Those of your readers with a historical interest have no doubt heeded the conduct of the first world war generals. Strategy was decided ‘on high’. Little heed was paid to the men in the trenches. Policy came from an elite talking to itself. The verdict of history? Lions led by donkeys.

When Lord Justice Jackson was researching his report on civil justice reform, he travelled the world. He read deeply. He hobnobbed with the great and the good. But were any lowly practitioners consulted? I do not know. The result was the Jackson Report, notable for its prevailing tone of thunderous moral certainty. Its main panacea? Fixed costs all round.

The reaction of most practitioners was disbelief. The reaction of the insurance lobby? They could hardly believe their luck.At last the Civil Justice Council has delivered its verdict: fixed costs are inappropriate for personal injury claims. So the truth has finally dawned.

In standing up to Jackson, the Civil Justice Council has earned our profession’s respect. The likely reaction of those first world war generals? Fury at such impertinence, perhaps.

Boris Kremer, Kremers, Gosport