A solicitor would not take on a case on a no win no fee basis unless the solicitor believed she had a very strong case and a good chance of winning otherwise what would be in it for the solicitor?
Additionally if she lost on a no win no fee basis she would still be liable for the Defendant's costs.
It's not something she would have gone into lightly without a strong case because if she had lost she would have been liable for all the legal costs which including her own and the defendant's could have easily reached over £60,000 and probably significantly more.