
MASS (Motor Accident Solicitors Society) will continue to back the campaign to ban legal firms from offering their services in exchange for upfront payments or gifts.
After it was announced last week that the small claims limit will remain at £1,000 the Ministry of Justice insisted it will now look to tackle issues such as inducements and it would appear they have support from the organisation that represents many of the legal firms responsible for offering them to clients.
In a speech made at the MASS conference held in London last week, MASS chair Craig Budsworth said: “Whatever the figures might actually demonstrate, there is a perception of a compensation culture and a perception that we are at least in part responsible. We need to change that perception.”
He went on to discuss the responsibilities of the three regulators, the Claims Management Regulator, the SRA and the Financial Conduct Authority to ensure they regulate similar practices within the field of road accidents saying: “We have called for greater consistency and effective communication between the three regulators. This is vital to create a level playing field across the sector.”
MASS led the calls for the banning of inducements earlier this year after the Claims Management Regulator issued a ban on CMCs using them to bring in clients, which has since seen thousands of companies leave the personal injury industry.
Image source(s)
1. MASS; http://www.mass.org.uk/