If you have not worked with a ‘no win, no fee’ agency in the past, you’ve most likely still heard the phrase. The ultimate promise of lawyers and solicitors, ‘no win, no fee’ arrangements guarantee that you won’t need to pay any legal fees if your lawyer does not win your case, or secure a positive outcome for your claim.
If it sounds too good to be true, that’s because it often is. Take a closer look at some advertisements that promise these arrangements, and you will find small asterisks that point to additional information. The capitalised ‘no win, no fee’ might capture your attention, but the fine print is what you should be paying attention to.
What do they really mean when they say ‘no fee’?
The term ‘no fee’ can be quite misleading. This simply means that you do not need to pay your lawyer’s legal fees if they are unsuccessful in securing a positive outcome for your claim. However, that does not mean that there are no costs involved.
When you opt for a ‘no win, no fee’ arrangement you still incur additional costs known as disbursements.
What are disbursements?
Disbursements are all non-legal expenses that are related to and incurred throughout the duration of your case. As outlined by many major Australian law firms, disbursements may include, but are not limited to:
- Printing and copying fees
- Medical professional fees
- Fees paid to expert witnesses
- Private investigator fees
- Court claim lodgement fees
Do I still have to pay my lawyer’s disbursements in a ‘no win, no fee’ arrangement?
Even if your lawyer does not win your case, you will still have to pay for their disbursements. This is because the ‘no fee’ part of the deal will not cover the other costs that are involved in working on your claim. Depending on the duration of the process, and how many costs your lawyer incurred between phone calls, mediations and meetings, the resulting disbursement bill could be higher than expected.
This is why it’s important to read your contract carefully before you sign on the dotted line and to be mindful of all terms contained within your ‘no win, no fee’ agreement.
Why work with Life Matters Claims?
Unlike solicitors, we won’t charge an inflated fee to manage your claim. We understand that it’s not reasonable to charge for every visit, letter or phone call. Unlike most ‘no win, no fee’ arrangements, our fee structures are clear and transparent.
At Life Matters our role is simple, we help to remove the stress of managing your claim. This includes the promise of a low, flat fee that is only payable once your claim has been accepted.
We are advocates that manage your claim from start to finish and have a 100% success rate for all our clients’ claims to date.
Get in touch today to learn more about how we can help you with your claim.