Private Fee Agreements 

How we calculate our standard fees:

We determine these fees for each hour spent on your case. Routine letters and phone calls are billed in increments of one-tenth of an hour. For other letters and phone calls, charges are based on the time spent.

Our hourly rates are as follows: [excluding VAT at 20%]

1. Solicitors with more than eight years of post-qualification experience, including at least eight years of litigation experience, are charged at £280.00 per hour.
2. Solicitors and legal executives with over four years of post-qualification experience, including at least four years of litigation experience, are charged at £250.00  per hour.
3. Other solicitors, legal executives, and fee earners with equivalent experience are charged at £180.00 per hour.
4. Trainee solicitors, paralegals, and other fee earners have a rate of £130.00 per hour.

Fixed Fee Agreements

At our firm, we may offer a fixed fee arrangement as an alternative to the traditional hourly billing method. This approach provides you with a predetermined cost for each stage of your legal work, irrespective of the time involved. It ensures that you have cost certainty and allows you to effectively budget for your legal expenses. 

Additionally, it ensures that you, as a client, are not billed for every minute of our time, including tasks such as document review, phone calls, or drafting complex materials.

In cases where your legal matter might be time-consuming, we can agree on a fixed fee that clearly outlines the cost for a specific scope of work. This approach benefits you by providing predictability in your legal expenses and helps us, as your solicitors, manage your expectations while defining the scope of services we'll provide. 

However, it's important to note that, like any business, we need to generate profits. Therefore, our fixed fees are typically set at rates comparable to the average income received for similar work, with a margin to account for potential risks.

Despite the potentially higher cost, you gain the advantage of knowing your expenditure upfront, making it a valuable option. If you'd like to explore fixed fees further, please click here for more information.

Several home and car insurance policies in the United Kingdom often provide coverage for legal expenses. It could be beneficial to review the terms and conditions of your current insurance policies before your initial appointment to determine whether this option applies to your situation.

Before your first meeting, it's a good idea to examine the details of your existing insurance policies, as many of them in the UK typically offer protection for legal fees. This simple precaution can help you determine whether you have this coverage available for your specific circumstances.

If your case has an 80% chance of success and your opponent is financially sound, you might be able to cover all the legal expenses of the lawsuit using a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) or a Damages Based Agreement (DBA). These are commonly referred to as 'no win, no fee' arrangements if your claim succeeds.

Under a Conditional Fee Agreement with OJN Solicitors, we will only receive payment if your claim is successful. In addition to our basic fee, we'll be entitled to a success fee. Typically, the losing party covers the basic fee, either in full or in part, while the successful party covers the success fee. Other costs, such as court fees or fees for medical reports, are called disbursements. 

Usually, the losing party is responsible for paying all or part of these costs. You are responsible for paying OJN Solicitors for any costs not awarded against the losing party.

With a Damages Based Agreement from OJN Solicitors, we will also only receive payment if your claim is successful. However, unlike a Conditional Fee Agreement, our fee is a percentage of the damages (compensation) you receive if the case succeeds. Depending on the nature of your case, this percentage could range from 25% to 50% of the damages awarded. 

Nonetheless, we will still seek to recover the basic fee and disbursements from the losing party as usual. You will need to cover any shortfall between the basic fee paid by the losing party and the agreed Damages Based Agreement fee from the damages awarded.

If your claim is unsuccessful, you won't have to pay OJN Solicitors, but you may still be liable for the costs of the successful party (the other side). Additionally, you will need to cover any other incurred costs, such as court fees or fees for medical reports, which are known as disbursements. 

However, we may be able to help you arrange insurance to mitigate this risk. This insurance is referred to as 'after the event' insurance, and you may need to pay the insurance premium.