04. How do I know what I will have to pay?

It is important to get a written estimate of all the likely costs from your solicitor before they start to work on your case.

Remember that a 'no-win, no-fee' agreement removes some of the uncertainty and financial risk of taking legal action, but it doesn't remove all of it. And remember that it's only an estimate. The final cost may be higher if, for example, the case takes longer than expected.

The Law Society, the professional organisation for all solicitors in England and Wales, has a model conditional-fee (no-win, no-fee) agreement, which many solicitors use as a basis for their own agreements for their clients. Ask your solicitor for a copy of their agreement to look at before you sign it. If there is anything in the agreement you don't understand, ask your solicitor to explain it to you.

If you win, you will pay:

• your own solicitor's basic charges;
• a success fee (if there is one); and
• any other fees (like expert witness or barrister's fees) that you or your solicitor had to pay.

If you lose, you will pay:

• expenses, such as court fees, disbursements and expert-witness fees;
• your opponent's legal fees, including their solicitor's basic charges and success fee (if there is one), and any insurance premium they have paid; and
• your opponent's disbursements (for example, expert's fees).