Report comment

As an experienced and dedicated child abuse claims solicitor I can say with certainty that fixed costs are not suitable for child abuse cases.
The complexity involved in terms of the type of client, their reluctance to give full instructions without the need for large amounts of time spent with the client building trust, going through social care records, and many other pieces of work all mean that fixed costs will result in me taking on fewer cases.
It will lead to even fewer abuse victims being willing to come forward with confidence that the justice system will respect the need to have their serious complaints investigated and properly compensated.
The MOJ and Legal Aid Agency feels child abuse cases are so serious that legal aid should remain available for them. I call for an exemption for child abuse cases. I can live with costs budgeting but fixed costs would be unfair on these victims of child abuse.