OK – so you want to make an accident claim, and you have no idea what to do at all, and no idea what it actually entails. You’ve probably seen the adverts on TV for No Win No Fee lawyers, and 100% compensation, but you still don’t really understand the ins and outs of how it all works.
Here is a quick guide to fill you in:
No Win No Fee
The No Win No Fee concept, in principle, does exactly what it says on the tin. If the claim loses, you don’t have to pay a penny to your lawyers. Make sure you always check the paperwork thoroughly though, because there could be small print waiting to catch you out!
But ultimately, the way it works is that a lawyer will only take on a claim if they believe they have a good chance of winning it. That is how we can offer to take on the risky business of running your claim with the potential of being paid nothing if it loses. We take the risk of your claim on if we believe we have a good shot at making it win, and therefore recovering our costs; which I will come on to shortly.
TIP: there are many forms of No Win No Fee agreements, with all sorts of different bits of small print, clauses, and potential catches. A Genuine No Win No Fee agreement should state in black and white that all legal fees will be written off if the claim loses. You should not have to pay for any insurance, or pay anything up front or anything at all. If you do, go elsewhere! There are firms like us who genuinely will not charge you at all under the terms of our agreement for winning and losing cases.
100% Compensation
OK – so, if no one pays us if we lose, and you receive 100% compensation if you win, where on Earth do we get our money from? It’s actually quite simple – the other side pays for it all!
If you win your claim, it means the other side are accepting that they have breached the duty of care they have for you, and have negligently caused your accident and injuries; that’s why they must recompense you for your suffering and loss. It wouldn’t be fair if you were to then lose some of the compensation you are rightfully entitled to because you need a lawyer to access it and maximise it – so the other side are also responsible for paying your legal fees as well as the compensation.
We recover our costs directly back from the other side – totally separate to your payout. We can do this by law, and that’s what we will do!
TIP: some lawyers will try and charge you. Some will take a percentage from your claim, and some will only “seek to recover” or “try to recover” their fees from the other side. To protect your position and guarantee 100% compensation, get a Genuine No Win No Fee agreement that states in black and white that, if the fees cannot be fully recovered from the other side, your lawyers will NOT seek to recover them from you. This essentially means that all legal fees are limited to whatever the other side pay – your position and 100% compensation is protected and guaranteed.
Making a Claim – What to do
All you need to do is find a lawyer that offers a Genuine No Win No Fee agreement that guarantees 100% compensation, with no deductions, and no hidden charges. If you can find several (which I doubt you will!), then shop around for who offers you the best level or service. Here are a few examples of what we consider to be fantastic service levels:
- Private medical care at no cost to you – right from the outset of the claim.
- Regular contact and updates – at least around every 14 days or so
- Calls, emails, letters etc responded to on a same day basis, or within 24 hours at the most.
- Extended opening hours – we find 9:00am – 10:00PM weekdays, and 9:00am – 5:00pm on weekends is sufficient.
For free advice from a specialist firm of personal injury lawyers, feel free to give us a call today.
