Or not to pay as the case may be!
When a person wishes to raise a legal complaint, or seek damages, the first person they seek out is a lawyer. Many times the person who needs advice cannot afford a lawyer, so will seek legal advice online instead. One of the dangers there is that the advice might not fit, may be for a different country and may even be completely wrong.
This is where a no win, no fee situation can be very handy for this person.
The exact meaning of no win, no fee is very simple and is generally used only in civil cases. It's not really appropriate in a criminal case. The clue being in the name; the lawyer won't get paid unless the case is won. While this may seem difficult to believe, the lawyer, solicitor or attorney, accepts that this is the case and uses it as a selling point.
Firstly a potential client will think that they are instructing such a confident person that he or she can afford to make such a strong promise. Secondly, they will think 'hey, I've got nothing to lose' and be more likely to instruct such a solicitor. So this type of agreement is very beneficial for the client. And can certainly draw a certain amount of credibility and business for the legal representative and his or her firm.
Once the client and the lawyer have signed all the appropriate documents the actual work will begin. The legal professional again is in a position of trust whereby because of the very nature of the agreement, they do their best to win the case because the money that is being paid to them will depend on it. This also gives people an absolute feeling of trust in their council. Often people don't fully believe they will get proper advice and impartial service, but at the end of the day, what you want out of this sort of case is simply to win, so the advice given is secondary to the result.
The downsides to no win, no fee arrangements exist as well. They just aren't as immediately obvious as the benefits.
Firstly there's the obvious downside for the lawyer. Not winning. With another agreement, even losing, he or she will still get paid. With this sort of contract, no fee is paid upon a negative result. All that hard work. For nothing.
The other downside to look for may be the hidden fees. Maybe not for the case, but anything not connected directly with the case may well contain fees. And of course those fees may be inflated due to the nature of another service having a stipulation like no win, no fee. In this case your best bet is to only instruct reputable solicitors. Ones with a great portfolio of client feedback. That is available for you to look at.
While I hope you never have to claim compensation, if you do, make sure you get the best legal advice you can, and the one that represents (pun intended) the best value for money.
To get great legal advice online is no easy thing, but it certainly can be done. There are many legal websites that are well worth delving into.
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