No Win No Fee Legal Services Explained
At AX Compensations Lawyers, we believe that everyone suffering from an injury deserves access to legal representation, regardless of their financial situation. That’s why we offer our legal services on a No Win, No Fee basis* for personal injury claims, including motor vehicle accidents, workplace accidents, public liability claims, total and permanent disability (TPD) claims and abuse claims. We understand that going up against large insurance companies can feel like a David -v- Goliath battle and without the right legal support, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Our No Win, No Fee arrangement empowers you to seek fair compensation without the worry of upfront legal costs. We’ll fight on your behalf to level the playing field, helping you achieve the compensation you deserve.
What Does No Win No Fee Mean?
No Win, No Fee means that if we don’t secure you compensation, you won’t have to pay for our legal services or any outlays and disbursements we make on your behalf*. This model allows you to pursue the compensation you deserve without the upfront financial burden. You won’t need to worry about out-of-pocket expenses such as medical reports, court filing fees, expert witness fees, investigation costs, or barrister fees, as we either cover these costs on your behalf or we ensure that the expense is only payable if your claim is resolved successfully. We’ll only charge you if we settle your claim or obtain a successful judgement at trial*. No surprises, no hidden fees—just straightforward, transparent legal support.
How Our No Win No Fee Services Work
We understand that the legal process can be overwhelming, which is why we’ve streamlined our No Win, No Fee services into simple steps:
No Upfront Costs
If we form the view that you have a valid claim for compensation, you won’t need to pay anything upfront to commence your claim. We get moving straight away to ensure that your claim is resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Obligation-Free Initial Consultation
We start with a no-obligation consultation to evaluate your claim and provide honest advice about your chances of success. If you don’t wish to proceed with a claim after you’ve met with us, there is no obligation to take the matter further or to pay for the legal advice that you’ve received. You lose nothing by seeking advice from our trusted, expert team of lawyers with respect to making a claim.
Out-of-Pocket Expenses Covered
We cover all necessary outlays, such as medical reports, expert consultations and other necessary expenses, until your case is resolved. At the end of your claim, we recover those expenses from the compensation sum that is paid to you by the insurer.
Pay Only If You Win
You’ll only be charged for our services if we successfully obtain compensation for you*. There are no hidden costs and one of our dedicated lawyers will carefully explain the terms of our engagement to you before you engage us to act.
Benefits of No Win No Fee Legal Services
Choosing AX Compensation Lawyers for your personal injury claim under a No Win, No Fee arrangement comes with numerous advantages
Access to Compensation
This arrangement allows you to seek the legal recourse you deserve, even if you cannot afford to pay upfront costs.
No Financial Burden
You won’t pay any legal fees to our firm if your claim is unsuccessful*, ensuring that you can pursue your case without financial stress.
Expert Representation
Our skilled lawyers will manage every aspect of your claim, enabling you to concentrate on your recovery while we handle the complexities of your case.
Transparency with No Hidden Fees
We cover necessary outlays, such as medical reports and expert evidence, during your claim. You will only pay for the legal work done and associated outlays at the conclusion of your case*— no unexpected costs or surprises.
Why Choose AX Compensation Lawyers for No Win No Fee?
At AX Compensation Lawyers, we stand apart from the competition in several key ways:
No Uplift Fees
Unlike many other firms, we don’t charge extra fees to account for the risk we take by offering No Win, No Fee services.
Personalised Service
Our clients receive personalised attention from our experienced legal team. You’ll have direct access to your lawyer and we ensure that every client is treated with respect and care.
Experience You Can Trust
We have a proven track record of securing excellent outcomes for our clients, with a focus on helping them gain fair compensation.
Are there any hidden fees?
No. We don’t charge interest on the outlays that we incur on your behalf and there are no hidden fees. Everything is clear and transparent and will be fully explained to you before you engage us to act.
What if your case requires medical reports or expert witnesses?
We cover all such out-of-pocket expenses. You’ll only be billed for them if your case is successful*.
What Happens if I Don’t Win?
Generally speaking, claims for compensation can be broken down into two parts. First is the ‘pre-court’ stage which involves us lodging your claim, assisting you through the recovery phase and negotiating the best possible financial settlement with the insurer.
In our experience, the vast majority of compensation claims resolve during stage one. In the unlikely event that your claim doesn’t resolve during stage one and we advise you not to proceed to stage two, you won’t incur any legal fees nor will you be responsible for any outlays that we have paid on your behalf. Furthermore, you won’t be responsible for any costs that have been incurred by the insurer!
