Pursuing a claim for clinical negligence compensation can be a daunting experience at the best of times but particularly so when it involves a child. Cerebral Palsy cases will usually be commenced on behalf of a child by his or her parents. This means that as well as dealing with the day to day realities of having a child with Cerebral Palsy as the parent you may also be primarily responsible for instructing solicitors to investigate a compensation claim.
Cerebral Palsy claims are complex and often take many years to investigate. It is therefore helpful to know exactly what is involved in pursuing such a claim and to understand the steps that need to be followed.
Funding
To begin with it is necessary to sort out how the case is going to be funded. This is vitally important because the legal costs involved in investigating a case are likely to be extensive. Most cases involving claims for Cerebral Palsy will be eligible for public funding (formerly called legal aid). Your solicitor will generally make an application for funding on behalf of your child. Initially funding will be provided to carry out investigations to determine whether or not there is a viable case for negligence. (more…)