Making a compensation claim on a no win, no fee basis has never been easier, with many firms now able to offer you the chance to keep every penny of the payment you are awarded. Conditional Fee Agreements were made widely available in 1998, and enabled people who would not normally have been able to afford to pursue a claim to seek compensation.



A no win, no fee compensation claim is largely self explanatory, in that the client is not liable to pay their lawyer fees if the case is not one. Similarly, if the case is successful, you will get to keep every penny of the compensation you are awarded; the losing party will be responsible for the legal costs, and your lawyers will also recover their ‘success fee' from the other side. Normally, clients will pay an insurance premium when pursuing a no win, no fee claim, because although they would not be liable for their own lawyers fees if they end up losing the case, but they would still have to pay the entire legal fees of the other side. Again, if your case is successful, this premium insurance charge will also be covered by the losing party. This is why so many companies can reassure their clients that not a penny of the money they are awarded will be eaten up in legal fees, as this is something which puts a lot of people off claiming.

Due to the large number of companies who are able to offer their clients a no win, no fee compensation claim, it is important to shop around before settling on a certain company. There is a small amount of background research you can do, such as browsing their website, reading testimonials from previous clients, and getting a feel for the company. If you are in any doubt, a reputable company will not hesitate to put you in contact with one of their previous clients to verify their authenticity. Companies who offer a no win, no fee claim agreement will often also provide free, confidential initial consultations, whereby they will assess your case and determine whether they should go ahead with it. This first meeting should also be an opportunity for the client to get a feel for the company - if your gut instincts tell you that something isn't quite right about them, you are under no obligation to continue working with them afterwards.

Another way to gauge the credentials of a company is to look at their level of experience, their previous success rate, and the number of specialist lawyers they have working for them. If a company has one lawyer who handles everything form whiplash injuries to fatal accidents, they are probably not going to be as adept as a firm who has many lawyers with different areas of expertise.

Clients must still be careful when approached by personal injury companies, as there are still many firms who incorporate heavy hidden costs and fees for such things as risk assessments, and high insurance premiums - it is well worth doing the extra research on a company to prevent being saddled with huge legal fees which were not made clear to you at the start.