Have you been treated badly at work? Do you wish to make a claim against your employers in order to get the compensation you deserve? This is all well and good, but what happens if you can’t afford to make a claim? The thought of solicitors’ fees and charges for going through the claims process can put would-be claimants off the idea of taking legal action entirely, leaving many people that access to justice for purely financial reasons. Fortunately, there are ways to make an employment law claim without shelling out any of your own money: one way is to claim using any legal expenses insurance you may have, and the other is to make a claim under a no win no fee agreement.
What Is An Employment Law Claim?
A compensation claim can be made when you feel you have been treated badly at work, and this can involve all kinds of workplace disputes, from unfair dismissal and various types of discrimination to harassment and victimisation. If, for example, you feel you have been discriminated against due to your race, gender, age or disability, you are within your rights to make a claim. For your best chance of making a successful employment law claim, you should choose a solicitor who experience in this area of law who specialises in these kinds of cases. All solicitors are regulated by the Law Society as well as offering extensive professional indemnity insurance against any risk of negligence.
How Do No Win No Fee Agreements Work?
Also referred to as Conditional Fee Agreements, no win no fee is exactly what is sounds like; your lawyer doesn’t receive any legal fees for representing you unless your case is successful. It’s also worth noting that, in general, solicitors won’t take on a case if they don’t think there is enough evidence to win and get the financial compensation. In the case of a successful case, the defendant (such as the organisation you work or worked for) will normally be expected to pay some form of compensation, out of which the solicitor will take their fees. If, for some reason, the case is unsuccessful, you won’t be charged for the lawyer’s fees.
Your Next Steps
So, if you have an employment compensation claim that you’d like to make on a no win no fee basis, contact a local solicitor today. You will need to do some research beforehand, however, as not all law firms will offer no win no fee agreements in connection with employment law claims. Many law firms offer some form of free initial advice over the phone. However, when it comes to no win no fee cases, they will need to decide whether you have a good chance at winning, so it’s important to take as much information (that could be used as evidence) as possible at an early stage. Once the case has been reviewed and accepted, your solicitor will inform you of what happens next, as well as how the financial side of your claim will work in more detail.
Tim Bishop is senior partner of Bonallack and Bishop, specialist no win no fee solicitors. For help with making a no win no fee claim, call their team on 01722 422300 or visit their specialist website at http://www.thenowinnofeesolicitor.co.uk.
