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This is another brazen attack on justice,.

I often post on here about the utter nonsense we've had to put up with, but when it's committed to paper, it's astonishing to see.

Legal Aid was removed as it was abused by some, there was no question that the system needed change. Access to Justice was the buzz word in the new era. Initially Clients would lose 25% of damages in PI cases, and that outcry was met with rules to see the loser paying all of the fees in a new era of no-win, no fee' litigation.

Five botched sets of CFA amendments with ridiculous satellite litigation saw challenge after ridiculous challenge. New rules (CPR) were introduced in loose leaf format because they hadn't been completed properly. Litigation would apparently be much easier to navigate - and far less costly.... yet more steps were built into the process.

Automatic directions were introduced and ditched pretty quickly after the ominous Order 17r 11 strike outs saw havoc around the same time as bizarre rules with the new Compensation Recovery Unit. Cases were settling for £2,500 despite being worth far more, with massive tranches of benefits being repaid. The CRU rules were then tinkered with.

With the Woolf reforms, next came the Clementi and Jackson reviews.

Court fees were hiked, new procedures were introduced to cut down court actions with the opposite effect.

Then we had a Lord Chancellor head the judiciary.... with no legal qualifications or legal experience.

Massive cuts were made to Legal aid in Crime, Family Legal Aid was cut at the roots, and those seeking redress for employment rights were asked to pay fees into four figures.... usually just after losing their job.

Now in civil litigation, we've massively hiked fees - with clients now having to again pay success fees and ATE insurance, because the insurers were thought to be hard done by (?!) - and fixed fees in PI cases are now payable that have whittled fees to a shadow of what they once were.

So. Solicitors for claimants lose because they're expected to charge their client a success fee alongside the hugely reduced fixed costs in PI that is nowhere near the level of profit received in times past. The client loses a slice of their damages wondering why that;s happening because they've been promised "no win, no fee" and don't generally expect to be charged. Insurers smile sweetly having to pay out hugely less in relation to fees, and the Government rub their hands with glee making extortionate amounts of profit, ignoring any criticism, acting with impunity. The poor folks wanting justice in family, employment and crime are also marooned.

While all this is happening, the courts develop strict and punishing sanctions - the busy practitioner daren't put a foot wrong, or even be minutes late with the filing or service of documents or fees. The managing partner has his head in his hands with increasing PII premiums, the SRA and regulators develop further increasing and seemingly nonsensical tasks and roles, but the plates are expected to be kept spinning on fewer poles with fewer people, being paid far less, or often, nothing.

Remember the buzz word "Access to Justice"? The Government don't apparently.

If there is no massive outcry in Parliament, one has to ask why. Is the process not democratic any more? There has been so much lobbying and concern. How on earth is this latest nail in the coffin lid 'Access' or 'Justice'?

We sadly have a Parliament that has a clear mandate for Access to Injustice. The speed with which these proposals have moved against a groundswell of concern is cynical, to say the least.

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