NO WIN NO FEE SOLICITOR

If you have been the victim of an accident that wasn’t your fault then it is likely that you are entitled to receive damages. Taking legal action can be a lengthy, not to mention expensive process however a no win-no fee solicitor can relieve the victim from paying legal fees or from taking any financial risk.

These agreements which are also known as ‘conditional fee agreements’ (CFA) were first introduced in 1998, replacing Legal Aid which is no longer available to pursue ordinary personal injury claims. This was done in order to alleviate government expenditure and prior to this legal aid was available to the victims of all personal injury but is now restricted to clinical negligence cases. The CFA scheme has had a major effect on the way lawyers now do business as they ensure that a no win no fee solicitor can only earn his fees if the claim he presents is successful. If the third party is unsuccessful and loses the claim then they will have to pay these legal fees and expenses in addition to the payment of compensation. If the claimant’s case is lost then the solicitor must forgo his potential legal fees and if he has also paid for disbursements and expenses then he must write then off.

Because the lawyer is at financial risk on a claim financed through a CFA, whereas the client is not, it ensures that the firm will make a detailed risk assessment prior to taking a case on and thereafter will ensure efficient progress of the claim to either negotiated settlement or completion through the courts. The potential financial risk for a no win no fee solicitor usually ensures that they leave no stone unturned in their quest for a successful outcome.

Our lawyers will finance every part of the claim and at no stage will the client have to pay for any expenses. Our lawyers take out, and pay for, an insurance policy to cover the possibility of the third party obtaining a legal costs order. In this way our claims become totally finance free and totally risk free.

Prior to entering into a CFA it may be worthwhile checking on existing insurance policies particularly motor insurance and household contents as many of these policies also provide cover for taking legal action against a third party for personal injury. This additional cover is known as ‘legal expenses insurance’ and in these cases the insurers will indemnify their policy holder against legal costs and expenses for action taken against a third party, and will also pay a legal costs order in the event of a loss, making it unnecessary to enter into a CFA.

There are no hard and fast rules relating to CFAs and some solicitors and many claims companies will ask the client to pay costs and expenses as the claim proceeds or will take a percentage of the compensation, allegedly as fees, at the end of the cases. This puts the client at risk. Our solicitors do none of this. We absolutely guarantee that compensation is paid in full with no deductions and you will never have to put your hand in your pocket. Our claims are totally risk free.