Runhams has a long and distinguished history of getting fair and just compensation for innocent victims of accidents. We will offer you expert advice about your chances of winning a claim for compensation, and how that claim can be made. We can offer a variety of ways to fund your claim, including Conditional Fees (the so called "No Win, No Fee"), we can arrange insurance against losing, and we can see to it that if you win, you get to keep 100% of your compensation.

LEGAL COSTS

You don't need to go to unqualified middlemen. You don't have to listen to door-knockers or barrow-boys in the marketplace. Ask yourself- what's in it for them, and do you trust your affairs to such people? Why are they pestering you? Because when they get your details, they will SELL you on to some organization who is willing to pay. ASK them how much sales commission they will get, if they sign you up.

Apart from being distasteful, it is against solicitors' professional rules to go knocking on people's doors chasing business, and for good reason. You should ensure that you go straight to an expert personal injury solicitor, who has the training, insurance an professional standards to offer you security, prtection and confidence. So don't delay - contact us today!

So how do solicitors' costs (charges) work, then?

Some legal work is done on a fixed fee basis. This tends to be in relatively straightforward cases, where it is not hard to predict how much time will be spent to finish the job. Solicitors know how much it is likely to cost them to run their business in a year, and the "costs" (legal fees) must first cover these expenses. So they must have financial income targets, maybe weekly or monthly, which have to be met to pay the expenses. Anything left after paying expenses, and V.A.T. on the costs, is profit before tax.

Because of this, work is usually charged at an hourly rate, and even in fixed fee work the business needs to know how much in costs per hour the work is likely to bring in. Hours are usually split into 10 units, for convenience. A straightforward letter or telephone call will usually count as one unit.

Your solicitor will give you written details of the costs that will be applicable to your case.

Conditional Fees ("No Win, No Fee")

You may have heard of the so-called "No win, no fee" arrangements that solicitors can now offer in personal injury cases. There are a number of schemes available, which are usually linked to an insurance policy, as it would be foolhardy to pursue any claim without insurance to cover any costs that might be awarded against you if you fail to win. No case is a guaranteed success!

Under Conditional Fee Agreements basically, if the case is lost, then the solicitor gets no payment; and also with the benefit of the compulsory insurance, the client has full protection against the opponent's legal costs (and disbursements too, if legal proceedings were actually started).

In return for taking this risk, and in return for funding the case without finance from either the client or public funding, the solicitor agrees with the client that if the case is won, then on top of the normal legal fees which the opponent pays, the Solicitor receives a "Success Fee". The maximum of the success fee may be (but isn't always) limited to a percentage compared with the value of compensation. Value Added Tax is always added to the Success Fee. Please note, you can reclaim the Success Fee from your opponent. BEWARE - many schemes may charge you OUT OF YOUR COMPENSATION if and when you win. Always ask what you might end up paying out of your compensation if you win. Get the answer IN WRITING!!

Insurance - AEI ("After The Event") Policies

There is a growing number of policies available on the market, which do not cover your solicitor's legal fees (where if we agree to take your case, Runhams will agree to work "No Win, No Fee"), but which cover you against the risk of losing - that is, they offer you protection against any award of costs against you in favour of your opponent, and against your own "disbursements" - i.e. out of pocket expenses for things such as court fees, medical reports and the like - which can be very expensive.

Are you already insured?

You might already have legal expenses cover, and you should always check your personal papers first, so that you don't risk taking out insurance unnecessarily. Note carefully - if you take out unnecessary insurance, then even if you win your claim, you might not be able to claim the premium back - so it would come out of your money! Nowadays, legal expenses cover might be included with all sorts of financial deals, and may well be found in any of the following:

• Household buildings and contents insurance
• as part of your Motor Insurance policy
• as an add-on to your motor policy; e.g. arranged through your brokers
• a passenger injured in a car might be covered by the driver's insurance policy
• credit card agreements sometimes include such cover

This list is by no means exhaustive. It is up to you to check what cover you already hold - though if you bring your policy documents we'll gladly read and check them for you.

Even if you do have cover, you might not be obliged to use it; for example, the cover may be insufficient. Several reputable providers offer what we consider to be a very good value policies to cover such costs. The premiums vary depending on the type of claim you want to pursue, but are competitive and the range of cover is very good. This type of cover is against your opponent's costs, and your own disbursements. It doesn't cover your own solicitor's costs because we don't get paid if you lose.

Some providers operate "both sides" legal costs insurance schemes. The premiums are greater, because the cover is increased, but you would not then need to enter into a Conditional Fee Agreement - as your solicitor would not be working "no win, no fee".

Some insurers consider whether they will offer insurance on an individual case basis. You must first complete a Proposal Form, and perhaps pay an application fee. You might of course be refused. Cover can sometimes be backdated. Top-up cover could be purchased in the future should the need arise, though that may be at higher rates. Obviously you could take the risk of applying for less cover initially, and thus pay a lower initial premium.

There is no guarantee whether a Conditional Fee Agreement or a "both sides" policy would be cheaper for you in any case. It depends how and when the case is settled, won or lost. Please note that you can claim the Insurance Premium from your opponent, as part of your costs. The cover Runhams can arrange usually means you have NO premium to pay up front, and you don't have to sign any credit agreements.

Other "After-The-Event" Insurance Schemes

We cannot offer you advice and a comparison of all the various schemes which are on the market. This is a new and fast-growing area of insurance and there are several providers already, with more expected as privately funded litigation expands and public funding is withdrawn. In our experience the insurance companies we use offer a good choice and protection for clients.

Combinations of Available Funding Schemes

In some circumstances it may be appropriate to consider a combination of funding options. As you can see, therefore, there are various options to consider and we will of course be happy to discuss your particular requirements with you.

Disbursement Funding

Disbursements are those payments that we have to make on your behalf, to other people or agencies. For example, during an average court case we may have to pay the Court many hundreds of pounds for issue fees, allocation and trial fees, witness summonses, application fees etc. Medical reports, including GP fees and hospital charges, can be from £200 to £600, or more, each. If the case gets to trial and the court allows expert attendance (thankfully now restricted, especially in the Fast Track system), experts can each charge many hundreds of pounds for each day they have to spend in Court. As you can see, the cash outlays for any case are likely to be substantial, and increase as the case goes on. You need to be sure how these ongoing disbursements will be funded. You need to know that you are covered for them, if the case does not succeed for any reason.

Recoverability of Success Fees / Insurance Premiums

Success Fees and "After The Event" Insurance premiums, are recoverable from your opponent, if you win.

Public Funding ("Legal Aid")

The Government has restricted the categories for which public funding is available, and only firms with a contract to provide specified Publicly Funded services are able to do so. They abolished legal aid for most personal injury claims. As a result of this and other changes, from June 2003 Runhams regretfully ceased to take on any new publicly funded (legal aid) cases

Let Expert Solicitors Help You

For expert assistance with your personal injury claim call us on 01274 532233 now or complete our free online enquiry form and we will be in touch with you shortly.