The Basics

No win no fee solicitors are available across the UK, including for people in Viewpark and nearby North Lanarkshire communities, but the arrangement is not offered by every firm or for every type of claim. If you are comparing Viewpark no win no fee solicitors, it helps to check what kind of case the solicitor handles, what fee agreement is being offered, and what may be deducted if the claim succeeds. To start that process, you can get a free consultation with First4Lawyers, who can look for a solicitor offering a no win no fee arrangement for the type of claim you want to discuss.

People in Viewpark often search for no win no fee help because they are worried about upfront legal costs, confusing paperwork, or being left with a bill if things do not work out. A no win no fee agreement can reduce some of that anxiety, but it is still a contract, so the key points are what happens if the claim succeeds, what happens if it does not, and whether disbursements, insurance or other costs are mentioned in plain English.

Conditional Fee Agreements

No Win No Fee is a term commonly used in the UK for a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) between a lawyer and a client. In broad terms, a CFA may allow someone to bring a claim without paying the solicitor’s normal fees upfront, with payment linked to whether the claim succeeds. If the claim is unsuccessful, the client’s payment obligations to their own solicitor may be limited, but there can still be issues such as disbursements, opponent’s costs and insurance to understand. “After the Event” (ATE) insurance is sometimes used to help manage those risks. The premium, disbursements and success fee wording can all affect what the agreement means in practice, so it is worth reading the paperwork carefully rather than assuming every no win no fee agreement works the same way. Not all types of case allow no win no fee arrangements; for example, family and criminal matters are generally treated differently.

Types of Cost Components 

There are several cost components to understand when weighing up the benefits, risks and possible drawbacks of a No Win No Fee Agreement:

• 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 Viewpark 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.

To search for a specific solicitor, try the Solicitors Regulation Authority website, which lists law firms and people regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Alternatively, if you want help finding no win no fee solicitors for Viewpark, Uddingston, Bellshill or the surrounding area, visit our partner First4Lawyers for a free no-obligation chat.