Have you been charged a 100% success fee?

For many years a large number of personal injury solicitors have automatically charged their clients a 100% success fee with this money being deducted from the clients damages.

In April 2019 this was ruled to be unlawful.  Solicitors should normally only charge their clients a success fee that reflects the actual risks of the case.  For straightforward personal injury claims, such as simple road traffic accidents, an appropriate success fee might be no more than 15%.

If you have been charged a 100% success fee, you may well have been overcharged and be entitled to seek a refund.  It will normally be necessary to dispute the fees you have been charged within 12 months of your claim for damages settling (although the detailed rules concerning timescales are complicated).