Consultation over ‘no win, no fee’ agreements launched

A consultation has been launched on the regulation of “no win, no fee” agreements.

A proposed bill was published which aims to safeguard the interests of people considering civil legal action.

The Scottish Government is seeking the views of service providers and prospective litigants on the matter.

“Success fees” are charged by a solicitor or claims management company for acting for an individual in civil cases, often known as “no-win, no-fee” cases.

The Bill suggests these agreements must conform to certain standards and that ministers should have a power to stipulate what the agreements must contain.

The legislation also includes provisions to make the costs of court action more predictable, increase the funding options for pursuers of civil actions and introduces a greater level of equality to the funding relationship between pursuers and defenders in personal injury actions.