Since legal aid for most personal injury claims was removed in 1998 with the introduction of the no win no fee scheme there have been a number of large compensation companies that have come and gone most notably Claims Direct and The Accident Group. Both of these businesses and quite a number of similar smaller businesses that also failed had a defective business model that was ineffective for quite a number of reasons one of which was that they failed to treat the client fairly. There were many horror stories about clients of a claims management company successfully claiming thousand of pounds yet receiving coppers at the conclusion of the matter.
In the main this style of claims management company no longer exists however the concept of No Win No Fee or Conditional Fee Agreement operated by most solicitors does allow for certain deductions to be made and may also require clients to contribute to the expenses as the claim progresses. Not all solicitors or compensation companies operate on the same basis with full compensation being paid with no deductions and great care should be taken when deciding which firm to allow to process your claim
There are serious problems with some compensation companies who may insist that you take out a personal loan approaching £2,000 to pay for expenses including payment of an insurance policy which is not needed in most cases. Some claims companies ask for a percentage of your compensation as a commission and many will attempt to interfere with the way in which your solicitor runs a claim for their own benefit. One pertinent question that does need to be asked relates to the massive television advertising campaigns run by some firms. Who pays for it? Right – You!
Umbrella Claims is one of the few compensation companies that is operated by qualified solicitors and is not a claims management company. We do not interfere with the way in which your personal solicitor deals with your matter. We are a case referral firm and we use our expertise gathered over 30 years to refer potential clients to extremely competent solicitors. We do not take pot luck in who we chose to act for our clients nor do we just refer you to any firm of high street solicitors that applies to join our panel. Our solicitor panel members are scrutinised for their expertise and ability and they are hand picked. We do not sell you insurance or loans and neither do our recommended lawyers. We do not ask for payment upfront for anything and we do not expect any contribution for the cost of expenses or disbursements. We only recommend solicitors who pay compensation in full with no deductions.
Umbrella Claims is a specialist organisation that deals exclusively with accident compensation claims on a No Win No Fee basis. Win or lose there is no charge*. This means that you never have to pay anything to us or our personal injury solicitors. All compensation received of whatever nature is paid to you in full without any deduction whatsoever - absolutely guaranteed. We will minimalise any inconvenience to you and we offer free advice without obligation from some of the best lawyers in the business. We ensure that our client’s interests are a priority and our lawyers deal with claims in a friendly, efficient and competent manner to ensure that you get the compensation that you deserve in the shortest time scale possible.