Last week, Ken Clarke told the House of Commons that the Government intends, subject to parliamentary approval of the LASPO Bill, to implement all the legal aid reforms in April 2013 rather than October 2012, as previously intended. According to the MoJ, the delay is not expected to affect the Jackson costs reforms, which are still expected to take effect in October 2012.
The Government’s announcement follows the second reading of the LASPO Bill in the House of Lords. Overall, 51 of the 54 members who spoke were critical. One amendment already tabled is for a crackdown on the so-called “third-party capture” practice of insurers approaching claimants directly. The LASPO Bill will enter committee stage in the House of Lords on 20 December, where it will be considered line-by-line. We have identified which peers are likely to be active and meetings with Lords Thomas and Gould have already been arranged.
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Download Liability Brief - December 2011 (PDF, 45KB).