Report comment

The flavour of both the articles and comments suggests that somehow we as a profession are to blame. My recollection is that Legal Aid for personal injury was almost self funding because most cases were won and costs recovered. The insurers didn't like legal aid because they felt that with the government funding it meant that riskier cases were run to trial so they felt it more cost effective to settle them, as a result they leant on the government to scrap the scheme.
From then on successive governments have tinkered with ways of funding solicitors costs whilst still providing an avenue for claimants to get "free" representation. By contrast insurers have pressurised governments to make it less attractive for lawyers to help those in need, usually with unintended consequences.
Blame who you like but I don't recall lawyers or potential claimants having much say in these successive changes, we were always left to make the best of a bad job.