Personal injury claims in the UK run the risks of huge legal costs for those wishing to pursue a case, but you can come to an agreement with your solicitor to help you avoid such expense. The option of legal aid is unlikely to be available to those claiming personal injury compensation following a road accident or injury suffered at work. In fact legal aid is not applicable in any personal injury claim. This means the claimant runs a real risk of having to spend a large amount of money to launch the claim, then lose it if he is unsuccessful. However, the claimant can be protected against potential financial loss by pursuing his personal injury case on what is known as a conditional fee basis.

More widely known as no win no fee legal agreements they basically mean that should you lose your case than you will not have to pay any solicitors costs. If the case is won than you will have to pay your solicitors fees though, in reality, those costs are usually claimed back from the other side.

Despite the premise of not having to pay legal fees there may still be expenses that you will have to folk out for. Even if you have a no win, no fee legal agreement, there could be still be other costs attached to your personal injury claim. You will still be liable to pay any medical and accident report expenses, court fees and any expert witness expenses. The expenses could be very large and are not covered by a conditional fee arrangement. These costs can become very significant and are not covered by the conditional fee agreement.

Before signing any legal agreement with your solicitor ensure that you confirm, point by point, all the possible fees and costs that you may be liable for. Make sure that you check the terms of the contract very carefully as you may also be liable to pay fees if the case is dropped or if you refuse a settlement offer.

As the no win no fee slogan suggests, if you lose your case than you will not have to pay your solicitor anything. But, if you are successful than you will have to pay your lawyer a fee. This fee is usually recovered from the losing side but the court can sometimes decide that the loser should not be liable for the full cost of your solicitors fees. If this happens than you will be liable to make good the amount from your compensation payment.

Not all solicitors charge the same fees or offer the same service so it is usually worth your while to shop around to find the best terms.


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How To Claim Compensation UK is an independent resource for anyone looking for information on claiming compensation within the UK. Vist the How To Claim Compensation website for advice on claiming compensation for industrial, personal or legal injury.