Divorce! I hear you say. That will solve all my problems! But will a court action really get to the root of your family trouble? There are a number of simple steps you can take to get on the right road, legally and family-wise.

For family legal troubles approach a law firm that specialises in family law. It is no good going to a law firm that specialises in corporate law, for instance, if you are thinking of instituting an abuse claim. Any divorce firm in your area will by definition be involved in family legal matters. Everyone know the most well-known divorce lawyers in their county, for instance the most renowned divorce solicitors in Hampshire where I live are Dyer Burdett.

Approach you law firm with an open mind. Instead of saying immediately that you want a divorce, take one step back and explain fully and in detail the problems you are facing. It will save everyone time and money if you are as open as possible in the beginning. What is more, you could discover that you are much more than a candidate for divorce. Perhaps, for instance, you have been a victim of sexual abuse. This may bring your case into the realm of the common law. Divorce might be just be a small part of a larger problem that you have been unable to identify, having been too close to the events leading to your unhappiness.

Once your solicitor has identified the facts of the matter and explained how you can proceed in legal terms, make certain of two things before having your solicitor represent you. What will the exact costs be? How much does it cost for your solicitor to take your call? Does the firm have a no win no fee policy, or will you incur costs no matter if there is a settlement or not? This must be clear before you give instructions to proceed.

Finally, you should make sure there is no conflict of interest. Make completely sure that your spouse or anyone else associated with your case is not being represented by the firm. So if you live in Havant, Hampshire, for example, you will want to know that in your case your solicitors in Havant are not representing anyone else in Havant connected with your case in a way that is contrary to your interests.

Don’t look upon this as advice but rather a case study in a personal injury claim. File it away in your mind just in case you land up in an accident one day and need to put in a car accident claim. Essentially what happened to me was I suffered terrible whiplash in an accident in Sussex a full two years ago. It took me about six months to get over the pain and shock. At no stage did I give a minute’s thought to whiplash compensation. When finally someone mentioned that I should possibly apply for personal injury compensation, the last thing I wanted was to get embroiled in a personal injury lawsuit.

When I got round to considering putting in a claim for personal injury, I thought it was too late. The accident had happened nearly a year previously at that point. Well, I didn’t even know where to find solicitors specialising in personal injury. I went online and found the right channel. I was delighted to find out that they were a “No Win No Fee” outfit, which I had thought was an exclusively American idea. Not so at all. They said there was a three year window after an incident in which one could claim. They are a company with a proven track record in personal injury claims management. They told me straight out that they had no idea how much compensation would be due to me and that the only way to find out was to put in the claim, which they duly did on my behalf.

It all went smoothly with this panel of specialist personal injury solicitors who seemed to be working in my best interests. I did the whole thing over the phone, although I have heard the regional claims manager will make a free home visit if you are injured or indisposed or would just like to meet someone from the company face to face. There was no paperwork for me to wrestle; they handle all of that. The long and short of it is that I was paid £25 000 in compensation after commission, which did not repair the damage done to my neck but it made bearing the medical costs easier and gave some satisfaction. Please remember these Personal Injury Specialists for future reference.