was calling from “had been set up by the government to help people like me by providing free legal advice”. Out of curiosity I stayed on the line. I was offered free advice in relation to Employment matters as well as claims for Clinical Negligence, Personal Injury and mis-sold Payment Protection Insurance. I was told twice more that this was a government backed scheme.
When I asked for clarification on how they were set up by or backed by the government the agent was unable to answer and conceded that she “did not know exactly”. The reason that she did not know was that they are not in anyway connected. It was a blatant mis-representation. In fact, solicitors who work on personal injury cases should not engage in cold-calling. That is the opinion of the government and of several professional bodies including the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, (‘APIL’) of which we are a member firm.
APIL states, “No APIL member shall personally, or through a representative, directly contact a potential client (except through permitted advertising), where there has been no request for such contact (cold calling’).” It is highly advisable to choose solicitors who are members of APIL; cold-calling, therefore, should work as a warning sign about the company doing so. The Department of Justice and the Solicitors Regulation Authority agree with APIL on this.
It is worth mentioning that there is a similar outcry regarding insurance companies cold-calling people who may intend to pursue an accident injury compensation claim following a road traffic accident or selling their details to others.
This is an industry with which I am familiar; I am used to questioning credentials. However, average people are not and could find themselves poorly represented and with little recourse.
Choosing to pursue a compensation claim for your Personal Injury/Clinical Negligence claim.
If you have been injured through someone else’s fault or negligence, you may be eligible to make a claim for compensation. Mayo Wynne Baxter has a team of specialist Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence solicitors second to none in the south east. If you feel you need advice in relation to a claim, please contact a member of the team to arrange an initial free consultation.
