Personal injury news

Government announce personal injury solicitor clampdown

The Government has announced that it intends to unveil new regulations to clamp down on dubious no win, no fee personal injury solicitor firms.

While most of the industry acts in an ethical and moral way, some unscrupulous operators- dubbed "ambulance chasers" by the media- give others a bad name by exaggerating the potential for compensation claims and also fail to properly declare their charges.

As a result, Baroness Ashton, under-secretary of state for the Department of Constitutional Affairs (DCA), is preparing to reveal that the Government is to create a watchdog with which all personal injury solicitors must register.

Possibly created as soon as October 2006, the regulator will ensure that personal injury solicitors do not deceive their clients about the prospects of a successful compensation claim, and will also check that all advertising is transparent and not intended to mislead.

At present there is no obligatory regulation of the industry, but over the past years volunteers have set up an organisation called the Claims Standards Council in order to try and draw attention to some of the shadier goings on.

Discussing the new personal injury solicitor regulator, a DCA official said, "The Government is keen to move against the people who have no legal expertise but who attract claimants, raise their hopes and then farm the cases out to law firms."