Member Article

No win, no fee changes spark angry campaign

Personal injury firm, Claim Today Solicitors are to launch a marketing campaign that attacks planned government changes to the legal system.

The company claims the changes will drastically reduce ordinary people’s access to justice during 2012.

CTS’ normal advertising features the strap line “don’t delay, claim today.” However in future this will change to, “don’t delay, claim today before the government takes your rights away.”

“That’s the angle we’ll be using to raise public awareness of the assault on the fundamental rights of individuals to have access to the law to get redress,” Rob Bhol, CTS Managing Director.

The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill is set to be passed by parliament in spring this year, and will make changes to the current system of ‘no win, no fee’ funding.

Government plans include abolishing the “success fees” paid by defendants to successful claimant’s solicitors if they lose a case at trial.

This was originally designed to encourage defendants to settle simple cases out of court, however the new system will see claimants having to pay these fees out of their compensation.

No win, no fee was introduced in 2000 when legal aid was abolished for personal injury claims to enable anyone regardless of their means access to justice.

CTS argues that the planned changes will incentivise defendants to hold out to trail in every case putting extra financial strain on claimants which will deter all but the wealthiest of accident victims from seeking justice.

The Government has proposed changing NWNF arrangements in an attempt to stem what it calls a “compensation culture”, but with only around 25% of accident victims ever making a claim, CTS say the Government is attacking a problem that doesn’t exist as a result of lobbying for the powerful insurance industry lobby.

Mr Bhol added: “The only beneficiaries from the changes to no win, no fee arrangements will be big insurance companies and rouge employers who neglect health and safety for their workers.

“In the future people with genuine claims for injuries caused by employers who owe them a duty of care will have no chance of seeking redress.

“There is though a small window of opportunity before the law is changed that’s why we are urging all accident victims to claim today.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .