First4Lawyers in the media - June 2021
The second quarter of 2021 has seen a continuation of the media programme. In late April we issued a comment ahead of the parliamentary debates on the whiplash tariffs, which were a last chance opportunity for sense to be seen. The comment was covered by Legal Futures and Insurance Times. Following the debates we issued a second comment in the wake of the news that ministers had made the decision to drop plans to raise the small claims limit from £1,000 to £2,000, and that it would be set at £1,500 with a delayed implementation date of April 2022. The comment was picked up by New Law Journal, Solicitors Journal and Legal Futures. Our regular monthly contribution to Insurance Claims was also published.
As the quarter rolled on and the implementation date for the new portal grew nearer, we wrote a piece for Insurance Claims looking at the promises made and possible outcomes for the industry and the public. Qamar highlighted in his piece that the purpose of these reforms in the first place was to curtail rising motor insurance policy costs and questioned why, with implementation coming into force on 31 May, insurers have until April 2024 to provide the FCA with the data that will show whether consumers are indeed reaping the benefits of this new system. He also examined whether junior justice minister Alex Chalk’s ‘fighting talk’ about holding insurers feet to the fire would come to pass without any detail of what mechanisms the minister intends to use to make this happen.
In late May on the eve of reform implementation we issued a further comment to the media, highlighting our view that it was sad day for justice, and that the lack of compassion and common sense shown by the government with the introduction of the whiplash reform programme has beggared belief. The comment hit a nerve with the media and was picked up by The Times, Solicitors Journal, Law Society Gazette, Legal Futures, Legal Diarist and Practice Source.
As you all know we lobbied long and hard against these reforms, highlighting time and again that all available data shows that the supposed whiplash culture is a fiction, yet the government ploughed on regardless. These reforms benefit the insurers, who have, once again, used their vast profits to lobby hard and have been rewarded with a system whereby they can both save money and increase profits at the expense of the pain and suffering of innocent injury victims. However, we must move forward and ensure that we provide as much support as possible to those who need it while we all navigate this new landscape.
You may have also recently seen coverage of our latest consumer campaign as part of our ongoing road safety campaigning. The campaign received extensive coverage in regional and national mainstream media both online and in print including… include big titles and links… and forms part of our wider link building activity which is a vital part of our digital marketing strategy. Gaining links from recognised national publications helps the First4Lawyers website improve its ranking across our entire website and our core non-RTA personal injury and medical negligence services. We’ll focus more on this in our next newsletter including a how to guide so be sure to keep an eye out for that!
