Tuesday, June 17, 2008

No Win No Fee UK Compensation Claims

If you are thinking about making a compensation claim based on a no win no fee agreement then it is important that you seek legal advice before taking any steps. A personal injury lawyer will be able to tell you whether your case is suitable for a no win no fee claim. And if it is suitable they will be able to give you a rough idea of the chances of winning. Under no win no fee, an injury lawyer will not take the case on unless they believe they can win.

Apparently over 2.5 million people suffer as the result of accidents every year; however recent figures suggest that only 31% of these people actually claim for compensation. This is probably because of the mixed preconception that claiming for compensation is complicated and expensive. This is so far from the truth. All it takes is a phone call to get the ball rolling. You will then be sent a form to fill in with details of the accident and any witnesses. Once the form has been filled in the lawyer does the rest and you just have to sit back and wait.

No win no fee explained is simply as it sounds. If the lawyer doesn’t win the case then he won’t be paid a fee. This is why lawyers will only take on cases they know they can win. In the past accident claims were previously dealt with was through using legal aid. This method was replaced with the Conditional Fee Agreement (no win no fee), know as CFA in 2000. By replacing legal aid with the Conditional Fee Agreement it means that anyone can now pursue a compensation claim, regardless of their financial status.

With no win no fee claim if you are successful you keep 100% of the compensation that you are awarded with your solicitors fees being paid by the losing party’s insurance company. If on the other hand your are the losing party is you the winning party’s solicitor’s fees will be paid by your insurance. This insurance is known as ‘after even insurance’, which you are advised to take out before. You need to be aware that insurance company’s are only willing to grant this insurance to people who have a good likelihood of winning their no win no fee claim so if you are turned down for your compensation you should take it as a hint that your compensation claim will most likely fail meaning you should rethink about claiming.

Personal injury law exists in order to compensate you for your injuries, any medical expenses that you have occurred and any loss of earning that you are suffering whilst you are out of work recovering. By claiming for compensation you could also be helping to prevent that accident happening to anyone else. For example if you are suffering from a work related accident your compensation claim could mean the introduction of new safety measures.

Whatever your reasons are for claiming compensation you should at least speak to a personal injury specialist, they will be able to explain all aspects of the compensation process and give you a rough idea of if you would likely win and if so how much compensation you might get awarded.

About the Author

Carolyn is the web master of Accident Consultant, specialists in all aspects of No Win No Fee Claims.

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