One Minute Brief of the Day:
Campaign to raise awareness for @ccesstojustice
Today we have a brief on an important issue that will have a big impact on over 60 million ordinary people across England and Wales. In an attempt to resolve the issue of fraudulent whiplash claims, the government is proposing draconian changes that affect ALL personal injury claims.
This will mean that the general public will have to face the insurance company, and their team of lawyer’s, alone without any support from their own no win no fee lawyer.
That's why we are asking the OMBLES to help raise awareness of this issue and help to make a stand for the general public and do what we can to stop these plans going ahead.
We're looking for scribbles, posters, scripts, designs... whatever you think could capture people's attention and perhaps your idea could even turn into a big campaign...
Remember to put your Twitter handle in the corner of your ads & tweet your entries to @ccesstojustice and @OneMinuteBriefs with the hashtag #accesstojustice
Prize:
- Winning idea to receive £250 Amazon Vouchers
- Potential to turn your idea into a campaign.
Brief:
Campaign to
raise awareness of the government’s proposals to
·
remove access to justice
for 90% of all personal injury claims,
·
raising the claims level
from £1,000 to £5,000
·
and removing YOUR right
to support and funding for a lawyer to help with your personal injury claim.
Therefore, dramatically reducing your chances of recovering a fair level of
compensation for an injury, which you have suffered through no fault of your own.
Links:
Twitter : @ccesstojustice
ABOUT:
In a
nutshell, 90% of all personal injury claims are under £5,000. That means that
currently all genuinely injured people can gain support from a no win no fee
lawyer, with the outcome generally being they receive the compensation they
deserve. If the government raises the claims level to £5,000 this removes the
option of support, unless the injured person funds taking the claim to court
themselves.
For example,
if you have an accident in the workplace that is not your fault and fracture
your shoulder, which means you are unable to work and therefore lose earnings,
you currently have three options when it comes to compensation:
1. Take the
offer of compensation that your employer may offer - which is likely to be
minimal
2. Fight for
fair compensation in court by paying substantial legal fees to your own legal team.
3. Use the
support of a no win no fee lawyer, to fight for fair compensation.
If the claims
level is raised, you will not have the third option, which is the current
method used by the vast majority of genuinely injured people.
Desired
Outcome
Help people
to understand that they currently have the right to make a personal injury
claim with the support of a no win no fee lawyer, but this will not be the case
if the government raises the claims level, as they would have to fund the legal
support themselves. An expensive task with no guaranteed outcome.
The insurance
companies are pushing hard for this government reform, with only 2 out of 300
promising to pass on to consumers a minimal saving of £40 per year in reduced
car insurance premiums. But more importantly there will be no contractual
obligation for insurers to do so, and no intention on the part of the
government to monitor this promise.
We need to
make it clear that this £40 reduction of insurance premiums will in no way make
up for the loss of compensation, or the right to legal representation for the genuinely
injured.
The campaign
aims to create enough public support against the reforms to influence the
government to think again, thereby protecting the rights of genuinely injured
citizens.
Background
Access
to Justice is a campaign group supported by the
personal injury sector, charities and the general public in the UK.
By increasing
the small claims court limit for personal injury to £5,000, the vast majority
of victims would be put off from seeking compensation as:
· The law and process is overwhelmingly complicated
· The injured will face alone the might of insurance legal team
· The burden of paying the court, medical and expert fees themselves, is
far too much (these are currently paid for by the lawyer).
· They wouldn’t be able to access a solicitor for advice or support,
without funding the cost themselves.
The paradox
is that the government currently actively encourages claims for compensation
for late trains and plane delays.
Access to
Justice is hoping that with enough support, the government will think again
about their reforms. A2J aims to protect
the rights of citizens to have access to proper legal support and maintain the
current fair levels of compensation.