LETTER:Legal aid fees and proposed reforms for the Bar

From Mr Phillip Sycamore

Sir: Polly Toynbee's article on the Lord Chancellor's legal aid changes mentioned that the Lord Chancellor would soon be allowing solicitors and barristers to deal with personal injury cases on a "no win, no fee" basis. She said that if they lose, "insurance at a very reasonable pounds 100 per case picks up the bill". In fact, the insurance will not meet the solicitor's own costs but the opponent's costs. A solicitor in a conditional fee case will get no fees either from the client or from insurers if the case is lost. That is why an uplift on normal fees is needed when cases are won.

Yours faithfully,

PHILLIP SYCAMORE

Chairman

Civil Litigations Committee

The Law Society

London, WC2