legal expenses insurance (lei)
If you pursue your claim through our "No Win-No Fee" scheme and don't already have LEI then you may be able to take advantage of an "after the event" legal expenses insurance policy.
We have access to many of the UK's leading LEI providers and are working with the industry to develop specialist policies specifically designed for the Professional Negligence market.
There is no obligation on you to take out LEI, but you should bear in mind that the legal system in England and Wales is based on the "loser pays " principle (unless it is a "Small Claim" worth less than £5,000). This generally means that most of the winners legal costs are paid by the loser. Obviously if you win your case this is good news because it means that you should be able to recover most of your legal fees and costs. However if you lose you could be ordered to pay your opponents costs; and it is this risk that we advise people to insure against.
Premiums are quoted on a case by case basis and we will be able to advise you on the availability of a suitable policy once the initial CASE ASSESSMENT has been completed.
Obviously we cannot guarantee that an insurer will be willing to pay a policy of LEI. Most insurers will need to see an advice on the merits of the claim from an experienced barrister. We work closely with a number of specialist chambers including 4 New Square, Lincoln's Inn and can arrange for a written opinion to be obtained once the initial case investigation is completed.
If the prospects of success are good we can ask the insurers to consider a "deferred premium" which means that you will not have to pay the premium until the end of the case. Premiums can also be 'self insured' to that it only has to be paid if your claim is successful.
