Eligibility requirements to claim through the CICA are as follows:

• Although the offender does not have to have been identified or charged, you must have reported the crime as soon as possible and cooperated with the police during their investigations.
• The crime must have taken place in England, Wales or Scotland.
• Your claim must be worth at least £1,000.
• You are making your claim within two years of the crime occurring (there are exceptions for historic sexual abuse cases or if your injuries left you without the mental capacity to make a claim).

Our Personal Injury Solicitors will quickly let you know if you qualify to make a CICA claim.

People with criminal convictions are often victims of crimes themselves; therefore, having a criminal record does not immediately bar you from making a compensation claim with the CICA. However, if the conviction is still on your record and you are in rehabilitation (known as an unspent conviction), the CICA may refuse your claim. If you have a spent conviction, meaning it enough time has passed for it to be removed from your record, your claim may be allowed but the amount of compensation you receive may be reduced or refused if you are found to have been involved in criminal activity, tax evasion, or drug trafficking.

Although you can make a CICA claim without professional legal advice and representation, the evidential requirements attached to making a claim are complex and strict. You may need to provide an expert opinion regarding your injuries and prognosis. This can be difficult to obtain on your own; however, an experienced Personal Injury Solicitor will have relationships with experts and can organise an appointment for you.

In addition, trying to run a compensation claim whilst you or your loved one is recovering from a severe injury can be stressful and difficult. By instructing a Solicitor, you can rely on them to knowledgably prepare and argue your claim, allowing you to focus on getting better.

If we can take on your case, we can offer a No Win, No Fee agreement. This means you will not have to pay any money upfront for your legal fees. You will have to pay expenses related to your case. These are known as disbursements and include things such as court or expert report fees. Disbursements can be covered by an insurance product called After the Event Insurance. After the Event Insurance can also cover any Court Order to pay the other side’s costs if you lose your claim.

If you win your case, the other side is likely to be ordered to pay most of your legal costs and our legal fees. We will take a success fee in recognition of taking on the risk of your claim, and the percentage will be agreed in advance. The most important thing is you do not have to take on any risk because if the CICA rejects your claim, you will not pay any legal fees, and the disbursements will be covered by insurance.

You can be completely confident that there are no hidden costs. As an SRA regulated law firm, we have a legal duty to be fully transparent with you regarding how much you will pay.

Let us advise and represent you on your criminal injury claim. You can trust that we will always be on your side, protecting your best interests, and working tirelessly to get you the compensation you need.

Contact us on 0333 123 1331 or fill in our contact form and we will get back to you as quickly as possible.