The Law Society welcomed today's government announcement detailing implementation arrangements for Part 2 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offender Act.
Lucy Scott-Moncrieff, president of the Law Society said:
'It's good that the Government has listened to the concerns expressed by solicitors.
'The mooted means test applied to the new qualified one-way costs shifting rules, introduced into personal injury cases by the Jackson reforms, would have undermined the logic of the reforms and been an administrative nightmare. It might have led to further litigation about the scope of the rules themselves. We also took the view that access to justice would not be served by claimants having to make a minimum payment on losing a case. The Society welcomes the government's decision to amend their original proposals and looks forward to continued collaboration with the Ministry of Justice and the Civil Justice Council in the implementation of the rest of the civil justice changes.'
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Notes to Editors:
Contact: Graham Capper, The Law Society
+44 (0) 207 320 5811