Choosing a lawyer to help you with your personal injury claim can be a daunting process, particularly if it’s your first time seeking any legal representation. At Redlich’s, we want to take the guesswork out of legal costs so you can make the best decision for you and your loved ones.
What are legal costs?
Legal costs are the costs incurred by the law firm in the preparation and conduct of your personal injury claim. Legal costs are made up of two components: professional fees and disbursements.
Professional fees
This is the time the lawyer has spent working on your case, as well as the time of the legal assistants and/or paralegals who have assisted in the preparation of your claim.
Disbursements
Disbursements are expenses that third parties charge the law firm to access your information or to progress your claim. Examples of disbursements include the cost of medical reports, medical records, barrister fees, court fees, freedom of information fees and many others.
What does No Win, No Fee mean?
Engaging a lawyer on a No Win, No Fee basis has become common practice in Victoria, particularly in relation to claims for compensation after suffering a personal injury. No Win, No Fee typically means that you do not pay professional fees unless your claim is successful.
What is an uplift fee?
It is important to be aware that law firms that offer No Win, No Fee services are allowed to charge an additional fee on top of your professional fees if your claim is successful. This is known as an uplift fee.
An uplift fee is intended to compensate the law firm for taking on the risk that they will not be paid if your claim is unsuccessful. In Victoria, an uplift fee can be up to 25% of the professional fees charged for your case.
Unlike many other No Win, No Fee firms in Victoria, we do not charge an uplift fee and you can read more about this below.
What will I pay at Redlich’s?
No Win, No Fee service
We offer a No Win, No Fee service for personal injury claims. Our No Win, No Fee service means that we will not charge you any professional fees if your claim is unsuccessful.
It is important to us that we take the time to ensure you understand your costs estimate and answer all of your questions before you sign a costs agreement.
We keep you informed of your costs as your matter progresses so that there are no surprises at the end of your case. We only charge you for the work that is done on your file.
No uplift fee
At Redlich’s, we do not charge an uplift fee and aim to keep our costs low because we stand by our commitment to see you receive the majority of your compensation.
