Law Society responds to the Jackson Review of litigation costs

14 January 2010

Following the publication of Lord Justice Jackson's Civil Litigation Cost Review today, Law Society President, Robert Heslett, said:

"We are very pleased that Lord Jackson has accepted the Law Society's recommendation that the small claims personal injury limit remains as it is. We regard that as a litmus test of Lord Jackson's commitment to enhancing access to justice through his review. However, his report is a substantial and thorough body of work which demands detailed assessment.

"We are hopeful that the recommendations will provide for fairness between the wronged and the wrong-doer and that the proposition to abolish the recovery of success fees from the wrong-doer does not result in less, rather than more, access to justice.

"The Society hopes that the impact of the changes proposed under the review would remove personal injury work from the claims farm industry which we agree adds no value to the process, only middle man's costs.

"Implementation of these recommendations must be based on fairness of the outcomes and how they serve the public interest and we look forward to working with Lord Justice Jackson's team, and given that much of the implementation work would require statutory change we look forward to working with Parliamentarians to ensure that the voice of the public interest is heard.

"In the coming months, when the review is debated and discussed, we look forward to contributing positively to that debate."