Crash Victims Info

what percentage do solictors receive out of personnal injury claims in northern ireland?

do solictors get a cut of the claim or do they get a seperate payment for there work??? I remember my solictor saying"the more i get for my claim,the more they get"!

Public Comments

1. They get a separate claim known as 'expenses'. Be thankful you don't lose this out of your compensation, many solicitors grab as much as they can and the amount they claim would amaze you..
2. This sounds very odd. In England, Wales and Scotland, solicitors are not permitted to set their fees at a percentage of your winnings. A personal interest in the amount you recover is contrary to public policy. (I believe, however that the Republic of Ireland may allow these "contingent fee" agreements - which may be what the solicitor meant). I've been unable to find any information about contingent fees in NI, either way. There are a few ways solicitors can charge - they can do Conditional Fee Agreements - the solicitor will recieve nothing if you lose, and if you win he will recieve his usual fees (based on hours worked) plus a percentage (of the usual fees) in uplift. The percentage can be no more than 50% and is supposed to reflect the risk of loosing the case (and getting nothing). The default position (in England & Wales, again not sure about NI) is that the loser pays the winner's costs, except under unusual circumstances, a sucessful client will not have to pay their solicitor's fees themselves. The Non CFA position is simply that solicitors charge for "billable hours" worked on your case at rates dependant on the experience of the person doing the work - there are also other expenses - experts reports for example, that must be met by the client.
3. Check with http://www.onlinepersonalinjuryclaims.co.uk They will work no win no fee basis
4. the accurate answer is as follows: Solictors are not permitetd to enter into agreement to take a percentage of the damages in what is termed as contentious business. PI claims fall within this category. The can enter into a CFA (no win-no fee) which provides for an uplift on fees if they win - the maximum is 100% although the percentages in most types of claims are now fixed depending on when they settle. These fees are paid by the defendant (if they lose). If your solictor said that his fees were proportionate to your damages, then I'm afirad he's dodgy at best. Contingency fees (which is the percentage based fee arrangment you mention) is only available in non-contentious business, such as employment tribunals. I hope this clears it up. [Any contrary answers are wrong.]