A lawyer turned me away.
They had a reason. It’s the same reason for almost every at-fault call they decline.
Most NSW compensation lawyers work on contingency — they get paid a percentage of any damages settlement. For at-fault drivers, the damages pool is restricted by law, so the maths doesn’t work for them. That’s the reason behind almost every ‘you don’t have a case’ phone call. It isn’t the same as nothing being on the table for you.
Why the call ended the way it did.
You rang. You explained the crash, said you were at fault or partly at fault, said you were hurt. There was a pause. A polite version of “unfortunately we can’t help with that one.” Maybe a suggestion to ring around or just take it on the chin.
Here’s what was actually being decided on the other end of the call. NSW compensation firms run on contingency — they get paid a percentage of a damages settlement at the end of the matter. The maths only works if there’s a damages pool big enough to fund the work and leave a fee.
For an at-fault driver under NSW law, damages are restricted. There’s often no lump-sum pool worth a firm running for a percentage of. The firm’s screening question is essentially: “Will there be enough at the end to fund our work?” For at-fault files, the answer is usually no. So the call ends.
The firm isn’t saying “there’s nothing for you.” They’re saying “there’s nothing for us.” Those are very different statements.
The bit the screening call doesn’t mention.
The 52 weeks of statutory benefits is built into NSW law. It runs whether anyone’s representing you on a damages claim or not. It just usually needs someone to actually drive it.
Income support, weekly
Based on your pre-accident earnings. Paid straight into your account. Up to 95% of your income for the first 13 weeks; up to 80% after that. Runs for up to 52 weeks for most at-fault claimants.
Medical, rehab, psych
GP, specialist, imaging, surgery, physio, OT, psychologist sessions — all paid directly. No excess. No reimbursement queue. Treatment runs the same regardless of whose fault the crash was.
Return-to-work support
Graduated return plans, modified duties, retraining where it’s needed. Coordinated between your employer, your treating team, and the insurer. Done properly so the return is a real one.
We don’t take a cut of your damages.
The reason we can take the calls compensation lawyers turn away comes down to how we’re structured. We don’t depend on a contingency percentage of a damages settlement to fund the work. Statutory benefits claims are funded by the CTP insurer; legal costs on damages are regulated under MAIA 2017 and typically paid by the insurer rather than coming out of your settlement.
Practical version: the statutory benefits you’re entitled to don’t shrink because we’re working your file. The 95% pre-accident income payment is still 95% by the time it lands in your account. The treatment is still paid in full. We don’t skim a percentage off the top.
That structural difference is what lets us pick up the phone for files that don’t fit a contingency model. It’s also why we don’t mind that some lawyers refer their at-fault declines our way. The two models can co-exist — they just answer different questions.
Rung two or three places already?
Plenty of the people we end up helping rang somewhere else first. One short call is enough to know whether this is one of the ones being filtered or one without an entitlement.
A short list so the first conversation is useful.
You don’t need a folder of paperwork to ring us. The first call is mostly about hearing what happened in your own words. But if any of the following are easy to find, they speed things up:
- The date of the crash and roughly where it happened.
- The other driver’s details if you got them — name, phone, rego, insurer.
- The police event number if police attended.
- Photos of the scene or the damage if you took any.
- Any letters or emails from the insurer already, or the other lawyer.
- What you’ve been told so far, by whom, and roughly when.
If none of that’s to hand, ring us anyway. We’d rather hear from you sooner than later — these things are easier to sort out in the first weeks than the first months.
The questions people ring with after a lawyer has said no.
Keep reading
At fault — the full picture
The pillar page. The whole at-fault topic, including the 52-week framework and the damages question.
Read moreStatutory benefits explained
What the 52 weeks actually covers — income, medical, rehab, transport, psychological support.
Read moreAbout Accident Hub
How we’re structured and why it lets us pick up calls compensation lawyers turn away.
Read moreTurned away in your area? We pick up.
The firms that say no to at-fault calls do it everywhere. We cover people right across NSW — find your area, or just call us.
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Had a car accident? Call Accident Hub.
If you’ve been told no somewhere else, ring us anyway. One call is enough to know whether the 52 weeks of benefits applies in your case.
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