Conditional fee arrangement news
30/06/2008
No win no fee solicitors to be investigated academically
A Nottingham academic is to examine the work that no win, no fee solicitors do under their conditional fee arrangements (CFAs). Under this appointment from the Ministry of Justice, the professor will be examining this type of contract to see if it gives people access to justice in the fields of personal injury and defamation, among others, and whether it is operating in the public interest.
The key aims set out in the project's aims are to:
- Identify representative samples of claims data in personal injury, employment and defamation/privacy cases;
- Examine the nature of funding arrangements in these cases and the outcome;
- Identify random samples of clients and legal advisers that may help provide more detailed data about the understanding of quality and change within the legal services sector;
- Analyse the unmet legal needs in the area of personal injury, employment and defamation/privacy;
The Justice Minister said, "No win, no fee arrangements are vital in helping to give the public a voice in courts. However, we are aware of growing concerns that they may not always be operating in the interests of access to justice.
"We feel that now is the appropriate time for a comprehensive, objective and evidence-based examination of the operation of no win, no fee arrangements in relation to personal injury, employment and defamation/privacy cases."
No win, no fee solicitors and other compensation claim workers are sure to be keeping an eye on this investigation and its outcomes.
