Preparing general funding questions before contacting a professional

Write down the questions, not a case narrative

Begin with the jurisdiction and the broad kind of funding question you want explained. For example, you may want to distinguish a CFA from a DBA or understand whether a quoted percentage includes insurance. You do not need to enter medical history, names of other parties, financial records or a detailed event chronology into this website to use the checklist.

Keep any private preparation notes in a place you control. When contacting a professional directly, ask how their initial enquiry process works and which documents, if any, they need at that stage. Do not assume a public contact form is the appropriate channel for confidential papers. This website has no case-document upload or merits questionnaire.

Check possible funding sources without self-certifying

Look for existing legal expenses insurance and ask the insurer about its actual terms. If you belong to a union or another membership organisation, ask it directly about available support. Record confirmed answers rather than assuming that membership or possession of a policy means a particular dispute is covered. Ask the proposed solicitor how these options interact with the new agreement.

GOV.UK explains legal aid for England and Wales and links separate rules for Scotland and Northern Ireland. The kind of problem and other conditions matter; this guide does not assess whether you qualify. Use the official route for your jurisdiction and obtain appropriate advice rather than reading a short website summary as an individual funding decision.

Take a structured list into the conversation

Ask the professional to identify the contracting firm, the responsible person and the relevant regulator. Then ask which work and stages the agreement covers and what is excluded. Request an explanation of the payment trigger, including settlement and partial success. Those answers establish the context needed before a percentage comparison can be meaningful.

Ask for a breakdown covering underlying fees, any success fee or recovery percentage, applicable VAT, insurance premiums and expenses. Include questions about other-side costs and what changes on loss, withdrawal or termination. If the firm gives a hypothetical example, ask it to label the assumptions and explain which amounts are uncertain rather than presenting an illustration as a prediction.

• What would I pay under each possible ending?
• Which amount does each percentage apply to?
• What is included, excluded or still unknown?
• Can I have the explanation and terms in writing?

Save the answers and know the limits of this site

Download the homepage TXT checklist before making contact; no name, phone number or calculation is needed. If you add worksheet figures, keep them hypothetical or taken from an explanation you already understand. The file is a question organiser, not a legal submission. Do not send it to this website with sensitive details added.

Our optional form requests contact about general information and is not a request for representation or a referral. It does not start a claim, establish eligibility or protect any deadline. Where timing may matter, seek individual advice directly and promptly from an appropriate professional. Keep the dated written answers so later decisions can be based on what was actually explained.