Personal Injury · No Win No Fee
No Win No Fee Personal Injury Claims
You only pay if your claim succeeds. No upfront costs. No financial risk.
PDA Law handles personal injury claims on a no win no fee basis — giving you access to expert legal representation without any financial risk. We explain all costs clearly before any work begins.
What “no win no fee” means for you:
- Pay nothing upfront — zero costs to start your claim
- Pay nothing if your claim is unsuccessful
- If you win: success fee deducted from compensation (capped at 25%)
- ATE insurance arranged to protect you against the other side's costs
We will assess your case honestly and only take it on if we believe you have a realistic prospect of success. If we don't think your claim will succeed, we'll tell you.
No obligation — free initial assessment of your claim.
How no win no fee works
A Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) — commonly known as no win no fee — means your solicitor's fees are only payable if your claim succeeds. If it doesn't, you pay nothing.
Free initial assessment
We assess your claim at no cost. We'll give you an honest view of your prospects and explain whether a no win no fee agreement is appropriate for your case.
Funding agreement signed
If we take on your case, we enter into a CFA or DBA. This sets out the success fee or percentage (capped at 25% of your damages under a CFA) and the full terms of our agreement.
ATE insurance arranged
We arrange after the event insurance to protect you against the other side's costs if your claim is unsuccessful. The premium is only payable on success.
Claim pursued — you pay nothing unless you win
We pursue your claim. If successful, the success fee and ATE premium are deducted from your compensation. If unsuccessful, you pay nothing.
How we fund your claim
There are two main types of no win no fee agreement we use for personal injury claims. We will advise you on which is most appropriate for your circumstances.
Conditional Fee Agreement
(CFA — “No Win No Fee”)
- No upfront costs — pay nothing to start
- If you lose: you pay nothing to us
- If you win: success fee deducted from damages
- Success fee capped at 25% of damages by law
- ATE insurance arranged to cover opponent's costs
The most common funding arrangement for personal injury claims. The success fee is agreed with you before any work begins.
Damages Based Agreement
(DBA)
- No upfront costs — pay nothing to start
- If you lose: you pay nothing to us
- If you win: agreed percentage deducted from damages
- Percentage agreed in writing before work begins
- Must comply with DBA Regulations 2013
An alternative to a CFA where our fee is a percentage of your damages. We will advise whether a DBA or CFA is more suitable for your case.
Not sure which applies to you? We will explain both options clearly at your free initial assessment and recommend the most appropriate arrangement for your circumstances. See our Legal Costs FAQs for more detail on how personal injury claims are funded.
What you pay — and when
We believe in complete transparency about costs. Here is a clear summary of what you will and will not pay at each stage of your claim.
Cost summary — personal injury no win no fee
All costs will be explained clearly in your funding agreement before any work begins. For a full explanation of how personal injury claims are funded, see our Legal Costs FAQs.
Important exceptions
- If you refuse to take out an ATE insurance policy, you may be required to pay for disbursements such as medical reports and scans, even if the claim is unsuccessful.
- If you are found to be fundamentally dishonest — for example, if you have not been truthful about your injury or financial losses — you could lose your entire claim and be required to pay both the defendant's legal costs and our legal costs.
When you may have to make payments from your damages
SRA Transparency Rules — required disclosure
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) requires us to explain clearly the circumstances in which you may have to make payments from your compensation. This applies to both Conditional Fee Agreements (CFAs) and Damages Based Agreements (DBAs).
AUnder a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA — “No Win No Fee”)
- Success fee: If your claim succeeds, a success fee is deducted from your damages. This is capped by law at 25% of your general damages and past financial losses (it cannot be taken from any award for future care or future losses).
- ATE insurance premium: The after the event insurance premium, which protects you against the other side's costs if you lose, is deducted from your damages if your claim succeeds. The exact premium will be confirmed before it is taken out.
- Disbursements (in limited circumstances): If you decline ATE insurance and your claim is unsuccessful, you may be required to pay disbursements such as medical report fees and court fees from your own funds.
- Fundamental dishonesty: If a court finds you have been fundamentally dishonest in pursuing your claim, you may be required to pay the defendant's legal costs and our legal costs, even if you would otherwise pay nothing.
BUnder a Damages Based Agreement (DBA)
- DBA payment: If your claim succeeds, the agreed percentage of your damages is paid to us from your compensation. The percentage will be agreed with you before the DBA is signed and will be clearly set out in the agreement.
- Termination before conclusion: If you terminate the DBA before your claim concludes, you may be required to pay our costs incurred up to that point, depending on the reason for termination. We will explain the termination provisions clearly before you sign.
- Fundamental dishonesty: As with a CFA, if a court finds you have been fundamentally dishonest, you may be required to pay the defendant's legal costs and our legal costs.
We will always explain all potential deductions and payments clearly before you sign any funding agreement. You will never be surprised by a cost you were not told about in advance. Read our Legal Costs FAQs →
What types of claims are covered?
Any type of personal injury claim can be dealt with under a no win, no fee agreement, including:
Road Traffic Accidents
Serious injuries sustained in road traffic accidents — as a driver, passenger, cyclist, or pedestrian.
Accidents at Work
Injuries sustained in the workplace due to employer negligence or unsafe working conditions.
Brain Injury Claims
Serious brain injuries requiring specialist legal support and long-term compensation planning.
Serious Personal Injury
Spinal injuries, amputations, fatal accidents, and other life-changing serious injury claims.
Military Claims
Hearing loss, tinnitus, and other injuries sustained during military service.
Tenant Deposit Claims
Tenancy deposit compensation claims where a landlord has failed to protect your deposit.
What happens if I lose my case?
In order to protect you against the risk of the defendant's legal costs if your claim loses, we take out an after the event insurance policy. We never ask you to pay for this premium at the beginning of your claim.
We take it out on your behalf and you only pay the premium if your claim is successful — and even then it is simply deducted from your compensation after the contribution towards legal costs has been deducted. The cost of any premium would be discussed with you prior to it being taken out.
Related Pages
Personal Injury
Our full range of personal injury services — serious injury, road traffic accidents, and more.
Legal Costs FAQs
How personal injury claims are funded and paid for — a plain English guide to legal costs.
Personal Injury Guides
Plain English guides to personal injury claims, road traffic accidents, and more.
Military Claims
Hearing loss, tinnitus, and other injuries sustained during military service.
Personal Injury FAQs
Common questions about serious injury claims, timescales, and compensation.
Tenants
Tenancy deposit disputes and tenant legal advice — no win no fee available.
FAQ Hub
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about no win no fee agreements, ATE insurance, and what to expect from your claim.
For more detailed questions about how personal injury claims are funded, see our Legal Costs FAQs.
More questions about legal costs?
Our Legal Costs FAQs page explains in detail how personal injury claims are funded and paid for.
Talk to an expert about your personal injury case
Call PDA Law today or complete our online contact form — we'll get back to you soon.
No obligation — no upfront costs — costs explained clearly before any work begins.