The Basics

No win no fee solicitors are available to people in Connahs Quay, but the arrangement is not offered for every type of legal matter and each firm can set its own criteria. If you are looking for Connahs Quay no win no fee solicitors, get a free consultation with First4Lawyers, who can check the broad details of your enquiry and look for a solicitor who may offer a no-win-no-fee agreement for that type of case.

A no win no fee agreement usually means the solicitor only charges certain legal fees if the claim succeeds, but it is still important to understand what costs, insurance, deductions, and limits may apply. The exact wording of the agreement matters, so this page explains the common terms in general rather than giving case-specific legal or financial advice.

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 general, a CFA can allow someone to start a claim without paying their solicitor’s standard fees upfront, with payment linked to whether the claim succeeds. If the claim is unsuccessful, the agreement may limit what is owed to the solicitor, but other costs can still matter, including disbursements such as reports or court fees and possible opponent costs. For this reason, “After the Event” (ATE) insurance is sometimes used to cover certain risks if a claim is lost. The insurance premium and disbursements may be treated differently depending on the agreement and the type of claim. Not all types of cases allow no win no fee arrangements. Family and criminal cases do not allow CFAs to be used.

Types of Cost Components 

When comparing the benefits and possible disadvantages of a No Win No Fee Agreement, these are the main cost components to read carefully:

• 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 Connahs Quay 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 the law firms and people regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. If you want help finding no win no fee solicitors for a Connahs Quay enquiry, you can also visit our partner First4Lawyers for a free no-obligation chat.