“Rushed” and “inadequate” plans to cut conditional fee agreement (CFA) success fees for libel cases by up to 90% have been defeated in the House of Commons.
Justice Secretary Jack Straw will now have to await the results of the General Election to see if he can make a second attempt to push the reforms through.
However, all three of the main parties are pledged to reform the libel laws. The Conservatives say they would hold a “fundamental review” of libel law, if elected.
The Law Society has called for substantial research and consultation before any further proposals are put before Parliament.
Robert Heslett, president of the Law Society, says: “This defeat is a clear message to the Ministry of Justice to return to the drawing board and listen to the concerns of the legal professions and other stakeholders.
“This is an example of why better law-making is essential to our legal system, a principle which is central to the Law Society manifesto, Delivering Justice. Attempting to rush legislation, delegated or otherwise, through Parliament fails to consider the impact it can have.”
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