Help with Legal Fees
Paying for legal fees can be expensive, but there are options available to help ease the burden of taking legal action or receiving legal advice and representation.
At Lawcomm we believe that legal services should be available to everyone, and as such we offer a variety of different options and packages to suit your needs.
Fixed Fees
A fixed fee is just that, you pay one set fee for the work we undertake on your behalf. The fixed fee you pay will depend on the work that is being undertaken, but this will be discussed and agreed with you in full before we undertake work on your behalf.
Staged/Incremental Fixed Fees
Like a fixed fee, staged or incremental fixed fees are set fees for a specific stage or range of work. For example, if Court proceedings are issued your staged fees could be broken down into three stages:
Stage 1: All work up to and including the First Hearing
Stage 2: All work up to and including the Dispute Resolution/second hearing
Stage 3: All work up to and including the Final Hearing
Payment is usually due in full on instruction, but payment plans can be agreed. Fixed fees are due in full regardless of the outcome of your matter and are not dependent on your matter concluding.
Hourly Rate/Pay as You go
All work undertaken is charged at our standard hourly rate, but you will be given a full estimate of our fees from the outset. Payment is usually due upon the production of our invoice for the work undertaken but in some circumstance’s payment plans can be agreed.
Legal Fees Insurance
For some cases you can use legal fees insurance, which can be attached to your home and/or car insurance. It is always worth checking your policies to see if you have this type of insurance. Most legal fees insurers have a panel of approved law firms they use, but sometimes they will agree to you using a firm that is not already on their panel, and again this is worth checking.
Legal Fees Loan
Some companies offer loans for certain types of legal representation and some law firms will be able to offer you this as an option. If you are considering legal fees insurance, you should carefully consider the loan repayment terms and in particular the interest rate.
Sears Tooth Agreement
This is a legally binding agreement where our legal fees are secured upon your property. You will be provided with an estimate of our fees at the outset and you will be provided with regular invoices so that you are fully aware of exactly what fees are being incurred. Payment is generally due at the conclusion of your matter or in the event payment cannot be made a Legal Charge will be secured against your property. This type of agreement is not widely used or offered as it really is a last resort for the majority of people.
No Win No Fee/Conditional Fee Agreement (“CFA”)
If you have a personal injury or clinical negligence case, in certain circumstances we may agree to take on your matter on a No Win No Fee or CFA basis. This type of agreement and the fees recoverable are determined by the Government. Lawcomm take on the risk of representing you on the basis that your opponent would be responsible for paying set legal fees in the event your case is successful. It should also be noted that in addition to the set fees we can also claim a success fee from your recovered damages, which is limited to a maximum of 25% of your successful claim.
Damages Based Agreement
This is a contingency based agreement which is generally offered in relation to employment claims. We will agree a set percentage for our fees which are only payable by you in the event your claim is successful.
Family Legal Fees
Since the introduction of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) Legal Aid has been very limited but in certain circumstances you may still be eligible for Legal Aid. Lawcomm do not offer Legal Aid and if this is something you think you may be eligible for, we would suggest you go to www.gov.uk/legal-aid.
However, with the introduction of LASPO the Government also made provision enabling a party to make an application to Court within existing proceedings against their opponent for help with their legal fees. These applications can only be made in certain circumstances, such as the financial disparity between the parties being such that one party is prohibited, excluded or unduly disadvantaged from obtaining adequate legal advice and/or representation. Your opponent must be able to afford contributing towards your costs, either directly from their income or savings that you yourself do not have access to. It should be noted that the making of such an application does not automatically guarantee success, and the process involves making an application to the Court together with a supporting Statement and a full breakdown of your costs. The Court will then consider the merits or your application and your opponent’s ability to contribute. The person dealing with your matter will be able to discuss the merits of making such an application.
Payment Plans
A payment plan is an agreement between us regarding the sum you will pay and when and is usually a monthly sum towards your fixed fee or outstanding costs. Payment plans are usually agreed in advance but in certain circumstances can be entered into post-representation.
Should you have any questions or queries regarding the payment of legal fees or the services we offer, please do not hesitate to contact us.
