Liam Vaughan - Exclusive
The Claims Standards Council (CSC) has slammed the Law Society for failing to regulate its members properly.
In a scathing letter addressed to the Law Society, the CSC claimed the body is failing to exercise its powers to punish and expose unethical personal injury lawyers who, it says, are undermining the reputation of the whole claims industry.
A CSC spokesman said lawyers were some of the worst perpetrators of unethical practices, such as targeting vulnerable people with aggressive and immoral advertising campaigns and encouraging false claims.
The spokesman said: "The Compensation Bill will go some way to regulate the area, but the drafting and implementation of the Bill could take years. In the meantime it is down to bodies like the Law Society and the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers to take a lead and punish the guilty parties."
He added: "What is the point of the Law Society if it fails to do anything to curb the malpractice of its own members?"
A Law Society spokesman said: "Any complaints of malpractice from our members will be investigated thoroughly. If the CSC has evidence of these 'rogues' it should present them to us, but these allegations don't stand up."
