No win, no fee solicitor news
24/09/2007
Do solicitors help solve or cause the problem?
No win, no fee solicitors have once again been criticised for being responsible for the massive surge in employment tribunal compensation claims.
A great number of disgruntled female workers have sought out no win, no fee solicitors to fight their cases for unequal pay. Female nurses and other women who work for the NHS and local councils are those most frequently seeking backdated wages and pay rises.
But the increase in employment law claims does not stop there. An influx of sexual discrimination claims and claims under the European Working Time Directive have also been keeping no win, no fee solicitors busy.
Almost 240,000 compensation claims were sought last year, a jump of two thirds in just two years, bringing the amount of claims to a record level.
The biggest pay-out in an unfair dismissal case so far has been £250,470 and the average compensation award stands at £15,059 for disability cases, £14,049 for race claims and £10,052 for sex discrimination. These claims are putting such a tremendous strain on the public purse that town halls believe the cost will be £5 billion this year and £700 million the next.
Despite the criticisms, many believe that no win, no fee solicitors are simply doing what they have been instructed to do and are fighting to get the compensation that people are entitled to. Without a no win, no fee scheme many people would not be able to pursue compensation claims as they would not be able to afford the fees, but since no win, no fee was introduced compensation has simply been made more accessible. This does not necessarily mean that compensation claims are being encouraged or that we are living in a compensation culture.
It may be true that no win, no fee solicitors are not as few and far between as they once were but does this have to be a negative thing? If you were treated unfairly in the workplace, were involved in an accident at work or car accident, it is likely that you will want to be in a position to make a compensation claim and no win, no fee solicitors facilitate this need.