The second stage is the ‘Court Phase’. This happens in situations where your claim has not resolved during stage one and we have advised you to proceed with the claim by commencing a legal proceeding. It is important to note that if you do commence a legal proceeding and you’re unsuccessful at trial you won’t be required to pay our fees, however, the court may order you to pay the legal costs and outlays that were incurred by the insurer to defend the legal action. This is known as an adverse cost order.
Whilst it’s important to note that you may be exposed to an adverse costs order if you lose your case at trial, you can take comfort in the fact that our team is highly experienced in assessing a claim’s prospects of success at trial and guiding you through the process.
We’ll keep you informed about your claim’s progress, ensuring you always know where you stand and when we believe you have reached a fair settlement level. With AX Compensation Lawyers, you can trust that you’re in good hands throughout your journey.
Is there a risk that I don’t receive compensation and I’ll be forced to pay legal fees?
In our experience, the risk of that happening is very small and there are practical ways to minimise and, in some circumstances, even avoid the risk all together. Let’s explore the four situations where a client may face this risk.
The first situation arises when, as outlined above, a client has commenced legal proceedings and has been unsuccessful at trial. In that case, you won’t pay anything towards our legal fees, however you may be subject to an adverse cost order. We are able to limit your expose to such risk by providing ensuring that you receive transparent advice from highly experienced lawyers about the prospects of your claim being successful.
The second situation arises in circumstances where we are engaged to pursue a claim for compensation and the client subsequently chooses to abandon the claim. If, contrary to our advice, you choose to walk away from a valid claim, we reserve the right to charge for the work that has been carried out and to recover payment of any outlays that have been incurred. In our view, the risk of such a situation arising is extraordinarily low – after all, who walks away from a valid claim for compensation?
The third situation arises in circumstances where a client provides us with instructions that are dishonest, knowingly false or misleading. As you will appreciate, in order to be an effective advocate for you, it’s imperative that you give us instructions that are clear, accurate and honest. As long as your instructions meet this criteria, we will have all the information that we need to provide you with timely advice about the validity of your claim.
The fourth situation may arise in circumstances where we have been engaged to pursue a claim for compensation and the client subsequently engages another law firm to act on his or her behalf. If such a situation was to arise, the firm reserves the right to charge for the work that was carried out up to the point that our engagement was terminated. Our expectation is that you will be so impressed by the personalised legal services we offer, you won’t want to engage anyone else!
How Much Do No Win, No Fee Lawyers Take?
Contrary to popular belief, lawyers are not permitted to charge clients a fixed percentage of their compensation payment. This is referred to as a ‘contingency fee’ and whilst it’s popular in the United States, it is unlawful in Queensland. As such, lawyers typically charge for their services based on hourly rates or in accordance with a schedule of rates (or a mix of the two).
In Queensland, legal fees for No Win, No Fee cases are capped by the 50/50 rule. This means the maximum you’ll pay in legal fees is 50% of the net settlement sum. If the law firm’s fees exceed 50% of the net settlement sum, the 50/50 rule kicks in to ‘cap’ or ‘reduce’ the firm’s fees to 50%. If the firm’s fees are already less than 50% of the net settlement sum, then the firm may only charge for the value of work that’s been carried out.
The net settlement sum is the amount of compensation paid by the insurer, less any applicable refunds (e.g. amounts that you may be required to providers such as Medicare, Centrelink, WorkCover, et cetera) and outlays that we have paid or that we may be liable to pay to advance your claim (e.g. medical reports, barrister’s fees et cetera).
Whilst all compensation firms are governed by the 50/50 rule, at AX Compensation Lawyers, we aim to keep fees below this cap, ensuring you retain the largest possible portion of your compensation payment.
Who Calculates Our Fees?
To ensure that our fees are calculated fairly at the end of your matter, we engage an independent Legal Costs Assessor to review our legal file and to value the work that has been carried out. We then issue an invoice for the amount that’s been assessed by the independent costs assessor. Our fees are deducted from the compensation payout and the balance is transferred to your nominated account.
The assessors that we engage are not only lawyers in their own right, but they are on the Queensland Courts Register of Approved Cost Assessors. By engaging an independent costs assessor, you can take comfort that our fees have been fairly and independently calculated.
How to Get Started with No Win No Fee Legal Services
Getting started is simple and straightforward. Contact us for an obligation-free consultation where we’ll assess your claim and explain the No Win, No Fee process in more detail. You can call us at 1800 AX COMP (1800 292 667) or fill out our online enquiry form to speak with a lawyer today. Let us help you take the next step toward getting the compensation you deserve.
