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Portal fallout

31 May 2022
Issue: 7981 / Categories: Legal News , Personal injury
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Half the law firms that previously handled low-value RTA (road traffic accident) claims have ditched the work because it is no longer economically viable, research has shown

A ‘state of the market’ survey by First4Lawyers, which spoke to 66 law firms in the sector ahead of the first anniversary of the Official Injury Claim portal, heard the portal had made the work ‘unsustainable’.

Qamar Anwar, managing director, First4Lawyers, said: ‘Motor claims are at a record low and the data we have seen so far suggests that is, at least in part, because genuine claimants don’t understand the complex system.

‘Despite promising the portal would eliminate the need for lawyers, around 90% of users still instruct one. But the knock-on effect of such change is that people seeking a lawyer now find their choice is severely restricted.’

Issue: 7981 / Categories: Legal News , Personal injury
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Writing in NLJ this week, Thomas Rothwell and Kavish Shah of Falcon Chambers unpack the surprise inclusion of a ban on upwards-only rent reviews in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
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