Understanding the Church of England Redress Scheme No Win No Fee Service
Many people searching for "Church of England redress scheme no win no fee" are really asking a simple question:
“Will I have to pay legal fees, or lose part of my compensation, if I ask a solicitor for help?”
The good news is that the Church of England Redress Scheme has been designed differently from a traditional no win, no fee claim. Under the scheme, legal costs are dealt with separately from any compensation award. This means that solicitor's fees are not taken from the compensation awarded to you through the scheme.
For many survivors, this removes one of the biggest worries about seeking legal advice. You can get support and guidance through the application process without having to sacrifice part of any compensation you may receive.
The Church of England Redress Scheme is funded by the Church, through the Archbishops' Council. As part of those arrangements, legal costs are handled separately from compensation payments, allowing survivors to access specialist advice without the concerns that often arise in other types of compensation claim.
Where this comes from in the rules
The arrangement that pays your solicitor sits in Section 23 of the Abuse Redress Measure (the law Parliament passed to set up the scheme). In plain terms: Parliament built the cost of legal advice into the scheme itself, so money worries would not stop a survivor coming forward. The full wording and how the payment works live on our legal costs page.
How Is the Church of England Redress Scheme Different from a No Win, No Fee Claim?
Many people have heard of "no win, no fee" agreements and assume the Church of England Redress Scheme works in the same way. In fact, it is quite different.
In a traditional compensation claim, legal costs are usually dealt with through a separate agreement between the client and their solicitor. Depending on the arrangement, some legal costs may be deducted from compensation if a claim is successful.
The Church of England Redress Scheme has been designed differently. Legal costs and compensation are treated as two separate things.
If you choose to instruct Winston Solicitors to help with your application, your solicitor's fees are dealt with through the scheme's funding arrangements and are not taken from any compensation awarded to you. For survivors, the key point is simple - seeking legal advice through the scheme should not reduce the compensation you receive.
Coming Soon! Church of England Redress Scheme Compensation Calculator
If you are curious about what a future award might look like, our compensation calculator will provide a private estimate based on the statutory tables. It asks for no contact details, stores no information and runs entirely in your browser.
Using the calculator does not affect any future application.
Who Pays the Solicitor's Fees?
The Church of England Redress Scheme includes provisions for legal costs to be paid separately from compensation awards.
This means that your compensation and your solicitor's fees follow different routes. Any compensation awarded through the scheme is paid to you, while legal costs are dealt with separately through the scheme's funding arrangements.
For many survivors, this provides reassurance that they can access specialist legal support without worrying about how that advice will be funded or whether it will reduce their compensation.
Where Church of England no win no fee comes from in the rules
This funding route is set out in Section 23 of the Abuse Redress Measure. In plain terms: the Measure authorises payment to your solicitor regardless of whether your application or appeal succeeds, which removes the structural reason a traditional no-win-no-fee agreement exists. The detailed mechanics, including the full text of Section 23 of the Abuse Redress Measure, live on our legal costs page.
Keeping the Full Amount of Your Compensation
One of the questions we are asked most often is whether legal fees will be taken from a compensation award.
Under the Church of England Redress Scheme, solicitor's fees are handled separately. This means that any compensation awarded to you is not reduced by legal costs. For survivors, the important point is simple: seeking legal advice should not mean giving up part of your compensation.
Where compensation and fees come from in the rules
The amount of your award is set by the five-step Schedule 1 calculation in the scheme rules. In plain terms: Schedule 1 is the table the scheme uses to decide what a claim is worth, and the number that comes out of it is the number you receive in full.
This is different from a civil claim. In a civil claim, the solicitor’s fees and costs usually come out of the settlement before the rest reaches you. Under the redress scheme, the two stay completely separate.
Is there a Catch to the Church of England Redress Scheme?
There is no catch. The Archbishops’ Council funds the scheme and pays your lawyers on a separate track from your compensation. The two never touch. If you want to check for yourself, ask us. We will explain how we are appointed, how we are paid, and what the client care letter says about fees. Nothing is hidden from you.
Our duty is to you. We are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and that duty does not bend because of who writes the cheque. If a redress offer is too low, we will say so. In addition, if we think that the scheme has got something wrong, including with the aggravating factors, we will appeal on your behalf.
Where aggravating factors come from in the rules
Aggravating factors are listed in Rule 12 of the Abuse Redress Rules 2025. In plain terms: Rule 12 sets out the things that can push an award higher, such as how the abuse was handled afterwards, and we will challenge a decision that ignores them.
How to instruct Winston Solicitors at no cost to you
If you decide to go ahead with a claim under the scheme, the steps are simple and free at every stage.
- Book a free first conversation. We listen, we explain the scheme in plain English, and we tell you honestly whether we think you have a claim.
