The Law Society has welcomed the government's decision to defer civil litigation reforms until April 2013. Part two of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, which incorporates the changes proposed in the Jackson recommendations on 'no win, no fee' arrangements, were expected to be implemented this October.
Law Society chief executive Desmond Hudson said:
'The delay will give a welcome breathing space for the Ministry of Justice to now properly consider the damaging effect these changes to 'no win, no fee' agreements will have on access to justice, particularly for middle England and those ineligible for legal aid.
'The changes are complex and have been selected from a recent report from Lord Justice Jackson- despite his warning not to 'cherry pick' from the report.
'As presently conceived, we fear that the changes will advance the interests of insurance companies at the cost of access to justice and fairness. This delay gives time to pause and reconsider.'
'We urge the government to consider all the representations made to them, including those made by victim groups and charities - so ably represented by members of the House of Lords in the debate on the changes last night - to the same extent that it has considered representations by the powerful insurance lobby.
'We remain ready to meet the government and anyone else to seek improvements to the proposals.'
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