The Basics

No win no fee solicitors are available for people in Saltash, but the exact arrangement depends on the type of claim, the solicitor, and the agreement offered. If you are dealing with an accident, injury, or medical negligence concern, it is reasonable to want plain answers about cost, risk, and what happens if the claim does not succeed before you start. To find a no-win-no-fee solicitor in Saltash, get a free consultation with First4Lawyers, who can help match your enquiry with a solicitor where a suitable no-win-no-fee agreement may be available.

Saltash sits beside the Tamar, close to Plymouth and the wider south-east Cornwall area, so people looking for no win no fee solicitors in Saltash may be comparing local Cornwall firms with regional or national claims specialists. The important thing is not just geography, but whether the solicitor handles your kind of claim, explains the costs clearly, and sets out what could happen if the claim does not succeed.

Conditional Fee Agreements

No Win No Fee is a term in the UK commonly used to describe Conditional Fee Agreements (CFA) between lawyers and their clients. In plain English, a CFA usually means the solicitor is paid a success fee if the claim succeeds, rather than asking for all legal fees upfront. This can make it easier for someone in Saltash to explore a claim after an injury or medical negligence concern, but it is not the same as saying every possible cost disappears. If the claim is unsuccessful, the agreement should explain what happens to disbursements, such as medical report fees, court fees or other case expenses, and whether insurance is used to reduce certain risks. Some arrangements use “After the Event” (ATE) insurance, which is insurance bought after the event that led to the claim. Not all types of cases allow no win no fee arrangements, and family and criminal cases do not allow CFAs to be used.

Types of Cost Components 

There are several cost components to understand before agreeing to a No Win No Fee Agreement. The key questions are what percentage or success fee may be deducted if the claim succeeds, what that percentage is calculated on, whether disbursements are covered, and what the paperwork says about insurance or opponent’s costs. A solicitor should be able to explain these points before you agree to anything, so the arrangement is clearer from the start.

• Basic Charges or Standard Fee – Fees associated with legal work done on behalf of a client.  Typically based on the number of hours spent and hourly rates associated with the staff involved with case. Different lawyers in Saltash will have different fees for their day-to-day work, and these can vary between practices, and between qualified solicitors within a practice.
• Disbursements – Payment for expenses made on behalf of the client including but not limited to court fees, experts’ fees, accident report fees and travelling expenses.
• Success Fee or “Uplift” To compensate for the cost of lost cases, lawyers typically are allowed to add a success fee or ”Uplift” in the CFA.   This is usually a percentage (not more than 100%) of a lawyer’s basic charges that is added to a client’s bill for which they will seek to recover from the other party if they win the claim.
• After the Event (“ATE”) Insurance Premium – Cost of Insurance as part of a no win no fee agreement to indemnify the costs and disbursements of the lawsuit.  Usually purchased at or after the start of the litigation process.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

• Because the cost to the client is linked to the outcome of the case.  For an unsuccessful case, there is the possibility that the client pays little or no cost.
• Required disclosure of a CFA to the other party may encourage earlier settlement as the other party’s cost will increase in line with the level of the success fee.
• Any damages awarded to the client will not be eaten up by the success fee, as the success fee will in most cases be payable by the opponent.

Disadvantages

• There is no privilege, nor privacy attached to the funding arrangement in place. The existence of the CFA must be disclosed to the other party at the outset of the litigation and the risk assessment has to be disclosed to the court and if necessary to the other party when costs are assessed.
• A CFA gives the lawyer a financial interest in the litigation and because of this they are inclined to take control of the strategy and resolution of the litigation.
• Unless the client buys ATE to cover the winning party’s costs, the client is still at risk to pay those costs.

If you want to check a specific solicitor or firm, try the Solicitors Regulation Authority website, which lists law firms and people regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. If you are still trying to understand whether a Saltash no win no fee solicitor may be relevant to your situation, including what risks, deductions, or next steps might need explaining, you can also visit our partner First4Lawyers for a free no-obligation chat.