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Elizabeth,

according to the ones that don't like sector only PI clients get ripped off. And insurers. In no other sector is there a complaint about clients actually stumping up some cash for their work.

To me the issue for PI clients is about:

1. Charging a high success fee when the risk is tiny.

2. Manipulating the charging regime to ensure that 25% of damages is always deducted.

3. Advising clients to obtain ATE when they either should not need it or it is a revenue stream and the policy is way overpriced.

4. Cosy arrangements with medical agencies/relatives/friendly physiotherapists and so on.

So far as NAH and other CMCs are concerned, they provide absolutely no useful function whatsoever. To the contrary, despite the ones who have acted with integrity, with most of the fraud cases you can bet a CMC was grubbing around at the bottom to set it up. Yes solicitor firms were willing patsies but look at the CMCs first.

Imagine the situation if CMCs disappeared overnight. Who would lose out?

Clients would probably go to an actual local solicitor rather than a sausage factory a long way away.

Less dodgy claims would be made (I appreciate I cannot back this up).

Solicitors would actually have a greater profit margin as they'd have no "marketing fees" to pay so they could afford to do the low value work.

Pretty much everyone would breathe a sigh of relief as there would be no more cold calling or smelly adverts on TV or radio.

You'd have a better quality service all round and everyone would know where they stood without the middleman cocking things up.

But hey, instead of fixing the problem HMG have just used a nuclear option to make it go away. Way to go!

/rant over