Writing in NLJ this week, columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School argues the legislation is a 'ghastly piece of work', noting that disputes over relatively modest legal bills continue to consume disproportionate court resources.
He highlights proposals to divert challenges worth up to £50,000 to the Legal Ombudsman, while larger disputes could be channelled into mandatory ADR. He welcomes what he sees as overdue modernisation of a regime that 'substantially codified decisions from the reign of Queen Victoria'.
Regan also points to growing scrutiny of claims management companies, warning that aggressive marketing and opaque fees have placed the sector 'in jeopardy'.
Alongside judicial appointments and employment law recruitment pressures, he predicts 'radical reform ahead' for several corners of the legal system.
