Make a compensation claim

If you have been a victim of crime, compensation is one of the best ways to get the justice you deserve for your suffering. Although the process may seem daunting, seeking expert legal advice you can trust brings you one step closer to being able to put the traumatic event behind you.

Smith Partnership allows you to do just that. Contact our dedicated team to find out how we can help you.

Criminal injury compensation process

Depending on your individual circumstances, injuries resulting from a violent crime can be extremely stressful and sometimes life-changing. Although we can’t reverse what has happened, we can help you to recover your financial losses and help you along the road to recovery. 

The process for making a claim is fairly simple and typically follows these steps: 

  1. After any serious injury, it is advised that you should first seek medical attention from a doctor or GP and follow any treatment or advice they give you as this could significantly increase your chances of a full, speedy recovery. 
  2. Report the incident to the police. This is a vital step in claiming compensation through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) as a crime reference number will be required. 
  3. Seek expert legal advice to ensure your case is strong enough to win the maximum amount of compensation that you are entitled to.

How we can help

When taking on a criminal injury claim following an assault or attack, we will firstly ask you for your crime reference number, which would have been provided by the police when you reported the incident.

Once we have this information, along with all the other details regarding the incident, we will guide you through the claims process. For crime victims, compensation will be claimed through the government’s CICA scheme. This involves an online application. 

Claims of this sort usually do not require court proceedings. However, if we disagree with the decision of the application, our expert team can assist you with making an appeal, which could result in a tribunal hearing in front of a panel of judges.

Types of criminal injuries

Injuries following a criminal attack or assault can vary in severity. The amount of compensation you receive will depend on this but, usually, claims can only be made for injuries that deserve a minimum award of £1,000. This could include:

  • Abuse, including physical, sexual and child abuse
  • Mental or psychological impacts 
  • Burns
  • Paralysis
  • Nerve damage, including sensory and motor 
  • Injuries to the head or neck 
  • Injuries to the torso or other limbs

What can I claim for?

Claiming financial compensation after a criminal injury attack can make a big difference to your recovery. As well as the physical injuries, any psychological impacts require professional care to ensure you are able to get back to your normal life as soon as possible. This is why we aim to go above and beyond, making sure you have access to the best possible rehabilitation and treatments, without having to worry about the cost. 

Your compensation claim can cover:

  • Any care and treatment you require now and in the future
  • Loss of earnings if your injuries or their effects have resulted in needing time off work 
  • Reimbursement of any related expenses 
  • Court of Protection fees if you lack the mental capacity to handle your financial affairs yourself

Why Choose Smith Partnership?

With years of experience in successfully settling criminal injury compensation claims, our team is dedicated to helping individuals and families put traumatic events behind them and get back to their normal lives. Drawing from this experience, we provide a tailored approach to each case, ensuring your best interests are protected at all times.

We understand the importance of care and reassurance after these kinds of incidents which is why we support you through the process professionally, instilling trust and confidence at every stage.

Our firm’s services are centred around providing excellent client care through clear and practical advice. Therefore, all communications you receive from our solicitors will be straightforward and free of any legal jargon, so you will be certain of your position and options throughout the process.

We take on criminal injury cases on a no win, no fee basis, meaning there is no financial risk to you.

Contact our team today

To find out how our expert team of solicitors can help you, contact us today on 0330 123 1229, send us an email via info@smithpartnership.co.uk or complete our contact form.

FAQs

Yes, we will always offer you a free initial interview and free initial advice, even if we then conclude that we are unable to take your case on a ‘no win no fee’ basis. It will never cost you anything to seek initial advice from us and you have nothing to lose in doing so.

This is a government funded scheme designed to compensate the innocent victims of any violent crime for their injuries. If you have been the victim of an assault or of any incident which has caused you physical or psychological harm as a result of a crime you must report it to the police as soon as possible and then cooperate with any police investigation. You should then seek legal advice as soon as possible as there is a strict two-year time limit to submit an application to the relevant government department, which is known as the Criminal Injury Compensation Authority.

No, your compensation is tax free, although you can only recover loss of earnings net of income tax and national insurance.

This varies considerably depending on several factors, including how cooperative the defendant and their insurers are, and whether they are prepared to admit liability for your claim at an early stage, but also depending on your recovery period and length of time that it takes to obtain the full medical evidence to support your case. On average, and depending on these factors, most cases take anything between six months and three years to conclude, although complex cases can take longer than this if they proceed all the way to a court hearing.

A success fee is the element of legal costs that we are entitled to charge if we win the case, to compensation us for having taken a risk that we would not be paid if we had been unsuccessful, as not all of our costs are recoverable from the Defendant. It is the success fee that you are asked to contribute out of your compensation as we are no longer able to recover that element of legal fees from the defendant, even if we win the case, because of legal changes made by the government in 2013. The Success fee is capped at 25% but may be less depending on the risks associated with your claim and/or the amount of work we do to finalise it. 

Your claim will cost you nothing at all if we are unsuccessful as you will be protected from having to pay any legal costs in those circumstances. If we are successful with your claim, you will be asked to make a contribution towards your legal costs out of your compensation, but this deduction will be 25% (the Success Fee, see below for more information) and is to compensate us for the risk that if your claim was unsuccessful then we would not be paid at all. Your basic legal costs, if we are successful, are recovered from your opponent, but are capped dependant on the complexity and value of your claim.  If there are any legal costs not paid by your opponent, then they may be deducted from the compensation that you receive. We will discuss this with you beforehand, so that you know what to expect at the conclusion of your claim and will always strive to keep any deductions to your compensation to a minimum.