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 Wollstonecraft 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.
Lower North Shore & Ryde · No win, no fee explained
How a no win, no fee lawyer charges: a Wollstonecraft guide
The written terms matter more than the slogan. Here's what to look for, and what CTP costs rules already limit.
Postcode: 2065
- Free claim check, no obligation
- By phone & online, no office to visit
- Helping people in Wollstonecraft & Greenwich
What “no win, no fee” generally means
Many motor accident lawyers offer terms described as no win, no fee. It's a way of structuring fees so that more of the risk of an unsuccessful claim sits with the lawyer. It doesn't mean legal help is free, and it doesn't mean every cost disappears. Think of the phrase as the heading on a set of terms, then read the terms underneath it.
What you might still pay
The lawyer's professional fees are one thing. Disbursements are another. These are costs paid to others as the claim goes on, such as fees for medical reports or for obtaining records, and they can add up in a claim that needs expert evidence. Ask whether you may be asked to pay them if the claim doesn't succeed, and whether you'd pay as you go or at the end.
- Fees for medical reports
- Filing or application fees, where they apply
- The cost of any expert opinion the lawyer arranges
Reading costs terms from Wollstonecraft, by phone and online
Royal North Shore Hospital and Ryde Hospital records may be requested during a claim. Ask any lawyer whether the cost of records and medical reports comes out of the claim, is billed to you, or both. Legal costs in NSW CTP claims are regulated the same way across the state, whether you're under North Sydney Council or anywhere else. What differs between lawyers is how their own costs terms are written, so compare those. From Wollstonecraft, the Sydney CBD is roughly 4 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
- Lower North Shore & Ryde
- Postcode
- 2065
- Local government area
- North Sydney Council
- From the Sydney CBD
- ~4 km
Free claim check
A free claim check before any costs talk
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.
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.
- Is there a cooling-off period after I sign?
- How are your professional fees worked out if the claim succeeds?
- Which disbursements, such as medical reports, could I be asked to cover, and when?
- What comes out of my compensation at the end, and in what order?
- What happens to costs if I end the agreement before the claim finishes?
- Can I have an estimate of total legal costs, in writing?
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.
Do you need a lawyer at all?
Before comparing costs terms, check whether you need a lawyer in the first place. These lists cover common situations. Our free claim check can give you an answer for your own facts.
Often worth talking to a lawyer
- The insurer has refused your whole claim
- You've been offered costs terms and can't tell what you'd owe if the claim failed
- Your injuries are serious and the claim may run for years
- Fault is contested, and it decides whether damages are possible
You may not need one
- You only need help with the claim form or finding the right insurer
- You're recovering and expect to be back to normal within months
- Your question is general, and CTP Assist can answer it for free
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?
- 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
- 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 Wollstonecraft
- If you're still deciding whether your claim needs legal help, the CTP lawyer page for Wollstonecraft sets out when it usually does. CTP lawyer in Wollstonecraft
Comparing two lawyers' terms side by side
Line the written terms up side by side. Where one lawyer's terms are specific and another's are vague, ask the second to be specific too. If an answer changes between a phone call and the written terms, go by what's written and ask why. It's reasonable to take a few days to compare before you commit.
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.
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.
Regulated costs and what they mean for you
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.
Before paying for advice, check what's free. SIRA's CTP Legal Advisory Service gives free legal advice on statutory benefits for accidents from 1 December 2017, and CTP Assist on 1300 656 919 can connect you with it. It won't run a damages claim, and it doesn't take on disputes that have already reached internal review or the Commission, but for many early questions it means no costs agreement is needed at all.
Read next:What does a CTP lawyer cost?
Start with a free claim check
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
Frequently asked questions
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
No win no fee lawyer: suburbs near Wollstonecraft
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.