Below you will find a list of terms and their definitions which you may come across whilst using our Tribunal Fees Insurance website and in the wider world of After The Event Insurance (ATE Insurance).
ATE
After the Event Insurance. This is an insurance policy which is taken out AFTER an event (normally an accident) occurs. The risk of their being a claim on the policy is therefore greater than for a BTE policy and so higher premiums have to be charged.
Adverse Costs
The legal costs and expenses incurred by the opponent when defending a claim. Adverse costs have to be paid by the claimant if the case is lost unless they have an After the Event Insurance policy or Before the Event Insurance policy which covers them.
Blog
The outpourings of an individual about any subject under the sun. See http://tribunalfees.co.uk/blog by way of example
Broker
Someone who organises something on behalf of another - such as insurance.
CPD
Continued Professional Development - Lawyers are required to keep up with the law by attending courses throughout the year. Each course gives them points (1 per hour) and they have to rack up 16 each year.
Claimant
The person or company making a claim.
Claim
In this context, a claim is a legally permitted action by one person against another or against a company/organisation.
Deductable (see also Excess )
The amount the policy holder is required to pay out of each claim made. For the record, out ATE Insurance does not have this.
Deferred Premiums
A premium that is not payable until the case has completed.
Disbursements
Expenses a solicitor incurs on behalf of a client during the course of a claim. These expenses need to be paid by the client if they lose their case unless they are covered by an After the Event Insurance policy.
Excess (see also Deductable )
The amount the policy holder is required to pay out of each claim made. For the record, out ATE Insurance does not have this.
Fees
Normally referring to a solicitor's charges. Traditionally this was based on the amount of time they spent on the work but in some areas e.g. Personal Injury claims, these charges are often fixed by court rules.
FeeSafe
ATE Insurance policy provided by Box Legal for Employment Tribunal Fees.
Hold Harmless ATE Insurance
An illegal arrangement whereby a solicitor agrees with and insurer not to make claims in return for a large commission.
Insurer
Another name for the underwriter.
Interlocutory Application
A request to the court by either the claimant or the defendant to ask the court to decide some preliminary issue. Can relate to disclosure of documents, time frames , additional medical reports etc. Will often result in legal costs for one side, if claimant then they will have to pay unless insured with ATE cover.
Leeward Insurance Company Limited
One of the underwriters we use for ATE insurance. Leeward is run by Thomas Miller who also run the Bar Mutual Insurance scheme.
Litigant in Person
A non-solicitor representing themselves in Court i.e. someone pursuing their on case. Often happens in the Small Claims Court where solicitor fees are not recoverable.
Ministry of Justice
The Government Ministry which oversees the legal and justice system. They are in charge of the changes being put in place to Personal Injury claims following the Jackson Review.
No Win No Fee Basis
Personal Injury that require ATE insurance to be taken out to ensure costs are paid should you lose your case.
Own Disbursements
These are costs that are incurred by the claimant during their personal injury case and could include medical experts views
Policy
The piece of paper which confirms you are insured.
Premium
The cost of the insurance policy. Premiums are usually stated as including Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) which is a Government tax on all insurance, currently at 6%. After the Event Insurance premiums are often deferred i.e. you don’t have to pay for them at the beginning but at the end of your case. Our policies are all like this.
Referrer
A person or organisation who sends work to someone else – often a solicitor.
Underwriter
The insurer who backs the claim. We often use Leeward Insurance Company Limited.
Win
Defined in our policies as successfully recovering some legal costs
