No Win No Fee Solicitors

I hear some scary stories about No Win No Fee agreements; largely from accident victims who have heard them down the grapevine. It all places a significant amount of mistrust in lawyers from accident victims, and unfortunately victims are quick to accept what other people and insurance companies tell them.

So – here are some of the myth statements I have heard from people, together with the real explanation:

“If your claim loses under a No Win No Fee agreement, you still have to pay the insurance fees to your solicitor, or pay out for your own policy of insurance to cover any fees you may be liable for” – FALSE

I heard this recently from a client that advised me her own car insurers actually told her this. There may be some un-reputable firms out there that might try this sort of thing, but I can assure you this is entirely fabricated to say all law firms do this.

“If you don’t have a policy of legal expense insurance or motor legal protection on your car policy, you cannot make a claim for compensation” –  FALSE

Again, I heard this from a client after she had an accident. Her insurers called her and advised her she cannot make a claim for compensation because she didn’t take the insurance out. This is unbelievable! You can still make a claim with a reputable No Win No Fee lawyer! In fact, this sort of statement is in many ways negligent; had the client believed them, and then missed the three year deadline for claiming, only to find out that she could have claimed, her own insurers would be in serious trouble.

“If you have legal expense insurance on your motor policy, you have to use the insurers ‘approved’ solicitors from their panel” – FALSE

You always have the complete freedom of choice to select any solicitor you want at any point. You do not have to go with lawyers that insurance companies tell you to. It’s your choice; find your own lawyer, and pick who you believe will be the best for you.

“No Win No Fee lawyers will do everything they can to try and charge you” – FALSE

A common one; Reputable firms like us want to provide the best service for our clients and get the maximum amount of compensation they are entitled to receive; not find silly ways of charging them! Our interests lie in building solid relationships with our clients, and we are humbled when our clients return to us after having a second (or even third or more) accident, or when they refer their friends and family. This wouldn’t happen if all law firms were finding excuses to charge people.

“All or most No Win No Fee lawyers will take a percentage from your claim” – FALSE

Unfortunately, there are law firms that do this. However, in most cases, No Win No Fee lawyers will not take a percentage from your claim. Our legal fees are recovered directly from the other side at the end of the successful claim; so there really is no actual need to charge you. The other side pay us – it’s as simple as that. Just make sure you get a proper Genuine No Win No Fee to ensure this is always the case.

So – What’s the Truth?

If you get a Genuine No Win No Fee agreement with an independent lawyer, you can expect the following:

• 100% compensation; no deductions, no hidden charges. All fees are recovered from the other side, and with a Genuine No Win No Fee, your lawyers cannot charge you any loss incurred; excess fees are waived off.
• No charges if the case loses – at all.

The only way you should ever become liable for fees are if you cancel your instructions part way through a claim, go against your lawyer’s professional advice, or make a fraudulent claim. These are across the board for any lawyer, and they go without saying.

It really is as simple as that – well, at least it is with The Injury Lawyers, as I can’t speak for all law firms out there.

For more advice or information, feel free to get in touch.