Justice secretary, Jack Straw, has ordered an immediate review of legal arrangements of public sector equal pay claims to limit fees paid to ‘no-win, no-fee' lawyers. The Ministry of Justice this week confirmed Mr Straw had ordered officials to review the legal position surrounding no-win, no-fee practices, after a scoping study on current arrangements, due to be published next month, left him ‘disappointed' about payments to successful solicitors. Mr Straw told the Labour Party conference last week: ‘It is claimed they have provided greater access to justice, but the behaviour of some lawyers in ramping up their fees in these cases is nothing short of scandalous. So I am going to address this and consider whether to cap more tightly the level of success fees that lawyers can charge.' In local government no-win, no-fee lawyers, such as Stefan Cross in Newcastle, have been blamed for unpicking negotiated back-dated equal pay settlements between councils and trade unions. In doing so, they often achieve higher settlements for clients but slow down the wheels of justice – leaving councils unsure about their liabilities. ‘The secretary of state would like to go further in curtailing their rewards,' an MoJ spokesman told The MJ. ‘But it is a careful balance to strike. There is also no doubt that they have helped to achieve redress for many individuals.'
