Understanding our legal fees – No Win No Fees

We understand that many people find legal costs and the way they are calculated quite complex.

So that you have a clear understanding of legal costs, before we start work on your behalf we will explain to you in detail:

• How we calculate our fees
• The likely costs involved to prepare and run your case
• Any additional costs that may be incurred
• Any costs that may be payable by the other party
• Any costs that may be payable by you to the other party.

There are many different ways to calculate legal fees. Fees may be decided using an agreed hourly rate or by using official court scales or other statutory scales which set out what should be charged for a particular task.

In most legal matters, you will be required to incur expenses for medical and other expert reports, clinical notes, or witness expenses payable to a third party, i.e. a doctor. These expenses are called disbursements.

In litigation matters, disbursements are usually recoverable, in total or in part, from the other party if the case is successful. All reasonably incurred disbursements that cannot be recovered from the other party will form part of the legal costs payable by you. Examples of disbursements include fees charged by courts, doctors, experts and barristers.

At the conclusion of your case, your lawyer will deduct from the compensation you receive, the total amount for disbursements, and other fees and charges that may have accrued over the duration of your claim. You will be reimbursed some of these amounts if they are recoverable from the other party.

We are committed to providing you with clear and complete information about your likely legal costs before you commit to taking any court action. We will explain legal costs to you before starting your claim.

Having said that, it can be difficult to predict whether a case will settle early or proceed to a court hearing. Court hearings can be short or lengthy. If we cannot predict the likely direction your matter will take, we will provide you with information about the potential costs at each stage of your matter. Statistically, the overwhelming majority of cases settle before going to court.

There are always potential risks associated with any litigation. If your case is unsuccessful, you may be required to pay the other party’s costs, ie. the defendant’s costs. While there is a real risk, it is important to remember that a costs order against you is only made in a very small percentage of cases. This risk occurs in all litigation.

You can be assured that your case will be continually monitored and assessed to ensure you are not exposed to an unreasonable risk of having to pay the other party’s costs.

If you would like more information about legal costs, please don’t hesitate to contact us on (02) 62625355.