A Midland law firm has swung open its doors to people looking to chase up commercial disputes - before it's too late.

The current 'no win, no fee' system of civil litigation claims is under real threat due to the likely implementation of a review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill.

The deadline for this bill to be passed is expected to be October, so there isn't much time before the rules change and after this date, it will cost more to litigate.

With this in mind, Leamington solicitors, Wright Hassall has launched a 'Last Chance Saloon' initiative to allow people access to justice while they can still afford it.

Gemma Carson from Wright Hassall's commercial dispute resolution team is one of the lawyers behind the programme and is keen to ensure as many people as possible take advantage of the current regime and have access to justice.

She said: "If these proposed changes come into force we will effectively see the end of 'no win, no fee' claims, also known as CFAs (Conditional Fee Arrangements).

"Under the current system, the additional legal costs of the success fee and after the event (ATE) insurance premiums are recovered from the other side.

"But implementation of this bill will mean that recovery of these additional legal costs from an opponent will not be permitted and therefore claimants will have to fund cases themselves.

"This will have to be done either on a private paying basis or through a contingency funding agreement, with their solicitor taking a percentage of their damages as payment for their legal costs.

"It is thought that these changes are, in part, in response to the belief that we are reaching a point where, as a society, we are becoming too litigious, similar to the situation in the United States, and legal costs are becoming disproportionate to the amount actually in dispute.

"The reason for this is that too many people are being encouraged by claims management companies to make personal injury claims which is having a negative impact on the overall reputation of dispute resolution.

"Under new guidelines, most people will have to fund their own claims, including an after the event insurance policy; for those who cannot afford to fund such a policy they face the risk of paying the hefty legal fees of their opponent if they lose their claim.  

"Overall this is likely to prevent access to justice in the future.

"Many people will be deterred from pursuing claims as their financial position will prevent them from meeting a potential liability for legal costs.

"We are encouraging those who are considering making a claim to do so now, so that they can take advantage of the low risk environment created by a CFA and ATE insurance in which to litigate."

For more information visit www.wrighthassall.co.uk or call 01926 886688.