Many motor accident lawyers offer arrangements described as no win, no fee, but the terms aren't standard. Before you sign anything, ask for the costs terms in writing and read them closely. People in Bardwell Valley can also start with our free, no-obligation claim check, which looks at whether your claim needs a lawyer in the first place. Plenty of CTP claims never do, and then the costs question doesn't arise.
St George & Bayside · No win, no fee explained
No win, no fee lawyers explained for Bardwell Valley
The written terms matter more than the slogan. Here's what to look for, and what CTP costs rules already limit.
Postcode: 2207
- Free claim check, no obligation
- By phone & online, no office to visit
- Helping people in Bardwell Valley & Bardwell Park
Costs questions for people in Bardwell Valley
If St George Hospital treated you, reports from your treating doctors may be requested during a claim. Whether you pay for them if the claim fails depends on the costs terms, so ask about it early. Being in the Bayside Council area doesn't change the costs rules for a CTP claim. Maximum legal costs are set statewide by regulation, so a lawyer in another council area works to the same limits as one down the road. There's no need to travel to Hurstville to compare costs arrangements. From Bardwell Valley, you can request written terms by email, talk them through by phone, and use our free claim check online or by phone.
- Region
- St George & Bayside
- Postcode
- 2207
- Local government area
- Bayside Council
- Distance to Hurstville
- ~4 km
Free claim check
Check your claim before you sign anything
Call (02) 7238 7379 or start online. It's free, with no obligation, so you can settle the lawyer question before any talk of costs.
What “no win, no fee” generally means
The idea is simple: if the claim doesn't succeed, the lawyer's own fees generally aren't charged. In practice, arrangements differ. Some treat disbursements, such as medical reports, one way and some another. Some define success narrowly and others broadly. The phrase is shorthand for an arrangement, and only the written costs terms tell you what that particular arrangement is.
Comparing costs terms
If you're speaking with more than one lawyer, compare their terms on the same points: what's payable if the claim doesn't succeed, how disbursements are treated, how fees on success are worked out, and what the estimate of total costs is. A headline label tells you little. Two arrangements both called no win, no fee can leave you in quite different positions.
Same label, different terms
A label is not a comparison. Put the written terms from each lawyer side by side and check each against the same questions before you decide.
Questions to ask before you sign a costs agreement
Costs terms vary between lawyers, so the same label can mean different things. Put these questions to any lawyer before you sign, and compare the answers side by side if you're speaking with more than one.
- Can I take the agreement away and read it before signing?
- Will you tell me in writing if that estimate changes?
- What comes out of my compensation at the end, and in what order?
- How do the CTP costs rules in the Regulation limit what you can charge?
- How are your professional fees worked out if the claim succeeds?
- Is there a cooling-off period after I sign?
General information, not legal advice. Costs terms differ between lawyers, and legal costs in CTP claims are regulated. Rely on the written terms you're given.
No win, no fee in a CTP claim
A NSW CTP claim has its own costs rules, and they apply whatever a lawyer's arrangement is called. Maximum legal costs are set by the Motor Accident Injuries Regulation and indexed each year. In a statutory benefits claim, costs are recoverable only where the Regulation or the Personal Injury Commission allows, and for some disputes they can't be recovered at all. A no win, no fee arrangement has to fit around those rules.
Some help is free to use. SIRA funds a CTP Legal Advisory Service for statutory benefits questions on accidents from 1 December 2017, reached through CTP Assist on 1300 656 919. It doesn't cover damages claims, older-scheme claims or matters already at internal review or the Personal Injury Commission. Workers compensation is a separate scheme again: in a workers compensation dispute, legal costs may be funded through the Independent Review Office's ILARS program if a grant is approved, and that program doesn't cover CTP claims.
Read next:What does a CTP lawyer cost?
What you might still pay
If a claim doesn't succeed, you may still owe something, depending on the terms. That could include disbursements already paid out, such as medical reports. The agreement should also say what happens to costs if you end it early. None of this is meant to alarm you; it's the reason to read the costs terms closely and ask questions before signing.
