0800 731 5821

Supplementary Legal Aid Scheme Abandoned

The Government has dropped plans to fund future legal aid cases by taking up to 25% of the general damages received by clinical negligence claimants whose cases are funded by legal aid. This is good news as many claimants in clinical negligence matters are children or severely disabled, sometimes both, and rely upon their compensation to provide a buffer ensuring that there are funds to meet their future needs. Removing 25% of the money set aside for such things would quite simply cause significant hardship later in life. Legal aid has historically been very important in securing access to justice in clinical negligence cases as they are complicated and rely upon independent medical evidence. The cost of this medical evidence can be more than many people injured by clinical negligence can afford. The prospect of claimants relying upon legal aid being significantly undercompensated was a significant worry for several of our clients.