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Personal injury glossary - C

If you would like assistance in relation to a possible personal injury claim speak to our experts for guidance on your options on 01616 966 229 or complete our online enquiry form.

This personal injury glossary provides explanations in plain English of a number of technical terms you may encounter in the process of pursuing a personal injury claim.

Case - A shortened way of referring to a law suit.

Civil matters - Laws created to deal with the rights of private parties.

Civil procedure rules - Official rules setting out how civil cases progress and how they are brought to court.

Claimant - A person who feels they have been wronged and is seeking compensation.

Claim form - Legal document submitted to court to begin court proceedings.

Client - A person who uses a solicitor to advise them on a legal matter.

Compensation recovery unit - The compensation recovery unit (CRU) works with insurance companies, solicitors and the Department of Work and Pensions customers, to recover benefits paid as a result of an accident, injury or disease, where a compensation payment has been made for the same loss. This is known as the compensation recovery scheme.

Conditional fee agreement/contingency fee agreement - These are sometimes referred to as “no win, no fee”. Payment of a solicitor’s bill is subject to the claimant being successful in their claim.

Contributory negligence - Where behaviour by the claimant was partially responsible for the harm caused as a result of the defendant’s negligence.

Correspondence - Communication between different parties. This can be through many different means such as telephone conversations, letters or emails.

Costs - Legal fees incurred during the course of bringing a claim.

Counsel - A formal term when referring to a barrister.

Counter claim - A claim brought by the defendant against the claimant if he or she feels they have been wronged by the claimant.

County Court - A local court responsible for dealing with low value civil matters.

Criminal injuries compensation authority - A government organisation that compensates innocent victims of violent crime for the injuries they have suffered.

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