Unfair dismissal “no win, no fee” — are you searching for help that could actually harm your case?
- William Slivinsky
- Oct 18
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 19
“No win, no fee” isn’t “risk-free.” Getting the deal often means paying for “analysis” first, there’s no guarantee you’ll be offered it, and what you do get instead may very likely be an over-sold promise. Here’s the bare truth: while you’re chasing a funding deal, you can miss deadlines or lose a good early settlement.
This UDO step-by-step guide shows you how to find a fair no-win-no-fee deal and what to do first to protect your case. We’ll cover non-compliant ads, paid quotes designed to drain your pocket, and unfair terms that push disproportionate risk onto you.
We don’t trash no-win-no-fee entirely. These deals can help with cash-flow — but they can also be risky, damaging to your case, and more expensive than hourly rates in many situations.
Unfair dismissal “no win, no fee” — protect your claim (before funding talks)
Do these immediately after dismissal:
Start ACAS Early Conciliation — it stops the clock on your tribunal deadline.
File an internal appeal (if applicable) — it can fix process errors and improve settlement prospects.
Chasing a no-win-no-fee deal before you’ve done those two is the worst order: you risk burning time, paying for “assessments,” and still being told “no NWNF for you.”
Deadline reminder: Most unfair dismissal claims have a 3 months less one day limit from the effective date of termination (clock paused during ACAS EC). Don’t let funding admin make you miss it.
Looking for such deal can also damange your confirdence, waste your crucial time, and even drwan your pokect even more than your dismissal itself. In this series UDO expains you everything you should no about no-win-no-fee contracts.
Before you pay for any “initial advice,” check what might be deducted from your award and whether your case actually qualifies. The SRA’s own guide makes the point: these deals can still involve costs and you should ask specific questions before you sign.
Here’s the problem I see all the time: some solicitor firms or claims-management companies promise “no win, no fee for all” in ads or during a free 30-minute chat. Then, to “confirm” you qualify, they ask you to pay for a case review — often hundreds of pounds — and at the end tell you your case isn’t suitable for no win, no fee. So instead of getting a funding deal, you’re out of pocket. In this article, I’ll show you what to look for in no win, no fee contracts, how to check if you truly qualify, and how to avoid paying for nothing.
Unfair dismissal no win no fee — What you will lear
How to spot the hype: protect your confidence and your money.
How to spot the hype: protect your confidence and your money.
Big NO WIN NO FEE promises are easy to make. What’s harder to see is the small print. I don’t want you paying for a “consultation” in the hope of getting a deal, only to be told no ! or even worse — offered a deal that quietly puts most of the risk on you.
The issue we are seeing all too often is an advert that over-promotes the term "no win no fee," usually coupled with "only" and a free 30-60 minute consultation. The thing is that in the majority of cases, it is you who types "unfair dismissal no win no fee" into the Google search box and trusts whatever you see first.
There are two key elements you should be fully aware of. The first one is that offering you an actual no win no fee contract is not a favor—you are actually waiving a large part of your potential award, as high as up to 35%. Secondly, it is not risk-free—you may still need to pay even if you lose or pay on top of the 35%.
Numerous advertisements I have encountered do not truly provide no win no fee agreements. Instead, they use this label to market paid case analyses, which often result in no benefit for the client. The advertisement shown above exemplifies this misleading promotion.
If you pay for case analyses and get a negative result, it doesn't mean your case is weak or that you should give up. Getting a "no" can definitely shake your confidence. The reality is that the advertiser benefits when you get turned down, leaving you with nothing and feeling less confident. That's why it's crucial to think carefully about who you trust with your case and why.
The SRA has issued a fresh warning: solicitors must act with integrity and meet the professional standards the public expects. They’re worried that some firms—and the third parties sourcing claims for them—are making unsolicited approaches (including cold calls and door-knocking) in breach of the rules, especially in high-volume consumer claims. They also say the risks of “no win, no fee” aren’t always made clear in marketing. This warning notice targets those practices now, with more guidance likely to follow on other aspects of high-volume claims work.
Read the full warning here: https://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/guidance/marketing-public/.
The other stypical frame of misleading promise is something like this:
Another noncompliant Ad!
What is ‘no win no fee’?
‘No win no fee’ means just that: if you are not ‘successful’ with your claim then you will not have to pay us any fees, and that one of our specialist no win no fee employment law solicitors will deal with your case.
‘Success‘ normally means:
Winning your Employment Tribunal claim against your (former) employer or
An agreed settlement
What we do have above is a huge misleading understatement and over promoting the "no win no fee" contracts. Those deals are not risk free and those not always totally free or payable only on success.
There are definitely two key costs you should be aware of. Barrister’s fees – brief fee, refreshers, advice on merits mid way or just before the final hearing, also payable on no win. And, Expert reports – medical/occupational health, tech/accounting experts.
On top of these you can face termination fees. What it means, If you stop engaging no win no fee provider can cancel the contract because they say you didn’t co-operate), usually issuing a bill to you for what they’ve done so far — their time (“base costs”) and any expenses (barrister, experts, etc.). What you have to consider is changing circumstances, you could become ill, disabled otherwise mentally impaired, or simple your personal circustances have chage so dramatically that you connot continue. Disclosure clause:
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