Before 1995 if you made a claim for personal injury and could not afford a personal injury claim solicitor to represent you, the Legal Aid Scheme was used in these cases. Because of the rise in personal injury claims, the Government realised that the Legal Aid Scheme could no longer cope with the demands being placed on it by these types of cases. In 1999, the Government changed the law to allow any personal injury claim solicitor to claim their costs from the losing party.
Once this new law had come into force, it created the no-win, no-fee legal services market we know today. Also known as a conditional fee, solicitors could now take on cases of personal injury if they believed they could prove negligence and therefore win the case. The system generally works well, as the other party pays the legal fees that would have to be met by the claimant. However, this doesn’t mean that the no-win, no-fee sector offers completely free legal services for personal injury claims.

A personal injury solicitor may well claim their fee from the losing party, but they can still charge you for any additional costs they incur whilst working on your case. These costs could be anything from photocopying documents, or paying for specialised reports to be prepared. Your personal injury claim solicitor is, though, bound by a Code of Conduct to make it clear what additional costs you might have to meet.

In addition, your personal injury solicitor will also explain what might happen if you lost your case. The worst-case scenario is that you would have to pay the other party’s legal costs. Your personal injury claim solicitor will explain about the insurance that you can buy to protect yourself from this eventuality. It is unlikely that your personal injury solicitor would act for you if you did not take out this insurance.

If you require further legal advice regarding your personal injury claim, get in touch with Contact Accident Claims today. We can help you to find the right no-win, no-fee solicitor or no-win, no-fee lawyer for your needs.

Last Updated on 29/08/2011





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