Motor Insurance query

Legal cover - is this worth the money that we pay for it?

I have always had legal cover in the past, however after having a car accident recently, i am pursuing a personal injury & expenses claim after being injured in the accident and subsequently being off work for a number of weeks. I have decided not to use the solicitors who are connected with the insurance co and instead have appointed a local firm.

Now, considering that its a no win, no fee blah blah and that they recoup the costs through the other parties insurers, its costing me nothing to do this.

So where would the legal expenses extra be worth the money?

dunno? but i'm glad i had it as my solicitor is connected with the insurance company and i have'nt really had to do anything. i also belive if your in the AA you can use there legal team.

Originally Posted by kwak zzr

dunno? but i'm glad i had it as my solicitor is connected with the insurance company and i have'nt really had to do anything. i also belive if your in the AA you can use there legal team.

Good point there Kwak - I think im covered with the RAC anyway

i work at a law firm and even they told me to get it as its not just if you want to claim its there as well if others claim against you

Originally Posted by robchester

Legal cover - is this worth the money that we pay for it?

I have always had legal cover in the past, however after having a car accident recently, i am pursuing a personal injury & expenses claim after being injured in the accident and subsequently being off work for a number of weeks. I have decided not to use the solicitors who are connected with the insurance co and instead have appointed a local firm.

Now, considering that its a no win, no fee blah blah and that they recoup the costs through the other parties insurers, its costing me nothing to do this.

So where would the legal expenses extra be worth the money?

Unfortunately, the smart thing to have done would have been to complain to your original legal reps that you were unhappy with their services and to get them to buck their ideas up (worked for me when mine were slacking). If that failed, then complain to the insurers, who would have apppointed them, saying you were unhappy and could they appoint someone else more effective.

That way, the cover would still pay all the legal fees and you'd be quids in on a payout instead of the NWNF bods taking their over-inflated cut. That's where the price of the extra cover on your policy is worth it.

Still, might be worth backtracking and speaking to insurers....

Ive been advised by a good friend who has a lot of experience in the legal profession that this would be benefial to my claim in the long run. This wasnt to get any commission on his behalf as he has no affiliation with the company which i am now using.

definately worth it. shoukd cost no more than £20 - £25 for the year. in a debated liability case it will be worth its weight in gold.

this coming form an ex insurance employee......

*****always take legal cover*******


and to put money where my mouth is...i did so on my recent car policy.

I've used it twice and had two different experiences.

First with bennetts/Bikers legal defence/Fletchers solicitors: brilliant, exactly how it should be, very helpful and fast, got me a replacement bike right away.

Second with Carole Nash/Shoosmiths solicitors: Stunningly unhelpful and difficult to deal with, took ages, didn't offer any help and I had to do most of the work myself. Awful.

I won't have it now - for the money it costs, after an accident you can go to a proper bike solicitor of your choosing - e.g. white dalton, who actually know about bikes and bike accidents, rather than some random solicitor that assumes that you + bike = 50% liability.

By having it on your policy, all you do is pay every year for something that you might not need, instead of just paying for it when you need it. The price is no different.

As well as it costing more, your insurer gets to choose the solicitor - best for them, not best for you - so you pay more and have a risk of worse service.

On the other hand, if you want peace of mind of having it there, rather than having to make a phone call and sort it out after the accident, and you are willing to put up with a potentially rubbish solicitor who takes a year to sort out a simple case, then it could be worth having.

Thanks to the legal cover I got with the insurance I got quick payment for the bike (literally within 3 weeks) and I got a personal injury claim too. The solicitor was excellent and I wouldn't be without legal cover - if the insurance cover doesn't include legal cover then I'm not interested.