QUICK ANSWER
A solicitor is the person who actually runs a clinical negligence claim — gathering the evidence, instructing medical experts and negotiating your compensation. A claims management company (CMC) does not run claims. It assesses your situation and introduces you to a suitable solicitor. If you already know a specialist clinical negligence solicitor, you can go to them directly. If you do not know where to start, a regulated claims company can save you weeks of research, provided it is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and charges you nothing for the introduction.
It is one of the most common questions people ask after a bad experience with medical care, and it deserves a straight answer rather than a sales pitch. The honest version is that both routes can be sensible, and one of them is sometimes unnecessary. This guide explains what each option actually does, what it costs, and how to tell whether a claims company is genuine.
What is a claims management company, and what is it not?
A claims management company is a business that helps people start a claim. Since April 2019, CMCs have been regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the same regulator that oversees banks and insurers. A genuine CMC will carry an FCA firm reference number that you can check on the FCA register.
What a CMC does in practice:
- Listens to what happened and gives an initial view on whether it amounts to a claim.
- Helps you gather the basics — dates, records, correspondence.
- Identifies the type of specialist solicitor your case needs.
- Introduces you to a suitable firm and hands the case over.
What a CMC does not do: it cannot give legal representation, instruct experts on your behalf, write a letter of claim as your solicitor, or take a case to court. Those are reserved legal activities, and only an authorised law firm can carry them out. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either confused or misleading you.
What does a solicitor do in a clinical negligence claim?
The solicitor runs the claim from start to finish. In a clinical negligence case that typically means requesting your full medical records, instructing one or more independent medical experts to review the care you received, forming a view on whether that care fell below an acceptable standard, writing the formal letter of claim, and then negotiating with the defendant — often NHS Resolution, which handles claims against NHS bodies.
Solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Clinical negligence is a specialist discipline within personal injury law, and the stronger firms treat it as their main work rather than a sideline.
What is the difference between the two, at a glance?
- Regulator. A CMC is regulated by the FCA. A solicitor is regulated by the SRA.
- Role. A CMC assesses and refers. A solicitor investigates, advises and represents.
- Who runs your case. Only ever the solicitor.
- Cost to you. A reputable CMC costs you nothing. A solicitor usually acts on a no win, no fee agreement in these cases, with a success fee capped by law.
When it makes sense to use a claims company
A claims company earns its place when you do not yet know whether you have a claim, or where to take it. Most people who have been harmed by medical care have never instructed a solicitor before and have no way of judging which firms are genuinely specialist. A regulated CMC can give you an early view on your case and route it to a firm that handles your specific injury type — which matters more in clinical negligence than in almost any other area of law.
It is also a reasonable route if you tried raising the matter yourself and got nowhere, or if you are not sure whether what happened to you counts as negligence at all. A bad outcome is not automatically negligence, and a good early assessment saves you from pursuing a claim that cannot succeed.
When to go directly to a solicitor instead
Skip the claims company entirely if:
- You already know a solicitor who specialises in clinical negligence, or one comes personally recommended by someone you trust.
- You have instructed a solicitor before on a related matter and were happy with the work.
- You are comfortable researching firms yourself and checking their accreditations.
There is no obligation to use a claims company at any point, and using one never locks you into anything. The solicitor relationship is always between you and the firm.
Should I ever pay a claims company?
For an introduction to a solicitor, no. A regulated CMC is paid by the law firm it refers your case to, from that firm’s own budget — that is the standard arrangement in clinical negligence, and it must be disclosed to you. You should not be asked for an upfront fee, a registration charge, or a percentage of your compensation in exchange for a referral.
Be wary of any operation that asks you to pay to be put in touch with a lawyer, or that is vague about how it makes money. If you cannot find them on the FCA register, walk away.
How to check a claims company is legitimate
- Look for the FCA firm reference number. It should appear in the firm’s own disclosure, and you can search for it on the FCA register at register.fca.org.uk.
- Check Companies House. A genuine firm will have a registered company you can look up.
- Ask what happens to your details. A regulated CMC must tell you who your information will be shared with. If the answer is “a panel of firms” without any more detail, that is a warning sign.
- Notice how they talk. No guarantees of compensation, no pressure to sign anything quickly, no claim that they are a law firm.
How mayiclaim works
mayiclaim is a claims management company regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 836625) and is a trading name of R Costings Limited. It sits within a costs-law practice that has been instructed predominantly on behalf of claimants since 2002, so the team assesses cases with a working knowledge of what makes a claim succeed.
The service is free to you. You explain what happened, the team reviews it, and if the claim looks viable your case is matched to a specialist no win, no fee solicitor on the panel — chosen for your injury type rather than allocated at random. If the case does not look viable, the team tells you that too. There is no point referring a weak claim to anyone.
FAQs
Can a claims company take my case to court?
No. Only an authorised law firm can represent you in court proceedings. If your case needs to be issued, that is always done by your solicitor.
Will using a claims company reduce my compensation?
No. The solicitor owes their duties to you, not to the claims company, and your compensation is assessed on your injury and your losses. The referral arrangement is between the claims company and the firm and is not deducted from your damages.
Can I change solicitors later if I am unhappy?
Yes. You are free to change firms at any stage of a claim. The new firm handles the transfer, and it happens more often than people assume.
I have already spoken to a solicitor. Do I still need a claims company?
No. If a specialist firm is already looking at your case, a claims company adds nothing. Use one to find the right firm, not alongside one.
Is mayiclaim a law firm?
No. mayiclaim is an FCA-regulated claims management company (FRN 836625). The legal work on your case is carried out by the panel solicitor your case is matched to.
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MayIClaim is a trading name of R Costings Limited, regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 836625). This article is general guidance and does not constitute legal advice for any individual case.
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