Legal Aid and No Win No Fee

Before there were no win no fee claims, there was Legal Aid. Eventually, numerous problems were identified with the Legal Aid process and no win no fee compensation claims were introduced as a replacement. Unlike the new no win no fee system, Legal Aid was exclusive and complex. The simplicity and straightforward nature of no win no fee claims is based on avoiding the bad example set by Legal Aid.

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To truly understand how valuable the no win no fee process, it is important to understand the limitations and restrictions that existed before it was introduced. Here are the two big issues that led to the destruction of Legal Aid.

1. Exclusion

No win no fee claims are based on the idea that no one should be prevented from seeking compensation for their personal injuries. Legal Aid, however, excluded quite a large percent of the population from its services. By the 1990s, only 40% of the population could qualify for Legal Aid due to restrictions and requirements.

Only those who absolutely needed funding would receive it from Legal Aid. A detailed assessment of income was necessary before someone could qualify for Legal Aid.

After qualifying, the money to fund the personal injury claim was still not guaranteed. Therefore, people who were not well-off financially could not justify using Legal Aid. This, of course, made the entire system completely counterproductive in helping those who could not afford justice.

2. Expensive

Legal Aid was funded by the government and it was not an inexpensive service. The yearly expense that the government incurred from Legal Aid was growing exponentially and rapidly, a combination that was unsustainable. In seven years, the cost of Legal Aid tripled to £671 million. Sounds ridiculous, right?

The rising costs meant that taking on Legal Aid cases was hurting legal professionals. In order to keep their businesses running smoothly, they were forced to turn to private work. As a result, even those who qualified for Legal Aid were largely left without solicitors to support their cases.

No win no fee claims were the solution to this growing problem. They provide justice to all personal injury victims, regardless of financial status. There are no qualifications or complex processes. Anyone can afford to make a no win no fee claim. Finally, these claims do not cost the country millions of dollars every year, and there are many no win no fee solicitors who specialize in these claims.

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