Ian Stockley
This review was submitted by a verified client of Wolferstans.
A bit more research needed on success fees, I question the ethics of the practise
Wolferstans Solicitors are good at what they do, the individual solicitors and paralegals are very good at their jobs, however what I found disappointing was mainly down to hindsight. This is a Plymouth based practice so they are well versed in Naval and Military clientele, which is why after initial browsing online I chose them, possibly a champion for military personnel. Once I had progressed my claim and then all the fees, ie Success Fees are taken off you, it feels a bit grubby. I realise that I signed up knowingly but as said if I had researched a bit more, I find that there are solicitors more in line with the military covenant who give you 100% of the compensation. I think the practice of solicitors 'limiting" ( how nice of them !!! ) the success fee to 25% of the compensation is entirely greedy and cynical. After all, they have claimed all of their costs and expert fees etc from the losing side, so why is there a need to punish the client who needs that compensation for medical needs? I realise that its common practise but that does not make it ethically sound, especially considering that other solicitors firms do not take a success fee, and give you 100% of compensation, don't military and blue light personnel deserve this? We don't hold back 25% of our services to you.
Legal experts tagged in
this review
A representative from Wolferstans responded to this review
Hi Ian, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We are sorry to hear that you feel disappointed about this aspect of your experience. As you’ve mentioned, our firm is always transparent from the outset about how our fees work. We typically act under a Conditional Fee Agreement (“No Win, No Fee”), which means that if a claim is successful a success fee is deducted from the compensation recovered. This fee is capped by law and is clearly explained in our client care documentation before a client decides whether to proceed. Of course, as the name suggests, if we are unsuccessful we take the risk of receiving no fee for the work invested. We appreciate that different firms may structure their arrangements in different ways, including some schemes that apply to members of the Armed Forces. However, our approach reflects the work, risk and specialist expertise involved in pursuing these claims. We are very grateful to those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and we are sorry that this element of the process has left you feeling dissatisfied. Please rest assured that feedback is always taken seriously and helps us continue improving the service we provide to our Armed Forces community. Kind regards, Wolferstans LLP.
