No Win No Fee Accident Claims Solicitors

As you might know, if you’re injured during an accident that was caused by somebody else, you could be eligible to claim compensation for your suffering. Having legal representation should make the claims process easier and could improve your chances of winning your case. You shouldn’t be afraid of the cost of using a solicitor to help you claim, though, as many offer a No Win No Fee service. In this guide, we’ll explain what a No Win No Fee agreement is, when you’ll need to pay a No Win No Fee solicitor and what happens if your claim is won or lost.

We can check whether you’re eligible to claim on a No Win No Fee basis by reviewing your claim for free. During your initial consultation, the merit of your claim will be assessed to ensure that it is strong enough. If it is, we’ll connect you with one of our personal injury solicitors who’ll assess your chances in more detail.

Please read on to find out more about making a No Win No Fee personal injury claim or give us a call on 0800 6524 881 if you’d like to talk to us directly.

What Is A No Win No Fee Agreement?

Our solicitors offer a No Win No Fee service for any accident claim they take on. A No Win No Fee agreement, also known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), is essentially an arrangement between a claimant and a solicitor that allows the claimant to pursue a personal injury claim without the need to pay legal fees upfront.

Under this agreement, you will only be charged a fee if the case is won. This fee is usually a percentage of the compensation awarded and is agreed upon before your claim begins. If your claim fails, you will not need to pay legal fees, making it a financially safer option for individuals seeking compensation for personal injuries without the risk of high legal costs.

How Do No Win No Fee Agreements Work?

No Win No Fee agreements work by ensuring that the claimant does not have to pay their solicitor’s fees upfront or during the process of their claim. Here’s how the process typically works using our service:

• Initial consultation. When you contact us a claims advisor will assess the claim over the phone to determine its likelihood of success. If they believe there’s a good chance of the claim being won they’ll pass you on to a No Win No Fee solicitor on our team who will then assess the merits of your case further.
• Agreement signing. If the solicitor believes your case has merit, they will offer you a CFA. This agreement, usually sent by email, outlines what the solicitor’s fees will be if the claim is successful.
• Claims process. Once the CFA is signed and received, your solicitor proceeds with the case, gathering evidence, negotiating with the other party, and, if necessary, representing the claimant in court.
• Winning the claim. If the claim is successful, the claimant is awarded compensation. The solicitor’s fees (calculated as a percentage of the compensation awarded), are then deducted as per the terms agreed upon in the CFA. This “success fee” is capped by law to protect the claimant’s compensation.
• Losing the case. If the case is unsuccessful, the claimant does not pay any of the solicitor’s fees. However, they might be responsible for the other party’s legal costs, although our solicitors will always arrange for After The Event (ATE) insurance to be taken out before your claim begins which would cover these costs if your claim was unsuccessful.

The key benefit of a No Win No Fee agreement is that it provides access to legal representation for those who may not have the means to afford it upfront, thus enabling more people to pursue justice for personal injuries they have suffered.

What Is A Success Fee?

Before 2013, if you won a personal injury claim, your solicitor’s costs would be paid by the defendant. Since the law changed, that’s no longer possible and you must now pay your own success fee. However, to offset some of this burden, compensation levels were increased by 10% when the new legislation went live.

When your No Win No Fee solicitor sends you a copy of your CFA, it will explain what success fee you’ll pay if your claim is successful. The success fee is a percentage of any compensation you are paid.

What’s The Typical Percentage Taken As A Success Fee?

Legally, when a CFA is used, the maximum success fee payable is 25% of your settlement. You should always confirm your success fee before signing your agreement.

The success fee is used to cover the work and effort put in by your No Win No Fee solicitor to try and win your claim. Importantly, when making a No Win No Fee claim, you will only pay the success fee when your final compensation figure has been agreed upon. You will not be asked to pay for your solicitor’s work in advance.

Are There Any Hidden Fees?

When entering into a No Win No Fee agreement, it’s essential to check for any hidden fees to avoid any potential surprises at the end of your personal injury claim. Here’s what we’d suggest double-checking before signing:

• Success fees. Make sure you understand the percentage of your compensation that will be taken as a success fee. As mentioned already, this fee is typically capped at 25% of the damages awarded, including VAT, but it’s important to confirm this figure.
• Disbursements. Disbursements are costs related to your case, such as fees for medical reports, court fees, and expert witness fees. Some solicitors might require you to pay these costs upfront, while others might cover them and recover them from the compensation awarded. Clarify how these are handled.
• Insurance costs. If your solicitor advises you to take out an insurance policy to cover potential costs should you lose the case (such as the other party’s legal costs), check whether you have to pay the insurance premium upfront or if it’s deducted from any compensation awarded.
• Termination fees. Be aware of any fees that may apply if you decide to terminate the agreement before the claim is resolved. Some agreements may require you to pay for the work already done by the solicitor if you end the agreement early.
• Handling of recovered costs. In some cases, solicitors recover costs from the losing party. You should understand what happens to these recovered costs and if they affect the amount you owe your solicitor.

