Our No Win, No Fee arrangement was created in 1994 in response to growing community concern that access to justice was increasingly restricted to only those who could afford it.
Since its introduction, our innovative No Win, No Fee arrangement has provided access to justice and legal representation for thousands of Australians.
No Win, No Fee Lawyers
Under the No Win No Fee arrangement, if we don’t win your claim you won’t be charged for the work we do on your case.
However, you may have to pay external costs or disbursements for items such as medical reports. Your lawyer will take you through this arrangement in more detail including any terms and conditions during your obligation free appointment.
Understanding No Win, No Fee with Senior Legal Counsel, Ike Nwokolo
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No Win, No Fee covers a range of claims
Our No Win, No Fee personal injury lawyers offer arrangements for many of our injury related legal services, including:
- Your claim has legal merit
- Without the arrangement you couldn’t afford to take legal action
- You're fully aware of any likely costs to prepare and run your case
- You're informed of the risk of paying the other party's costs if your claim is unsuccessful (this is a potential risk in all litigation).
In some cases, such as complex Medical Law claims, you may be required to contribute to the upfront cost of the initial investigative reports. We'll assess and discuss with you any likely additional costs before you agree to work with us.
The No Win, No Fee arrangement sets out our obligations
We'll set out the conditions for the arrangement in a written Legal Cost Agreement, which you'll need to sign before we start work on your claim.
The Legal Cost Agreement sets out our obligations to you, which are to:
• Work on your claim in a prompt, efficient and professional manner
• Regularly inform you of the progress of your claim
• Consult you before any special or unusual expense is incurred
• Advise you if and when our estimate of your legal costs changes substantially.
It also sets out your obligations
Under a No Win, No Fee arrangement, we ask that you:
- Tell us openly and honestly everything that is relevant to your claim and let us know of any important changes in your circumstances that might impact on your claim
- Fully cooperate with us and do everything that we reasonably ask
- Accept and follow all reasonable advice that we give you
- Retain Slater and Gordon as your lawyers until your claim is finalised.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s a type of payment structure where legal fees are paid only when a compensation claim is successful. Before you agree to this type of payment structure, a contract is provided to you which outlines any obligations you have. Put simply, if your claim is unsuccessful then you won’t have to pay any legal fees for the work a lawyer has done on your case. This could include hours that would have been billed for meetings and work done on your case. However, there still may be upfront or out of pocket costs associated with your claim.
Depending on the type of claim and legal complexity, you may have to pay disbursements, medical reports, and court filing fees. No Win, No Fee arrangements is common in most personal injury, public liability, workers compensation, motor vehicle accidents, and medical negligence claims.
If you lose a no win, no fee case you will not be charged your lawyer's fees. However, you may still be liable for disbursements such as medical reports and court filing fees, and in some circumstances a portion of the other party's legal costs. Your lawyer will explain these risks clearly before you sign any agreement and we walk every client through worst-case cost scenarios before committing to anything.
Fees are calculated based on the time and work involved in your claim. Lawyers cannot claim a percentage of your settlement. Your legal costs are set out in a written costs agreement before any work begins. At Slater and Gordon, we provide a full transparent cost estimate upfront with no surprises.
No win, no fee means you pay no legal fees if your claim is unsuccessful. You may still be responsible for disbursements such as medical reports and court filing costs, and in complex cases like medical negligence you may need to contribute to early report costs upfront. If you win, fees and disbursements are deducted from your compensation. We explain the full cost picture to every client before any work begins so there are no unexpected bills.
At Slater and Gordon, no win no fee is available for Workers Compensation, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Medical Negligence, Public Liability, Asbestos and Silica exposure, Military Compensation, Comcare, Superannuation and TPD claims, and Sexual harassment matters.
In some circumstances, you may not need to pay disbursements or upfront costs. We assess every case individually and will tell you clearly at your free initial consultation whether your claim is eligible before you commit to anything.
