“No win no fee” is a form of Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) that has become popular in the past 10 years due to the abolishment of legal aid systems in personal injury claims. As a result, people who cannot afford representation or those without insurance to cover it have started to use no win no fee solicitors to help with their claims. There is much confusion around “no win no fee” solicitors and how exactly they operate, so here’s an explanation.
“No win no fee” means if a client loses their case, the solicitor will not charge them a fee. There has been considerable confusion around “no win no fee” cases due to differing legislation in countries like the United States. The UK has considerably more robust legislation to protect people from paying unnecessary legal fees to solicitors. As of the 1st of April 2000, additional CFA regulations have been put in place to allow solicitors to gain their fees from the opposition’s insurance company. This in turn means that no deductions will be made to the client’s final compensation amount.
Costs & Legal expenses insurance
Reputable no win no fee solicitors should offer you an “after the event” insurance policy which covers any costs that they would incur if they were to lose your case beforehand. These costs include solicitor’s fees and expenses, medical reports and other disbursements and court fees. There are two forms of insurance that you can take out –before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE).
BTE
This insurance is normally provided by home or auto insurers alongside your existing insurance policy, in some cases at no extra cost. Before the event insurance will cover all parties’ disbursements. This is normally only on the condition that your insurer believes that you stand a good chance of winning the case. Be sure to consult your insurer for information relating to BTE to see what the conditions are. In order to qualify you will need to report your injury to your insurer within six months of the accident occurring. You may also not be given a choice over who represents you, so be sure to think about it before using BTE.
ATE
Should you not have a BTE, you can apply for after the event insurance which you should be eligible for unless the chance of a successful case seems unlikely. The cost of the insurance will vary hugely depending on the amount of compensation you’re hoping to receive.
If you think a “no win no fee” agreement is what you need, consider well-known solicitors such as injurylawyers4u.co.uk who’ve a wealth of experience in accident claims.