We understand that affordability is a concern for anyone needing the services of a lawyer. We pride ourselves on providing good value for money to all our clients - whether private individuals or large organisations - and are experienced at tailoring our services to suit clients’ budgets.
Depending on the type of case, Bindmans can offer a range of funding options - from ‘no win, no fee’ to fixed fees, to legal aid and legal expenses insurance. We will discuss these options with you at the outset, and whatever funding method you choose, we will be fully transparent about costs and keep you informed all the way through. Some of our departments also offer a free initial consultation or assessment of your case.
We offer the following funding arrangements:
Paying for yourself
A large and growing number of our clients pay us directly for the legal advice we provide them. In all cases we take great care in assessing client needs and we will advise you from the outset as to the likely cost. We will keep you informed of progress throughout your case and let you know immediately if we have to revise the estimate of costs that we have given you. We will bill you at regular intervals so that you can track the costs that are being incurred on your behalf and we have a number of options for making payment, including the use of credit cards.
Legal advice can seem very expensive but we are confident that our team of leading experts provides great value for the costs incurred.
Legal expenses insurance
Many household and motor insurance policies include cover for legal costs. It may be worth checking the policy wording of your existing insurances before your first appointment to find out if this is an option in your case.
Legal aid
In some areas, we can act on legal aid, which means that the cost of your case is wholly or partly paid for from public funds. Legal aid is only available to those with limited means and with the approval of the Legal Aid Agency (the government body which runs the scheme). However, different rules apply for criminal cases, child abduction and care cases. Your solicitor will explain how the Legal Aid schemes work and whether you are eligible. Please click here for the legal aid eligibility calculator.
Flexible funding
For businesses and other organisations, we can offer a raft of flexible funding arrangements, tailored to your needs. These range from fixed fees, to menu pricing, to banded fee arrangements.
No win no fee
For some cases, we may be able to offer a 'no win, no fee' - or conditional fee - agreement. This is a way of funding a case without running the risk of facing big legal bills if you lose.
With a conditional fee agreement, Bindmans would agree not to charge you if you lost your case. If you won, we would charge a higher-than-usual fee - but this would be paid by your opponent, rather than you.
Conditional fees are often used alongside a special insurance policy, called ‘after-the-event’ cover, which protects you from having to pay your opponent’s costs if you lose. Bindmans can advise on whether your case is suitable for a conditional fee and how to find the best insurance policy.
