If you’ve suffered an injury in a public place accident, you might be eligible to claim compensation. However, you might be concerned about the cost of making a public liability claim. In this guide, we are going to look at how you could fund the services of a personal injury solicitor to support your public liability injury claim.
In order to have good grounds to make a claim for public liability compensation, you must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- You must have evidence that proves you were owed a duty of care as set under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. This means that a person or organisation needs to ensure that you are reasonably safe while you are in a space where they have some control or you are using one of their services.
- There was a breach in this duty of care.
- You suffered an injury as a result of this breach.
A member of our advisory team can answer any questions you have about filing a claim as well as provide advice about what to do if you suffer an injury in an accident in a public space. Additionally, they can give you a free consultation and check whether you have valid grounds to claim.
To discuss your potential public liability compensation claim with a team member:
- Fill out our ‘contact us‘ form, and an advisor will call you back.
- Call 0333 000 0729
- Ask your question in our live chat.
Find out about the potential cost of making a public liability claim.
Select A Section
- The Cost Of Making A Public Liability Claim
- What Solicitor Fees Could You Have To Pay?
- Are There Other Ways To Fund My Claim?
- Are There Any Costs For Me To Pay In A No Win No Fee Claim?
- Contact Us To Find Out More About The Cost Of Making A Public Liability Claim
- Public Liability Claims Resources
The Cost Of Making A Public Liability Claim
It should be noted that it is not necessary to have a solicitor present your case. However, having legal support can make the public liability insurance claims process easier for you.
One way you can have legal representation is by instructing a No Win No Fee solicitor to work on your personal injury claim. A solicitor specialising in public liability claims can help you with:
- Stating your intention to make a public liability accident claim.
- Filing any important documents within the time limit.
- Providing updates on your compensation claim for a public liability injury.
- Ensuring that all your injuries are accounted for and accurately valued and making sure that all your incurred expenses are included within your claim for public liability compensation.
- Gathering evidence that supports your compensation claim.
How Can A No Win No Fee Agreement Benefit Me?
The No Win No Fee solicitors from our panel will generally offer their services under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). When making a claim for compensation with the support of a No Win No Fee solicitor, you will benefit from:
- No upfront payments for your solicitor’s work on your case.
- Not having to pay solicitor’s fees as your case progresses.
- If your claim fails and you are not awarded compensation for your public injury, your solicitor will not charge you for the services they provided.
Please direct any questions you have about the cost of making a public liability claim to a member of our advisory team.
Make a No Win No Fee public liability claim.
There is a time limit in place on a public liability claim for injuries sustained. Generally, you have three years to initiate court proceedings from the date the injuries were suffered. You may wish to have legal representation to help you with the public liability insurance claim process. As we move through this guide, we are going to look at what costs could be involved.
What Solicitor Fees Could You Have To Pay?
As part of the CFA our panel of solicitors offer they can collect a fee should your claim for an accident in a public place have a positive outcome. This is what is known as a ‘success fee’.
As ‘No Win No Fee’ suggests, the success fee only becomes payable if you are awarded compensation following a successful claim. Your solicitor will deduct the success fee directly from your compensation, so you will not need to worry about paying it. As stated above, you will not need to pay for your solicitor’s work on your case if your claim is not successful.
Additionally, the Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013 places a cap on the percentage that can be taken as a success fee by the solicitor. The CFA allows for it to be up to 25 per cent. If one of the solicitors from our panel agrees to represent your case, they will discuss what percentage will be deducted from your compensation with you.
Speak with our advisory team to learn more about claiming compensation with the support of one of the No Win No Fee solicitors from our panel. They can also provide you with free advice about claiming for an accident in a public place.
Are There Other Ways To Fund My Claim?
If you are worried about the costs associated with legal representation when making a compensation claim if an accident occurred in a public place and caused you an injury, there may be other ways to fund a solicitor These include:
- Trade Unions: if you belong to a trade union, your membership package may include personal injury legal representation. This may also include free legal services for your family members. For example, if your child was injured in a public park accident and you would like to make a compensation claim on their behalf, legal representation fees associated with child accident claims may be covered by your trade union. To find out if you are covered for solicitor costs related to making a public liability claim, speak to your union representative.
- Legal Protection Insurance: This may be included as part of your home insurance policy or as a credit card perk.
- Legal Aid: In some circumstances, you may qualify for Legal Aid. However, these are limited. Your solicitor can check to see if you are eligible for Legal Aid.
One of the advisors from our team can discuss funding a solicitor with you. Additionally, you can also have the grounds for your claim checked and if eligible, you could be connected to one of the No Win No Fee solicitors from our panel.
Costs related to making a public liability injury claim.
Are There Any Costs For Me To Pay In A No Win No Fee Claim?
You may wonder if there are any hidden costs when you make a compensation claim with the support of one of the No Win No Fee solicitors from our panel. No Win No Fee means that you won’t be asked to pay anything upfront or as your claim is ongoing for the services your solicitor will provide when representing you under a Conditional Fee Agreement. However, there are a few items you should be aware:
Insurance Costs
When working with a No Win No Fee solicitor, they may take out ‘after-the-event’ insurance (ATE). This is insurance that covers the costs associated with litigation. It can cover expenses related to reports and further investigations, court fees and other legal fees if your public liability claim is not successful.
You will not be asked to pay for this insurance upfront. However, the cost will be deducted from your compensation.
Experts Fees
When seeking compensation, you may need to submit accident or medical reports. For example, an independent medical exam can help determine the severity of your injury and what impact it will have on your life. Knowing this information is vital when working out the value of your claim.
If you are claiming with the support of a solicitor under a CFA, the cost will usually be covered. If the defendant is found liable, your solicitor may arrange for the defendant to meet these costs.
Paying Court Costs
You maybe responsible for covering court costs if your claim does not succeed. If you took out ATE this may be covered by the insurance policy. The defendant’s public liability insurance may cover their court costs if your claim succeeds. Public liability insurance cover is generally not a legal requirement for businesses, unlike employers liability insurance. If an accident occurred caused by a breach of duty that caused a member of the public to be injured, the public liability insurance cover would pay out compensation if a claim was successful.
Public liability cover to compensate third party claims.
If you have any questions about public liability claims, please contact a team member.
Contact Us To Find Out More About The Cost Of Making A Public Liability Claim
Our advisors are here to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You could be connected to one of the solicitors on our panel if you meet the eligibility criteria to claim for an accident in a public place. If a solicitor from our panel agrees to represent you, they will do so under the terms of a CFA.
To speak to a member of the team:
- Fill out our contact us form and an advisor will call you back to discuss the details of your public liability accident.
- Call 0333 000 0729
- Ask your question in our live chat.
Make a public liability compensation claim with the support of a No Win No Fee solicitor.
Public Liability Claims Resources
Here are a few more guides about making public liability claims:
- Guidance on public liability claim payouts with information about how your claim will be calculated.
- Information on how much compensation for claims against the council with a look at eligibility criteria and examples of evidence.
- Guidance about recovering your loss of earnings as part of your public liability injury claim.
A few external websites that you might find useful:
- NHS guidance on first aid and what to do if someone is injured.
- Government information about court and tribunal fees with information about how to pay these.
- Guidance on fixed court costs from the Courts and Tribunals Services.
If you have any further questions about the cost of making a public liability claim, please speak to the Legal Helpline team.
