Personal Injury Solicitors

Labour Shadow Justice Minister Andy Slaughter is calling for an early review of the government’s Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill (LASPO), over fears that the reforms affecting personal injury (PI) claimants have “tipped the balance too far in favour of the defendant”.

The Law Society Gazette reports that the government has said LASPO will be reviewed within five years. Mr Slaughter says that there are already several ongoing reviews of Part One of the Bill – which covers legal aid – and Part Two (covering litigation funding and costs) also needs and urgent review.

The government has introduced changes to eligibility for Legal Aid for civil cases – and in the case of PI cases, has reduced the fees solicitors can charge, and stopped law firms offering consumers incentives such as a cash sum up front if they choose their services.

Mr Slaughter said that there had been a “systematic attack” on claimants and their lawyers – with litigation perceived perhaps “as a bad thing” because “it’s a drag on the freedom particularly of big businesses – or in the case of judicial review, the State to operate without those tiresome things like litigants coming along and challenging decisions which they think are wrong”.

Personal injury claims are accepted by many PI lawyers on a no win no fee basis – also known as a conditional fee arrangement.

Low-value personal injury claims are often fast-tracked through the Ministry of Justice’s Fast-Track Claims Portal. However, claims with a higher value – such as a compensation claim for birth injuries, or a claim for a road traffic accident which results in life changing injuries – can be made through the civil court on a no win no fee basis.

Duncan Lewis Personal Injury Solicitors – No win no fee claims

Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of personal injury solicitors and can advise on how to make a no win no fee claim for injuries sustained as a result of the negligence of another party, such as an employer, tour operator, Local Authority, GP or hospital, landlord or manufacturer.

Personal injury claimants have three years from the date of injury, illness or diagnosis in which to claim – and children can claim for up to three years after the age of 18.

Duncan Lewis can also advise families on how to make a no win no Fatal Injuries Claim if a loved one has lost their life as a result of someone else’s negligence.

For expert legal advice on no win no fee compensation claims, call Duncan Lewis Personal Injury Solicitors on 020 7923 4020.