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No Win No Fee

And Conditional Fee Agreements

In the UK no win no fee legal agreements, also known as conditional fee arrangements, have become ten-a-penny since the abolition of legal aid in personal injury and other compensation cases.

Every time you switch on the TV or open a newspaper there is some sharp suited compensation lawyer urging you to contact him if you have had a trip fall, accident or injury.

In return for getting in touch with him he will get you loads of cash and you don’t even need to pay him!

Sounds good doesn’t it? But doesn’t it sound a little too good to be true?

no win no fee and conditional fee agreements

To an extent – yes it is too good to be true. Let’s face it. Despite all appearances to the contrary solicitors and compensation lawyers aren’t daft. And they don’t work for nothing!

So, someone, somewhere along the line is going to pay.

What usually happens is that compensation lawyers will not accept a no win no fee legal case unless they are 99.9% certain of winning. However, none of this should deter you if you have a good case.

If a compensation lawyer accepts your case on a no win no fee legal agreement than you should be very confident of winning the full amount of compensation that you are entitled to.

Are There Any Costs Involved

Unfortunately the answer to that is usually yes. Although you won’t be paying the compensation lawyer for his services you will need to spend some cash.

For example, if the case involves injury to your person than you will have to pay for your hospital and doctors records to be released.

You may also have to pay for police records, court time and probably an insurance premium to cover the compensation lawyer fees should you lose the case.

This can all add up to a fair few hundred pounds so before signing anything with a solicitor you must be very clear in your own mind about the costs you will be liable for.

Conditional Fee Arrangements

No win no fee legal agreements were introduced in the late 1990s because the legal aid system was being savagely cut back.

Before this compensation lawyers and other solicitors were not allowed to take cases in which they would only be paid should they win.

The arrival of conditional fee agreements brought the UK more into line with the United States were agreements of this nature are more the norm rather than the exception.

Because of the competitive nature of the compensation and personal injury industry the vast majority of compensation lawyers now offer a no win no fee legal agreement to their clients.

no win no fee solicitors and conditional fee agreements

What Happens When You Win?

Under a conditional fee arrangement not only do you not pay if you lose but neither do you pay if you win. The losing side will pay your compensation lawyers fees and costs – you shouldn’t need to pay a penny.

And, whilst on this subject, under no circumstances accept a conditional fee arrangement in which the solicitor is entitled to a percentage of your compensation award.

An agreement of this kind should mean that not only do you pay nothing in advance but that you also keep 100% of any compensation awarded to you by the court. If your compensation lawyer tries to include a commission payment clause in your conditional fee arrangement – kick him into touch and find another solicitor.

Finally

In summary then a no win no fee legal agreement will mean that, win or lose, you do not have to pay your solicitors fees and costs and you keep all of your compensation should you win your claim.

However, you may need to pay for expenses incurred along the way for items such as medical reports.