No-win no-fee rules change

[RecordAceFromNew]

I have only noticed these new rules proposed by the government today ( here ).

Although I can't be sure I suspect there will be immediate effects on solicitors accepting cases, since claims can take ages before going to court and by which time these could have become law.

The availability of better evidence (e.g. video footage) will obviously help. I can see pros and cons for the proposed changes as a taxpayer, driver as well as a cyclist; but I suspect overall drivers will gain at the expense of cyclists.

Further thoughts?

 

[MartinC]

Cynically, this is just a measure to restrict access to the law. Allowing the lower orders to obtain redress via the courts has created problems for the great and good so the door is being closed on them. The wealthy will have recourse to the law to recover damages, the poor will just have to remember their place and put up with their injuries.

 

[Bromptonaut]

Will be interesting to see how the NWNF industry responds to this.

The success fee was intended to mitigate for those cases taken sans fee and where the plaintiff lost. In practice I suspect the number of such cases is small and the 'unintended consequence' has been to inflate the costs of litigating to the extent that they far too often massively exceed the sum at stake.

Better, slicker case handling? More use of mediation, arbitration and other tools for Proprotionate/Appropriate Dispute resolution.

What do Patrick and our other resident legal beagles think??