Claimants need ‘compassion’ in midst of reforms
Government reforms of personal injury litigation will have a lasting and detrimental impact on injured claimants, the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) argued yesterday at an industry event.
Speaking at insurance journal Post Magazine’s Claims Club event, APIL executive committee member Jonathan Wheeler explained that reforms in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment Offenders (LASPO)
Act and recommendations by Lord Justice Jackson will prevent lawyers from taking on complex cases.
He added that because so much uncertainty remains as to how the reforms will work, ‘business models are going to have to change quickly and without complete information as to how the industry is going to shape up’.
In reference to claimants, he said: “They don’t choose to be injured. They deserve compassion and understanding from the lawyers representing them, from the courts that deal with their cases and from the professionals – lawyers and insurers – acting for the opposition. Amidst all this reform, none of us must lose sight of that.”
