Read the terms / understand the costs
The headline is not the whole funding arrangement. Understand the difference between a fee, an expense and an insurance premium before comparing written terms.
We provide independent general funding information only. We are not a law firm or claims management service. We do not represent you, assess claims, arrange referrals or have solicitor partners.
Work through your own numbers ↓01 / Name the arrangement
Our detailed funding explanations concern England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate legal systems; do not transfer these rules or percentages to an agreement there.
Under a CFA, some or all solicitor fees depend on success as defined in the contract. A success fee is an additional charge linked to the solicitor’s fees, not automatically a fixed percentage of every pound recovered.
Ask what counts as success and what happens on settlement, partial success, withdrawal or termination. The written definition matters more than an advert.
A DBA links payment to a percentage of money recovered. It is not interchangeable with a CFA. Ask which amount the percentage uses, what it includes and how any recovered costs are accounted for.
The SRA’s funding guide ↗ explains both arrangements and warns that “no fee” does not necessarily mean no costs.
02 / Arithmetic, not an award estimate
Enter a hypothetical total, the amount to which your chosen percentage applies, an all-in percentage and separate costs. The base may differ from the total. Use only figures you understand; a blank means unknown.
The worksheet multiplies your base by your rate, then adds separate costs and subtracts that sum from your total. Include any applicable VAT in your entered amounts; do not add it twice. Put insurance and expenses into separate costs only if not already included.
This does not calculate a statutory cap, interpret an agreement, predict damages or establish what you would receive. Inputs stay in this page and are not included in the enquiry.
Download works without figures or contact details. A negative remainder signals that your entered deductions exceed the illustrative total.
03 / A cap has a scope
For personal injury CFA proceedings at first instance in England and Wales, articles 4–5 of the Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013 ↗ prescribe a 25% success-fee cap against specified damages.
The specified categories are general damages for pain, suffering and loss of amenity, and pecuniary loss other than future pecuniary loss, net of sums recoverable by the Compensation Recovery Unit. Do not apply 25% to an undifferentiated total.
This concerns the success fee, not a promise that insurance, expenses and every other deduction fit inside the same figure. It is not the rule for every dispute, appeal, DBA or UK jurisdiction. Ask a solicitor to explain the applicable calculation, including VAT.
04 / Check independently
For England and Wales, use the SRA Solicitors Register ↗ to check the person and firm. Match names and contact details independently. A familiar logo or directory listing is not proof that an unexpected message is genuine.
Use the Law Society of Scotland or Law Society of Northern Ireland for their respective jurisdictions. Registration is not an endorsement of a fee proposal or a guarantee of results. We do not display a regulator badge or claim regulated legal-provider status.
Before choosing funding, check existing legal expenses insurance and any union support directly. GOV.UK’s legal aid overview ↗ explains England and Wales support and links separate Scottish and Northern Irish rules. This website does not assess eligibility.
Licensed illustrative workspace photography.
05 / Keep the comparison written
The Law Society’s payment guidance ↗ lists basic fees, success fees, premiums and disbursements. Compare these separately rather than choosing on one headline percentage.
Before signing
Ask what you might pay if you withdraw, change solicitor or the firm ends the agreement. Request the relevant clauses and a plain-English explanation. Do not assume an unsuccessful outcome and early termination have identical financial consequences.
Ask about the premium, excess, exclusions, payment trigger and other-side costs. Insurance is not a blanket guarantee. Confirm who pays expert, court and barrister fees under each outcome, including when an insurer declines cover.
Keep the dated proposal, all incorporated terms and the firm’s written answers. Ask for accessible documents if needed. If anything remains unclear, obtain independent professional advice before signing; do not send confidential papers to this information website.
06 / Your agreement question checklist
Take these prompts directly to the proposed solicitor. Keep each answer beside the relevant contract clause, with the date and version of the proposal. If a figure is not yet available, record how it will be calculated rather than assuming it is included.
Request an illustration using the same fictional figures for each proposal. A lower rate applied to a larger base can produce a different comparison from the headline alone. Check that separate expenses have not already been included in the percentage amount. Save the explanation with the full terms, not just the advert, and ask about the firm’s complaints route if the answers remain unclear. The downloadable TXT includes these themes without requiring registration.
Read without registering, save the checklist and contact an appropriate professional directly for individual advice. We provide no claim eligibility decision, time-limit calculation or outcome promise.
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