Lord Justice Jackson Discusses And Debates His Preliminary Report

Lord Justice Jackson, a Court of Appeal judge, has been tasked by the Master of the Rolls with reviewing the entire civil justice litigation system, and making recommendations for promoting access to justice at proportionate cost. At the heart of the review is the affordability of litigation, and the desire to make it cost effective for litigants. This updates our Law Now dated 24 June available at this link.

CMS Cameron McKenna hosted an event on 30 June 2009 at which Lord Justice Jackson discussed and debated the content of his Preliminary Report. A number of key issues were identified during the debate, including the following:

• Contingency fees

Those present at the 30 June event debated the issue of contingency fees. Currently, solicitors are prevented by the Solicitors Act 1974 from entering into contingency agreements with their clients in relation to contentious business matters (i.e. most forms of litigation). Following the debate, Lord