No Win, No Fee

Conditions

• No win, no fee arrangements are subject to us agreeing to take on your matter which is at our liberty and discretion to do so; and
• No win, no fee arrangements are subject to us not entering into a different kind of arrangement with you. In such rare cases you would be advised prior to us taking instructions to run your case.
• No win, no fee arrangements are at the absolute discretion of Schofield King Lawyers.
• Please note, there are some jurisdictions where if you lose your case you could be ordered to pay the other side’s legal costs. In such circumstances, we would not send you a bill for our fees, this does not mean that the other side can not recover legal costs from you. You will be warned that this is a possibility prior to commencing any such proceedings.

How do fees work at Schofield King Lawyers?

At Schofield King Lawyers, it is important to us that you understand how costs can affect your claim. In many cases the insurer or the other side will be responsible for paying a portion of the costs incurred in your claim. We act on a No Win, No Fee arrangement in Compensation matters.

We are open to discuss different fee options which may include lump sum and/or hourly rate agreements.

Who pays the costs of medical reports or other costs necessary to run the case?

Sometimes we will need to spend money on your case to help make sure you maximise your compensation. These payments are called disbursements, and include costs of medical reports, expert reports, barrister’s fees, filing fees etc. These are necessary to make or enhance your claim. 

Disbursements will be charged on top of any fees. At Schofield King Lawyers we have flexible options for funding these disbursements. In terms of smaller disbursements, the firm will normally be in a position to meet those as they come. For some disbursements, which may exceed $1000.00, we normally obtain funding and we are able to facilitate that on a ‘no win no fee’ basis. You will never need to pay any money upfront for the running of your claim.

Will the other side pay any of my costs?

Depending on the kind of litigation, generally there is a rule that the unsuccessful party must pay the successful party’s legal costs. This means that if your matter runs in court or a tribunal and you win, then the other side must pay a portion of your costs. Conversely, if you lose you may have to pay the other side’s costs.

When a matter is settled out of court, then the settlement figure will often include the compensation value and an amount to cover some of the costs incurred. This figure will often be somewhere between 50% to 75% of the final costs that you will pay, with the remainder coming directly out of your compensation settlement.

There are some courts/tribunals that are ‘non costs jurisdictions’ which means that generally, costs are not payable by the unsuccessful party. For example, the Fair Work Commission or the Anti-Discrimination Board. This means that all costs must come directly out of any settlement.

In any case we will advise you of the approximate value of any costs that will come out, so that you are always aware of how much will be left in your hand after costs come out. 

We are open and transparent about our costs.