The World's Most Complete Guide to No Win No Fee Law
Comprehensive, authoritative legal information covering contingency fee arrangements in the United States and conditional fee agreements in the United Kingdom.
United States
Contingency fee arrangements, state-by-state regulations, and 25+ practice areas from personal injury to class actions and mass torts.
Explore US coverageUnited Kingdom
Conditional Fee Agreements, Damages-Based Agreements, QOCS, ATE insurance, and 20+ practice areas across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
Explore UK coverageUS Contingency Fee Topics
Key guides covering how contingency fees work, regulations, and major practice areas.
What Is a Contingency Fee?
How US contingency fees work
Personal Injury
Auto accidents, slip and fall claims
Medical Malpractice
Surgical errors, misdiagnosis
Car Accident
Motor vehicle collision claims
Workers' Compensation
Workplace injury claims
Class Action
Consumer and securities class actions
Wrongful Death
Fatal accident and survivor claims
Employment Law
Wrongful termination, discrimination
UK No Win No Fee Topics
Guides to Conditional Fee Agreements, QOCS, ATE insurance, and UK practice areas.
What Is No Win No Fee?
CFAs explained under LASPO 2012
Personal Injury
RTAs, slips, trips, workplace injuries
Medical Negligence
NHS and private treatment errors
Road Traffic Accidents
RTA portal and whiplash reform
Clinical Negligence
Clinical treatment failures
Employers' Liability
Workplace injuries and disease
Housing Disrepair
Landlord obligations, tenant rights
Employment Law
Unfair dismissal, discrimination
What Is No Win No Fee?
"No win no fee" is a broad term for legal funding arrangements where a client does not pay their lawyer's professional fees unless their case succeeds. It exists in various forms across common-law jurisdictions worldwide, but the two most developed systems are in the United States and the United Kingdom.
In the United States, this is known as a contingency fee agreement. The attorney agrees to represent the client in exchange for a percentage of the damages recovered — typically between 33% and 40%. If the case is lost, the attorney receives no fee, though the client may still be responsible for case costs such as court filing fees and expert witness charges.
In the United Kingdom, the equivalent arrangement is a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). Under a CFA, the solicitor charges their normal base costs plus a "success fee" — an uplift of up to 100% of those costs — only if the case wins. For personal injury claims, the success fee is capped at 25% of the damages awarded for pain, suffering, and loss of amenity. The UK also permits Damages-Based Agreements (DBAs), which work more like US contingency fees.
Both systems exist to ensure access to justice for people who cannot afford to pay legal fees upfront. However, the rules, regulations, caps, and cost consequences differ significantly between — and even within — each country.