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The government has indicated that its plans for personal injury reform will not become law for well over a year. It potentially gives some breathing space to smaller PI firms in particular, whose viability is threatened – as recognised by the Ministry of Justice.

In the first of a new series of features profiling lawtech start-ups, we investigate Weclaim.com, a business working to use technology to automate small claims on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis, and eventually expects claims to be resolved without human involvement.

The government should pilot its plans to digitise low-level summary convictions with TV licence evasion, rather than train and tram fare evasion, the Law Society has said. It also opposed piloting the online system on statutory fixed fines for low-level anti-social and nuisance offending.

Motor insurers may make a £200m profit from the personal injury reforms as they will not pass on all of the £1.3bn costs savings they will generate, the Ministry of Justice has suggested. It said some new work may come solicitors’ way but acknowledged that small firms would not be able to cope financially.

A judge has ruled that the advice lawyers gave in ancillary relief proceedings was negligent and that if the claimant had been properly advised, he would have settled on better terms. But he dismissed an allegation that the solicitor had fabricated her file notes.

A barrister who was disbarred after the Employment Appeal Tribunal made a ‘restriction of proceedings’ order to prevent him bringing further vexatious claims, has had his appeal to the High Court rejected.

Low-value road traffic accident claims “are not so complex that claimants routinely require legal representation to pursue them”, the government has argued – and suggested that claims management companies and paid McKenzie Friends could help instead.

The Ministry of Justice announced today that it is to press ahead with radical personal injury reforms aimed at curbing a “rampant compensation culture” – including raising the small claims limit and scrapping or capping general damages. But with the detail still to be unveiled, they appear also to go further than expected.

More serious criminal defence work should be restricted to barristers, and solicitor-advocates who want to do it should have to requalify, the former Lord Chancellor, Michael Gove, has suggested. He also called for a “higher-quality filter” for those wanting to become barristers and reiterated his support for a levy on City law firms to aid those less fortunate.

Today’s announcement of government plans to reform personal injury claims has predictably split the market, with claimant representatives incensed and defendants pleased. Claimant lawyers accused the government of having been bullied by the insurance industry.