- Check your eligibility together. We work through the scheme criteria with you and confirm the next step before any paperwork starts. This includes checking that what happened to you fits the scheme’s definition of abuse.
- Authorise us to act for you. You sign a client care letter that says, in writing, that you will not be charged. Our fees go to the Archbishops’ Council, not to you.
- Build your claim with our support. We gather the records, draft the witness statement, and submit the application for you.
- Receive your award in full.
Where this comes from in the rules
The definitions of abuse the scheme uses are set out in Rule 2 of the Abuse Redress Rules 2025. In plain terms: Rule 2 lists the kinds of abuse the scheme covers, and step 2 above is where we check your situation against that list together.
At any stage, you can change your mind and you will not be charged a penny.
What your free first conversation actually covers
The first call is exactly that, a conversation. No commitment, no paperwork, no pressure.
Our Church of England Redress Scheme experts will ask what happened, in as much or as little detail as you want to share. They will explain how the scheme works, what evidence helps, and how long things take.
A legal expert will give you an honest view on whether Winston Solicitors can help. You can have the call by phone, by video, or in writing if speaking out loud feels too much. The conversation is confidential whether you decide to instruct us or not.
Church of England No Win No Fee Funding Model
Stacey on the funding model and what it means for survivors
“The funding model worries some of the people who come to us, and it should be questioned,” says Stacey Flegg, Head of Church of England Redress Scheme at Winston Solicitors. “Our duty is to the survivor in front of us. The scheme pays claimant lawyers regardless of outcome, which removes the structural reason a traditional no-win-no-fee agreement exists. We have challenged the Church on behalf of clients before and we will do it again. Who pays our invoice does not change whose corner we are in. What matters is that the money the scheme owes you reaches you, in full, and that the application is made properly the first time.”
Stacey leads the redress scheme team at Winston Solicitors, working with survivors from across England and Wales. Winston Solicitors is a specialist scheme practice on the Church of England Redress Scheme route, not a general abuse claims firm that has added a scheme page.
Support that is independent of any claim
Reading this page may bring up difficult feelings, even though it is about money rather than the abuse itself. If you would like to talk to someone right now, separately from any claim, these organisations are there for you:
- Samaritans. Free, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Call 116 123 from any phone in the UK, or email jo@samaritans.org.
- NAPAC, the National Association for People Abused in Childhood. Free support line for adult survivors of any form of childhood abuse. Call 0808 801 0331 or visit napac.org.uk.
- Safe Spaces. The Church of England and Catholic Church’s joint support service for survivors of church-related abuse. Confidential, and independent of the Church’s own processes. Call 0300 303 1056 or visit safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk.
These services are independent of Winston Solicitors and the Church of England Redress Scheme. You do not need to be thinking about making claim to use them. Using these services does not affect any decision you make later about whether to come back to this page or to the full FAQ hub.
When you are ready
If you would like to talk through how the funding model works for your situation, Stacey Flegg, Head of Church of England Redress Scheme at Winston Solicitors will speak with you in your own time. The first conversation costs nothing. There is no obligation to continue. You decide when and whether you are ready.
Winston Solicitors works with survivors of clergy abuse from across England and Wales, with over 4,000 five-star reviews across the firm’s wider work. The team focuses specifically on the Church of England Redress Scheme route, rather than general abuse litigation, which is why Stacey can give you an honest read on what the funding model means for you before you decide on anything.
Reviewed by Stacey Flegg, Head of Church of England Redress Scheme at Winston Solicitors. Last reviewed: 5 July 2026.
Yes.
You will not get a bill from Winston Solicitors at any point in your Church of England redress claim. Your solicitor’s fees are paid separately by the Archbishops’ Council under the scheme rules, and your award reaches you in full. Full detail on how this works.
You still pay nothing. Under Section 23 of the Abuse Redress Measure, claimant lawyers are paid whether the application or appeal succeeds or not. Win or lose, no bill comes to you from Winston Solicitors.
No.
If you decide partway through that you do not want to continue, you can withdraw without owing Winston Solicitors a penny. The funding model means there is no clawback against you in any situation. The work we have done up to that point is settled with the scheme, not with you.
No.
Winston Solicitors does not take any percentage of your award. Our fees are paid separately by the Archbishops’ Council, on a track that does not touch your compensation. The phrase “no win no fee” is the wrong description of how the scheme works. “You pay nothing, whatever the outcome” is closer to the truth.
A traditional no-win-no-fee deal, a conditional fee agreement or CFA, means the solicitor takes nothing if you lose and an agreed slice of your award if you win. Under the Church of England Redress Scheme there is no CFA. The Archbishops’ Council pays the lawyers’ fees separately, whatever the outcome, under Section 23 of the Abuse Redress Measure. You pay nothing either way, and the full award reaches you when the claim succeeds.
