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"...increased cost and complexity of litigation coupled with the shrinking of legal aid means that access to justice is ‘very much at risk’ .."

I don't think its necessarily any more complicated, but so called pre action protocols allow prevarication and the ratcheting up of costs by Insurers and banks.

Reading Cheshire on Contract, Street on Tort, Megarry on Land, Wade on Constitutional Law and Hanbury on Equity and Trusts is quite possible by most average punters. Forming a decent opinion thus also so.

It goes wrong with conceited and arrogant Judges (usually District and Deputy District Judges), and there love of pedantry and some kind of transfixion they have with 'power' (whatever that is suppose to be), and 'The Bar'.

They need to start getting real and taking a far more inquisitorial approach.

And David Crawford, you are absolutely right about the approach you have to take, money up front and telling the client that the system is so complicated that they may firstly get an unexpected costs order, secondly they may get a very stupid judge cum Gulag stamper forcing their case out of the list and thirdly never get their own costs.

A complete and utter shambles. And I think I can say this as I came in just before "Woolf" and have been in (until the SRA force me out) over 15 years.

My mates would also say the same.