Get Your Free

Can I Make A Claim?

If you have sustained an injury or suffered from an incident that you believe was not your fault then the answer is most likely YES. We will generally be able to provide you with an indication of likely success from an initial telephone conversation to assess your claim (this is free of charge).

At Scrivenger Seabrook Solicitors we will only take on a no win, no fee compensation claim if we feel there is a reasonable chance of success.

How Much Compensation Will I Get?

There are three elements to estimating the level of a no win, no fee compensation claim award:
 
  General Damages. You are entitled to an award for pain, suffering
  and loss of amenity the value of which is calculated by aligning it
  to similar previous awards.
 
  Special Damages. These compensate quantifyable personal
  financial losses e.g. Loss of earnings.
 
  Future Losses. A provision may also have to be made for
  ongoing losses e.g. Loss of future earnings.

No two cases are the same so we don’t publish generic total injury award figures as they can be misleading.
 
At Scrivenger Seabrook Solicitors we endeavour to provide you with an estimate at the end of an initial telephone conversation to assess your claim (this is free of charge).

Is It Really Free?

Legal Aid for personal injury claims was abandoned in 1998 in the UK and was replaced by the Conditional Fee Agreement, better known as the No Win, No Fee compensation claim system. Compensation solicitors are now entitled to be paid only if they win the claim. Their fees and legal expenses will then be recovered from the opponent. 
 
This means that with a Conditional Fee Agreement, you will not pay any legal expenses upfront or have to pay out any fees from your compensation award.

What Happens If I Lose?

Whilst we are highly confident of winning your case if we take it on, no one can 100% guarantee success. What Scrivenger Seabrook Solicitors can guarantee though is that under a Conditional Fee Agreement you will not have to pay any fees if you lose. The reasons are as follows: We sign an agreement with you before we start, stating that we will not to be paid at all if the case is unsuccessful. Should you lose you claim you will also be covered for expenses related to medical and court fees and your opposition’s legal fees as we will help you to arrange ‘After The Event Insurance Cover’ (ATE). This is an insurance policy (with the payment of the premium deferred until the case is completed) that covers your medical, court, legal and ATE insurance premium costs so nothing at all actually has to be paid by you.

Is There a Time Limit?

The time limit for initiating a No Win, NoFee compensation claim is generally three years. There are however a number of exceptions to this which mainly involve some specific medical conditions and types of claimants. When you contact Scrivenger Seabrook Solicitors for your initial free assessment we will advise you on the timescales that you will need to consider in bringing a compensation claim.

What’s The Process?

The good news is that you actually do very little. The process of bringing a No Win, No Fee compensation claim is generally as follows:

call Scrivenger Seabrook on 0800 195 9829 to receive your
  free compensation claim assessment
 
you will receive advice and guidance on whether you have a
  strong case
 
you are given all of the facts so you can decide whether to
  proceed with a claim
 
you meet us or we visit you to discuss the case in more detail,
  and only if 100% happy...
 
...you sign a ‘Conditional Fee Agreement’ (No Win, No Fee 
  agreement)
 
we then arrange medical checks, expert opinions & gather
  evidence
 
we issue a ‘letter of claim’ to the defendant – they have three
  months to respond
 
either the defendant admits negligence & moves to settle or
  the claim goes to court
 
Scrivenger Seabrook Solicitors will present your case to the
  court and thereafter a judgment will be made
 
if successful, compensation offers are made and a settlement
  agreement is reached
 
you receive 100% of the compensation you have been
  awarded & pay no costs

How Long Does a No Win, No Fee compensation claim take?

There is no stock answer to how long a No Win, No Fee compensation claim can take. It depends on the type of case and if it reaches court. A road accident claim could be settled within 6 to 12 months. A medical negligence claim often takes longer and can take between 18 to 24 months. NB. In some cases it may be possible to get a part-payment of your compensation whilst the claim is being progressed.