If you live in Temora and you've seen “no win, no fee” in a lawyer's advertising, it helps to know what the phrase generally means before you rely on it. In most cases it refers to an arrangement where you pay the lawyer's professional fees only if the claim succeeds. The details differ between lawyers, and some costs may still be payable either way. This page explains what to ask, and our claim check is free.
Riverina & Murray · No win, no fee explained
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Explained, not promised: what the phrase generally means, what may still be payable and what to get in writing.
Postcode: 2666
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Costs questions for people in Temora
If the crash happened near the Murray, confirm it was on the NSW side. Victoria has its own scheme with different rules, so NSW costs rules may not apply to a crash across the river. Being in the Temora Shire 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. From Temora, the Sydney CBD is roughly 344 km away. That doesn't limit whose costs terms you can compare. Written terms can be emailed, lawyers can explain them by phone or video, and our claim check is by phone and online.
- Region
- Riverina & Murray
- Postcode
- 2666
- Local government area
- Temora Shire Council
- Distance to Wagga Wagga
- ~77 km
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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
“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.
What you might still pay
Even under a no win, no fee arrangement, some costs may still be payable. The most common are disbursements: out-of-pocket expenses such as medical reports, records and filing fees that a lawyer pays on your behalf. Some agreements ask you to cover these whatever the outcome; others don't. The only way to know is to ask, and to see the answer written into the agreement.
- Fees for medical reports
- Filing or application fees, where they apply
- Interpreter or translation costs, if any
Before you sign: the costs questions that matter
You don't need to be an expert to read a costs agreement well. You need the right questions. Here are the ones that tend to matter most in a motor accident claim.
- How are your professional fees worked out if the claim succeeds?
- What happens to costs if I end the agreement before the claim finishes?
- Can I take the agreement away and read it before signing?
- What counts as the claim succeeding under this agreement?
- Which disbursements, such as medical reports, could I be asked to cover, and when?
- How do the CTP costs rules in the Regulation limit what you can charge?
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.
How to compare costs arrangements fairly
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
Two arrangements can both be called no win, no fee and still differ on disbursements, on what counts as success and on what comes out at the end. Compare the terms, not the label.
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.
How CTP costs rules fit in
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.
If your questions are about statutory benefits and your accident was on or after 1 December 2017, the free CTP Legal Advisory Service may answer them without any costs arrangement. You can ask CTP Assist (1300 656 919) to put you through to it. Its limits matter: no damages claims, no older-scheme claims, and nothing that's already in internal review or before the Commission. Beyond those limits, the costs questions on this page come into play.
Read next:What does a CTP lawyer cost?
The one promise we make about cost
Many people search for a no win, no fee lawyer when what they really need is a clear answer about their claim. Our claim check gives you that, free and with no obligation, by phone or online. If your claim does need legal help, you'll go into any costs conversation knowing why, and knowing which questions to ask.
Read next:How our claim check works
Before costs: do you need legal help?
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
- Fault is contested, and it decides whether damages are possible
- Someone died in the crash and the family is considering a claim
- You're outside a time limit and need a quick legal view
- You've been offered costs terms and can't tell what you'd owe if the claim failed
You may not need one
- SIRA's free CTP Legal Advisory Service covers your statutory benefits question
- You only need help with the claim form or finding the right insurer
- Your statutory benefits claim is accepted and payments are arriving
Sometimes the real gap is medical, not legal. If your Certificate of Fitness or treatment records are thin, we can point you to doctors and allied health experienced with CTP claims, with no costs agreement involved.
Not quite your situation?
- Injured at work rather than on the road? That is usually a workers compensation claim, which runs under different rules from CTP. The free claim check can point you to the right help. Free claim check
- For what happens when you first meet a solicitor, including the costs disclosure and agreement you receive, see the compensation solicitor page for Temora. Compensation solicitor in Temora
- If you're still deciding whether your claim needs legal help, the CTP lawyer page for Temora sets out when it usually does. CTP lawyer in Temora
Frequently asked questions
In some ways, yes, because CTP legal costs are regulated. The Motor Accident Injuries Regulation sets maximum costs, and those amounts are indexed every year. For statutory benefits, a lawyer's costs are paid by the insurer, and only where the Regulation or the Personal Injury Commission allows; some disputes allow none. Damages work is capped as well. Whatever arrangement a lawyer offers has to work within those limits, so ask them to explain how.
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. 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.
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.
In an injury claim, it's shorthand for a costs arrangement in which the lawyer is paid professional fees only if the claim succeeds. The arrangement is often set out in what's called a conditional costs agreement. The details vary between lawyers: how success is defined, how disbursements such as medical reports are handled, and what comes out of any compensation. The written terms are what count, so ask for them and read them before you sign.
Yes, and it's sensible to. Ask for an estimate in writing, how it was worked out and what could change it, such as the claim running longer than expected or needing more expert reports. Ask how you'll be told if the estimate changes. An estimate isn't a fixed price, but it gives you something to compare between lawyers and to check against as the claim goes on.
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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.