No Win No Fee

Making a No Win No Fee Professional Negligence Claim.

Naturally we have to carry out a risk assessment of your potential professional negligence claim before deciding whether the merits of the case are sufficiently strong for us to accept it on a No Win-No Fee basis. No Win-No Fee represents a significant proportion of our caseload, so it is important to us from a commercial point of view to ensure that the risks are properly assessed. We have an excellent record of success in professional negligence and we aim to keep it that way. In some situations we will be able to make an immediate decision. In others, we may require sight of the professional's original file, especially in cases of solicitors negligence. Occasionally we may need to see a report on liability from an expert witness, such as a surveyor or an accountant.

Once we have agreed to take your professional negligence claim on under a No Win-No Fee agreement you will only be responsible for solicitors fees if you win your case. And because the loser is normally required to pay the winner's legal fees you can expect to recover most of the solicitors' costs and legal expenses from your opponent.

If the professional negligence case is not successful then you will not have to pay any solicitors fees (ie our costs), though you do remain liable for any expenses that have been incurred such as court fees - unless these are covered by insurance.

Most professional negligence claims that we conduct on a No Win-No Fee basis are backed up by a policy of "after the event" legal expenses insurance. Not only do these policies cover the claimant for any adverse costs order that might be made against them if they lose the case, but policies often cover some or all of the expenses the client has incurred, such as court fees and experts' costs.

Through our membership of the Professional Negligence Lawyers Association (PNLA) we have teamed up with one of Europe's leading insurers, QBE, to create a bespoke professional negligence insurance policy.

The premium is deferred (which means it does not have to be paid until the end of the case) and self insured (which means that it does not have to be paid if you lose). This insurance is highly recommended to anyone making a professional negligence claim. Indeed, in our view any solicitor not making such a policy available to the client in a professional negligence claim would be acting negligently themselves.

And because we have an excellent track record and claims history, the insurers have given us delegated authority so that we are able to issue policies ourselves, without reference to the insurance company.

We will advise you fully about legal expenses insurance if you choose to make your professional negligence claim through us.

Call us now on 0800 975 8091 or email us at lee.dawkins@sleeblackwell.co.uk