Changes to the way personal injury cases are handled by the courts

Posted 03/10/2012

The start of the legal year or at least the court year was on 1 October. Pictures of judges in procession, male and female, dressed in tights and wigs have provoked the usual chortles and mutterings about the good and bad points of tradition, but those judges will be presiding over your case if you have an injury.

This legal year will see big changes in the way all personal injury cases are handled by the courts, with lawyer’s charges potentially coming out of the damages recovered on a regular basis. The greater the risk of losing, the more likely it is that injured people will be charged a considerable portion of their damages if service levels are to be maintained.

However things turn out after 1 April 2013, it is in every injured person’s best interest to instruct their lawyers before 31 March. If you are contemplating a claim, leaving things until you know how much better you will get could cost you money. It would be advisible to see how strong the case is now and have the best protection against having to pay any costs, rather than leave things too late.

You might see those wigs and tights in a different light next year!