Always ask the solicitor to clarify any points in the agreement that are not clear to you, and ensure all fees and potential costs are transparent from the outset. This due diligence will help you avoid unexpected financial obligations at the conclusion of your claim.

Am I Eligible To Make A No Win No Fee Claim?

As you can see, any solicitor offering a No Win No Fee service will take on most of the financial risk in making a compensation claim. Therefore, they will only offer to take on claims where there is a reasonable possibility of winning your claim. Before agreeing to work for you, they will check that:

• The defendant in your case owed you a legal duty of care; and
• The defendant was negligent; and
• An accident occurred because of that negligence in which you were injured.

A duty of care is something that’s formed by certain laws. For example, a retailer has to try and keep their shop as safe as possible for customers because of the Occupiers Liability Act 1957. Similarly, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 means your employer should take reasonable steps to keep you safe whilst working.

Before offering a No Win No Fee service, your solicitor will verify which law applies and consider any other evidence that could be used to prove how you were injured.

Common Types Of No Win No Fee Accident Claims

You could potentially make a No Win No Fee accident claim for any type of accident caused by somebody else’s negligence. Some of the most common that are dealt with by our solicitors are:

• Road traffic accident claims. Where drivers, passengers, cyclists, pedestrians and other road users could be compensated for injuries caused by another road user’s negligence.
• Work injury claims. You could be compensated for workplace injuries if an accident occurred because of inadequate training, a lack of proper PPE, faulty machinery or other forms of negligence.
• Industrial injury claims. If you’ve suffered an industrial injury or developed a work-related disease due to exposure to harmful substances or unsafe working environments, such as asbestos-related diseases, vibration white finger, or occupational asthma.
• Serious injury claims. Including claims for catastrophic injuries resulting in significant life changes, such as spinal injuries, brain injuries, and amputations.
• Slips, trips, and falls claims. Claims for injuries resulting from falls due to hazards like wet floors, uneven pavements, or poor lighting in public or private spaces.
• Public place accident claims. Our personal injury solicitors could help you to claim compensation for accidents in shops, hotels, gyms, train stations or in any other public place if the accident was caused by somebody else’s negligence.
• Medical negligence claims. If you have suffered because a medical professional made a mistake during treatment or when diagnosing your condition, you could be eligible to seek damages on a No Win No Fee basis.
• Sporting injuries. If you’ve been hurt during a sporting activity due to negligence or unsafe facilities you could make a No Win No Fee claim.
• Holiday accidents. Claims for injuries suffered while on holiday, either abroad or in the UK, due to the fault of the holiday provider or another party.
• Product liability claims. For injuries caused by defective or unsafe products such as electrical appliances that cause fires or shocks due to faulty wiring, and children’s toys that contain harmful chemicals or pose choking hazards due to small detachable parts.

If you believe you’ve been injured as a result of somebody else’s negligence, please call our team to see if we could help you begin a No Win No Fee compensation claim.

What’s The Time Limit For Making A No Win No Fee Accident Claim?

The general rule for starting a No Win No Fee accident claim is within three years of the date of the accident or the date when you first became aware of your injury (this is often referred to as the ‘date of knowledge’). However, there are exceptions to this rule:

• Children. If the injured person was under 18 at the time of the accident, the three-year limitation period does not start until their 18th birthday, giving them until they are 21 to make a claim.
• Mental capacity. If the injured person lacks the mental capacity to make a claim, there may be no time limit until their capacity is regained.
• Accidents abroad. Claims for accidents that happened outside the UK may have different time limits, depending on the laws of the country where the accident happened.

Importantly, for children under 18 and anybody lacking mental capacity, a litigation friend can be appointed to manage the No Win No Fee claim on their behalf. This person, often a parent, guardian, or another responsible adult, assumes the role of making decisions in the best interest of the claimant throughout the legal process.

If you wish to work with a No Win No Fee solicitor, we suggest that you begin your claim as soon as possible to allow them plenty of time to collect evidence and medical evidence.

Starting A No Win No Fee Claim

To find out whether one of our No Win No Fee personal injury solicitors could help you to claim compensation, please call us on 0800 6524 881 and explain how you were injured.

Your initial consultation will be free and you’ll receive legal advice about your options whatever happens next.

Please feel free to connect with us via live chat if you have any further questions about No Win No Fee accident claims.