Private Payment
This is the traditional funding method, with fees calculated on the basis of time spent.
Conditional Fee Agreements
These are commonly known as “No Win No Fee” agreements and are often misunderstood.
Fees are calculated on the same basis as private payment subject to the following:
1) If you do not win your claim, you do not have to pay our fees. However you are responsible for paying any disbursements (payments made to third parties).
2) If you do win your case, you are responsible for paying our fees plus a percentage increase on top of our normal fees – sometimes known as a success fee. The percentage is fixed at the time of entering into the conditional fee agreement and is never more than 100%.
Currently, if you win your claim you will usually be entitled to claim some of our fees (but not all) from your unsuccessful opponent. After April 2013, new legislation will limit the amount of fees that can be recovered from an unsuccessful opponent.
We are pleased to consider offering conditional fee agreements for most personal injury claims and clinical negligence claims that we take on.
Legal Expenses Insurance
It is becoming increasingly common for people to have legal expenses insurance as part of their household insurance cover, car insurance cover, as a benefit given with their bank account or as a standalone insurance policy.
The small print of these policies needs to be carefully considered but we are generally happy to accept instructions under a legal expenses insurance policy if it is appropriate.
Damages-Based Agreements
These are agreements that the Government intends to introduce in April 2013. Under such agreements, we may be prepared to enter into an arrangement with you whereby our fees are only payable if you win your claim and are fixed as a percentage of the damages you recover.
Note: In April 2013, this will need to be amended accordingly.