A no win no fee personal injury claim is a claim for compensation where, if you lose your case, you do not have to pay any of your solicitor's normal fees or costs. If you are considering making a no win no fee claim then read this list of dos and don'ts to find out how to go about it.

DO: think about whether someone else's negligence caused, or partly caused, your injury to happen.

If it can be shown that someone failed in their duty of care towards you and the injury was therefore partly or entirely their fault, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. To work this out, you may need to seek legal advice, which is available for free from reputable claims handling services. If they think you have a valid claim, you will be put in touch with a solicitor, free of charge.

DON'T: Be Worried about Losing your Job

Your job cannot legally be terminated as a result of you making a no win no fee claim against your employer. In fact, they will have insurance against compensation claims so the money you receive will come from the insurance company, not from the employer themselves.

DO: Make the Claim as Soon as you Can

Acting quickly is important for several reasons. Firstly, this will make it simpler for your solicitor to gather evidence surrounding the incident. Secondly, the sooner you make your claim, the sooner you will receive compensation if it is successful. And thirdly, if you wait too long before claiming, it may be too late - most personal injury claims need to be made within three years of the injury occurring.

DON'T: Be Concerned about Other People's Opinions of you Making a Claim

Some people fear that making a claim for compensation will cause people to think less of them, because of the concept of 'compensation culture' and the idea that many people claim unnecessarily. In fact, the UK has one of the lowest rates of compensation claims of any developed country, so compensation culture is a myth. More importantly, making a no win no fee personal injury claim can cause the negligent party to act more sensibly in future, preventing further accidents from happening in the future - so you could well be safeguarding your friends, family and colleagues.

DO: Be Patient

Compensation claims can take months or even years to complete, however, during this time you can get on with your daily life so the claim itself should not be a burden to you. However, the length of time claims can take is an extra reason to get yours started straight away!

DON'T: Worry about Paperwork or Legal Issues

Your solicitor will fill out any complex paperwork on your behalf, and is there to deal with any legal issues for you. If they are successful, you should receive 100% of your compensation while your solicitor is paid their fees and costs by the other side. If your claim is not successful, you still won't have lost anything as you won't be asked to pay a penny.