It is worth noting that the majority of road traffic accident cases do not give rise to a claim for damages for personal injury (see [2006] Gazette, 4 May, 1).

The prospect of getting a solicitor to take on a £120 policy excess recovery claim on a conditional fee agreement is nil.


Without legal expenses insurance (LEI), a significant number of would-be claimants, with damage-only claims below the £5,000 small-track limit, would find themselves out in the cold, trying to recover the losses themselves.


By focusing only on those cases that involve personal injury, there is a danger that the indisputable benefit of LEI to the majority will be forgotten.


James Eberlin, Proddow Mackay, Sheffield