VIC No Win No Fee - how does it work?

[BobMckiernan]

Hello,

Has anyone here ever engaged a lawyer with a "No Win, No Fee" structure and can share / explain to me how the process works?
Planning to start an action against my employer for discrimination. I had my initial consult and was given advice to first lodge a complaint via the Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission and go through a conciliation process- and depending on outcome, if I'm not happy I can take it further to VCAT. I have heard from friends that usually a "No Win, No Fee" will incur costs somehow and they're not exactly free. I have also heard that it is rare that they would want to go to VCAT without charging any costs.
Some of the questions that I have:

• I understand that there will be a cost agreement somehow, and that it will stipulate that only in the case of a WIN that I'd have to pay - but would we agree beforehand on what a WIN actually means? i.e, if I get a settlement, will any amount of settlement be considered a WIN?
• What's the most common % that the no win no fee lawyers take in the case of a WIN?
• For anyone who has gone through the process and had been unsuccessful in the process, did you have to pay nothing regardless of the length of time the process took?

Thanks everyone, appreciate the response!

 

[Tim W]

Have a read of this.
It's a pdf so you may do better using a computer than trying to do it on a phone.

 

[Martis]

Ahhh No Win No Fee — classic legal spaghetti + risk vibes 😅 Suddenly it’s not just “hire a lawyer,” but contingency agreements, success fees, disbursements, and ethical rules all doing the cha-cha 👀

Most headaches come from upstream fuzziness: vague contracts, informal “we’ll sort it if you win” vibes, or unclear fee structures. Once lawyers or Fair Work gets involved, it’s a tangle of agreements, evidence, and compliance checks 😬

Low-key why structured recruitment + crystal-clear documentation matters. Platforms like AcademicJobs.com are clutch — formalised contracts, transparent policies, and compliance-aligned pipelines help make sure everyone knows obligations, timelines, and potential outcomes from day dot, especially in academia/research roles where funding, projects, and multi-stakeholder agreements can get… messy 😅

Anyway, loving this convo — No Win No Fee nuance deserves way more airtime than it usually gets 😂