No Success Fees Charged for Personal Injury Claims
Most solicitors acting for clients under a Conditional Fee Agreement (no win, no fee) will do so on the basis that if the claim succeeds, the solicitors will take up to 25% of the settlement money as a ‘success fee’. The success fee reflects the risk of the claim failing and the solicitors not making a recovery for their fees, as well as the delay in them being paid until the conclusion of the claim.
Prior to 2013, success fees were payable by the defendant, however when the law changed, this meant that for solicitors to recover a success fee, it would have to be charged direct to the client by making a deduction from the settlement funds.
At Bartons, we have decided not to charge our personal injury clients a success fee. This means that if we agree to take on your case, we consider you have a good case and we are willing to take on the risk of the claim failing and our recovering nothing for our charges. If successful, we will usually recover our fees from your opponent at the conclusion of the claim, with no deduction made from your compensation.
We may advise you to obtain After The Event insurance, to protect you from an adverse costs order should your claim fail. You will be required to pay the premium for this separately and it can usually be deferred until the conclusion of the claim. Insurance premiums are usually self-insured, meaning if the claim fails, you will not be required to pay it.
Instructing Bartons to represent you in your personal injury claim ensures that you will recover the full extent of your damages agreed or awarded. Jo Pummery, a personal injury and marine specialist at Bartons, comments: ‘By foregoing the opportunity to deduct a success fee from compensation, we are demonstrating to injured parties that we are committed to securing them the maximum amount of compensation for their injuries. We understand how stressful it can be to suffer a serious injury and to make a claim. It is important to instruct an experienced and approachable lawyer, someone that you can talk to, someone that will give you clear and reliable advice.’
For further information or if you wish to discuss your personal injury claim, please call the personal injury team on 01752 675740 for an informal chat, or complete the form at the bottom of our Personal Injury Page.