We provide initial advice for your accident claim free of charge.  If after taking your initial instructions we consider that you have a good personal injury claim there are various means to fund the claim for you.  

The main options are:-

No Win No Fee

This is sometimes referred to as funding through a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). Where a case is funded through a Conditional Fee Agreement you will not generally be charged for the time that we spend in dealing with your claim regardless of whether you win or lose.  If a case is dealt with under a CFA and you win your case then we would generally expect to recover the majority (if not all) of your costs and disbursements from your opponent.  We would generally however, expect you to pay for your medical reports, fee for police documents, Court fees etc.   Sometimes we can arrange for these fees to be deferred (paid at a later date for example, if you are in receipt of benefits the Court fees can usually be waived) or sometimes we will even pay for them until you win your claim.  

We can arrange for insurance to protect you against the risk of having to pay your opponents legal costs in the event that you do not receive any compensation. 

If we deal with a case under a CFA and need to instruct a barrister on the case we would generally expect the barrister to also deal with the claim under a separate CFA which would operate on a similar basis to the CFA between you and this firm.  

A decision to fund a case on a CFA is taken on a case by case basis. 

Legal Expenses Insurance

You may have an insurance policy to pay the legal fees associated with a personal injury claim.   For example, you may have legal expenses attached to your car or home insurance policy.  Your insurance company may refer you to one of their panel solicitors but you do not have to accept their recommendation.  You have the freedom to chose your own solicitor and this is something that is often overlooked by the insurance company.  

Public Funding (Legal Aid)

This is generally no longer available for personal injury cases, regardless of a client’s financial and personal circumstances.  There are however a small number of exceptions to this general rule and in those cases we shall advise you accordingly. 

Private Funding

If you want to pay privately for your claim we will be happy to discuss with you our hourly rates and full terms of business. 

If you decide to fund your claim privately and you win your opponent will pay most, if not all, of your legal fees in addition to your compensation.  

We will normally require money on account and we can agree suitable terms for billing. 

As with No Win No Fee funding we may be able to arrange insurance to cover you against the risk of paying the other side’s costs. 

For free advice on any of the above please contact Edwards Duthie’s expert Personal Injury Solicitors and let us assess your claim.