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 Rockdale 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
How a no win, no fee lawyer charges: a Rockdale guide
Not sure you need a lawyer at all? Our claim check is free, with no obligation, and many claims never need one.
Postcode: 2216
- Free claim check, no obligation
- By phone & online, no office to visit
- Helping people in Rockdale & Bexley South
Costs questions for people in Rockdale
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. Around Rockdale, where Greek and Mandarin are widely spoken, costs terms are easier to weigh up in your own language. CTP Assist (1300 656 919) can organise an interpreter for claim questions; ask for the costs explanation to be interpreted too. Council areas such as Bayside Council play no part in what a lawyer can charge on a CTP claim. The limits are set by state regulation and apply across NSW, so compare lawyers on their written terms, not their address.
Rockdale is about 4 km north-east of Hurstville, and comparing costs terms doesn't need a trip there. Written terms can be sent by email, questions answered by phone, and our claim check runs by phone and online.
- Region
- St George & Bayside
- Postcode
- 2216
- Community languages
- Greek, Mandarin
- Local government area
- Bayside Council
- Distance to Hurstville
- ~4 km
Free claim check
Check your claim before you sign anything
We don't set any lawyer's fees. We check your claim for free, with no obligation, and point you to the help it actually needs.
The phrase, explained plainly
“No win, no fee” generally describes a costs arrangement where the lawyer's professional fees are only payable if the claim succeeds. The agreement that sets this out is often called a conditional costs agreement, because payment depends on a condition: success. Beyond that basic idea, the details vary between lawyers, which is why the written terms matter more than the phrase itself.
Put the arrangement on paper
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
Store the written terms with the rest of your claim documents. Checking a later bill against what you signed is much easier when the agreement is to hand.
Before you sign: the costs questions that matter
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.
- What comes out of my compensation at the end, and in what order?
- How are your professional fees worked out if the claim succeeds?
- Will you tell me in writing if that estimate changes?
- What happens to costs if I end the agreement before the claim finishes?
- Is there a cooling-off period after I sign?
- Which disbursements, such as medical reports, could I be asked to cover, and when?
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.
Comparing two lawyers' terms side by side
Comparing costs terms isn't about finding the cheapest lawyer at any price. It's about knowing what you're agreeing to. Check how each arrangement treats disbursements, how each defines success, and whether each gives you an estimate in writing. The costs terms are one part of the decision, not all of it, but they're the part you can check on paper.
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.
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.
- Charges for obtaining hospital or treatment records
- Filing or application fees, where they apply
- The cost of any expert opinion the lawyer arranges
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?
Our claim check is free
Here's the only promise we make about cost: our claim check is free, and there's no obligation. We look at where your claim is up to and tell you what help it needs. Sometimes that's an independent lawyer, and then the costs questions on this page matter. Often it's a doctor, CTP Assist or simply a clear next step, and no costs agreement is needed.
Read next:How our claim check works
Do you need a lawyer at all?
Plenty of CTP claims run from start to finish without a lawyer, which makes no win, no fee beside the point. Others clearly need legal help. These lists give a rough guide to each.
Often worth talking to a lawyer
- You've been offered costs terms and can't tell what you'd owe if the claim failed
- A damages claim looks possible, so legal costs are likely to be part of the picture
- A settlement offer is waiting for your reply
- Your injuries are serious and the claim may run for years
You may not need one
- You're happy with how the insurer has handled things so far
- Your question is general, and CTP Assist can answer it for free
- You're recovering and expect to be back to normal within months
A lawyer's work runs on medical evidence, starting with the Certificate of Fitness. If you don't yet have a treating team that knows the CTP scheme, doctors and allied health are often the first help to arrange.
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 Rockdale
- If the bigger question is whether a CTP lawyer is worth it for your claim at all, the CTP lawyer page answers that first. CTP lawyer in Rockdale
Frequently asked questions
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.
Ask both for their terms in writing, then compare them on the same points: what you'd owe if you lose, how disbursements are handled, how fees are worked out on success, how success is defined and the estimate of total costs. If one set of terms is vague on any of these, ask for more detail. Take your time; a costs agreement doesn't have to be signed at the first conversation.
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.
No. It generally means the lawyer's own fees aren't charged if the claim doesn't succeed. Other costs may still apply, such as disbursements for medical reports, depending on the terms. If the claim succeeds, fees are generally paid, often from the compensation. Legal costs in a CTP claim are capped by regulation as well. The only free thing we can promise is our own claim check, which comes with no obligation.
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.
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 win no fee lawyer: suburbs near Rockdale
Ready to talk it through?
Get a free, no-obligation claim check. It's the first step toward understanding where your claim stands and what help it needs.
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.