The term ‘No Win No Fee’ is a very familiar phrase we hear publicised by many personal injury solicitors and claims management companies in order to reassure people that there will be no cost to the individual when making a compensation claim for personal injury.
The technical name for a ‘No Win No Fee’ agreement is a ‘Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA)’ and it is the agreement made between a claimant (the person making a compensation claim) and their solicitor.
So how does a ‘No Win No Fee’ work?
In short the ‘No Win No Fee’ agreement (or CFA) covers your solicitors’ fees, and costs incurred in pursuing your claim for compensation so that there is no cost to you.
Once your claim is accepted and taken on by our solicitors there can of course be many costs and expenses in pursuing the claim.
In the event that your claim is not successful none of the costs, fees or expenses incurred in pursuing the claim will be payable by you.
Our specialist injury solicitors will assess your claim and based on that assessment the solicitor will make a decision as to whether or not they feel the claim has reasonable prospects.
If they feel there is a chance of success in recovering compensation for the injuries you have suffered they will pursue your claim under a ‘No Win No Fee’ agreement. If the claim fails to be successful then no costs will be paid by you as it was the solicitors’ decision to take the claim on in the first instance.
As there are substantial costs when pursuing an injury claim our solicitors are diligent when making assessments of any new claim reported to us. Together with the solicitors fees there are many other costs involved (known as disbursements) such as:
- Hospital Records – The cost for acquiring copies of your hospital records.
- GP Records – The cost for acquiring copies of your GP records.
- Medical Reports – Medical Reports detailing the injuries you have suffered and are pursuing compensation for.
- Police Reports – The Police have to make a report when called to an accident. If copies of the report are required or the Police need to attend court to give evidence this will be covered under the ‘No Win No Fee agreement’.
- Expert Witness Fees – Expert witnesses are sometimes required to provide reports and give evidence in court. Expert witness evidence is often used in compensation claims for clinical negligence.
- Court Fees – General court costs incurred in using the courts to resolve disputed claims.
After The Event (ATE) Insurance
In the event a claim is unsuccessful there may be costs and fees incurred by the defendant (the person you are making a claim against).
Furthermore, the disbursements paid by your solicitor for things such as medical records, medical reports, police reports and court fess will not be recoverable from the other side if your claim is unsuccessful but they will still be payable.
To ensure that these potential costs are not something that you will ever have to worry about or incur, our solicitors will be able take out ‘After The Event’ (ATE) Insurance on your behalf and at no cost to you. This insurance policy, as the name suggest is taken out after the accident has occurred and protects you against any adverse third-party costs or unrecoverable disbursements.
Are there any hidden costs?
There may be costs incurred in particular circumstances where clients have failed to follow the advice of our solicitors.
Most people of course follow the guidance and expert knowledge of our solicitors who after all specialise in dealing with accident injury claims and have been doing so for many years.
Our solicitors always have the best interests of their clients in mind when handling their compensation claims but costs can be incurred if for example:
- A refusal to settle out of court when the solicitor advises to do so.
- The client is fundamentally dishonest about any aspect of the claim.
- A refusal or failure to cooperate with the solicitor in any other way.
Typical claims where a No Win No Fee agreement would be entered into:
- You’ve been involved in a car accident or any type of road traffic accident.
- You have sustained an injury at work or are suffering with a disease or ailment caused by your work.
- You’ve slipped, tripped, fallen or been injured in a public place.
- An injury, disease or ailment has been suffered as a result of clinical negligence.
How do I start my claim?
If you are unsure about how to make a claim or how a ‘No Win No Fee’ agreement works or have any other questions then please contact us today and we will be able to answer any questions you have and provide free advice about making a claim for compensation.
At Injury Claims Assistance, we have specialist injury solicitors who are able to assess your claim immediately and offer the best advice on what to do next.
If we feel you do have a claim, then we will handle it for you from start to finish at no cost to you. We want to get our clients the compensation they are entitled to with the least amount of stress possible.
