Chronicle of a death foretold (Pt 3)

The Lord Chief Justice, in his latest report to Parliament, required under s 5(1) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, said: “There can be no doubt of the urgent need to control the cost of civil litigation. It is becoming increasingly difficult for citizens to afford the cost of retaining lawyers in circumstances where legal aid has never been available. There is also substantial concern among businesses that the cost of dispute resolution is often disproportionate to the amount involved. The Jackson Reforms are playing a vital role in trying to ensure that there is access to justice for the citizen and access at a proportionate cost for businesses. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that steps must be taken to examine why the cost of legal services is increasing despite the significant change in the legal market and the greater number of providers of legal services. Competition should have reduced cost significantly, but this is not happening.