- Fees for medical reports
- Charges for obtaining hospital or treatment records
- Courier, copying and similar office costs
The costs terms worth having in writing
Ask the lawyer to confirm in writing how their fees would be calculated if the claim succeeds, and what, if anything, you'd owe if it doesn't. Ask the same about disbursements, and about costs if you end the agreement early. Written answers let you compare lawyers fairly and avoid surprises at the end of the claim.
Keep a copy
Keep the signed agreement and every costs update with your claim papers. If a bill arrives later, you'll want to check it against the terms you agreed to.
Our claim check is free
We don't set any lawyer's fees, and we can't tell you what a lawyer's terms would be. What we can do is check your claim for free, with no obligation, and tell you whether a lawyer is likely to help. If we connect you with one, you decide whether to go ahead after reading their costs terms. We'll also tell you if a provider we refer you to is connected with us.
Read next:How our claim check works
Do you need a lawyer at all?
The costs question only matters if your claim needs a lawyer, and many claims never do. Here's when legal help is often worth paying for, and when you may manage without it.
Often worth talking to a lawyer
- Your injuries are serious and the claim may run for years
- Fault is contested, and it decides whether damages are possible
- You've been offered costs terms and can't tell what you'd owe if the claim failed
- The insurer has refused your whole claim
You may not need one
- SIRA's free CTP Legal Advisory Service covers your statutory benefits question
- Your statutory benefits claim is accepted and payments are arriving
- You're happy with how the insurer has handled things so far
If the gap is treatment rather than legal help, we can put you in touch with doctors and allied health who work with CTP claims. They can also help keep your Certificate of Fitness accurate and current.
Not quite your situation?
- If the injury happened at work, including on the road for work, workers compensation is usually the scheme that applies first, not CTP. After a crash, a CTP damages claim may still be possible. We can point you to the right help. Free claim check
- If you've decided to engage a solicitor and want to know about the first meeting and the costs documents, the compensation solicitor page covers them. Compensation solicitor in Bardwell Valley
- If you're still deciding whether your claim needs legal help, the CTP lawyer page for Bardwell Valley sets out when it usually does. CTP lawyer in Bardwell Valley
Frequently asked questions
You may, depending on the agreement. Some arrangements ask you to cover disbursements, such as medical reports or fees for records, whatever the outcome. Others treat them differently. Ask too what you'd owe if you ended the agreement before the claim finished. Ask the lawyer to set out in writing exactly what you'd owe in an unsuccessful claim, and don't sign until the answer is clear.
No. Many lawyers who handle motor accident claims offer arrangements described as no win, no fee, but not all do, and the terms of those who do are not the same. Some may charge in other ways for some kinds of work. Whatever a lawyer offers, ask for a written costs disclosure and read it before you agree. We don't set any lawyer's fees or terms.
That depends on the costs terms, so ask for a written explanation before you sign. Generally, the lawyer's professional fees and any disbursements are paid, and some or all of that may come out of the compensation. In a CTP claim, maximum legal costs are capped by regulation, and in statutory benefits matters the insurer pays the costs the rules allow. Ask for a written breakdown at the end, too.
Ask about this before you sign, because the answer depends on the agreement and the rules that apply to it. An agreement may include a cooling-off period, and a clear one should explain what happens to costs if you end the arrangement early, including any work already done. If you're unsure, take the agreement away, read it and ask questions first. Signing is easier to delay than to undo.
It's generally the kind of agreement behind a no win, no fee arrangement: one where payment of some or all of the lawyer's fees depends on a condition, usually the claim succeeding. What counts as success, and which costs are conditional, are set out in the agreement itself. Terms vary, so read it closely, ask about anything unclear, and keep a signed copy with your claim papers.
At least three things: what you'd pay if the claim fails, how disbursements such as medical reports are handled, and how fees are worked out if the claim succeeds. It also helps to have an estimate of total costs, a clear definition of success, and what happens if you end the agreement early. Written answers let you compare lawyers and check any later bill against what you agreed.
No win no fee lawyer: suburbs near Bardwell Valley
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CTP Lawyer is not a law firm. This page is general information, not legal advice; the independent lawyer you speak with can advise on your own situation.