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Satellite litigation over the Jackson reforms is inevitable – and may not be a bad thing, a gathering of the leading figures in legal costs and funding heard this week. Legal Futures had exclusive access to the event, held to discuss implementation of the reforms.

The legal aid and Jackson reforms should come into force in October 2012, justice minister Jonathan Djanogly confirmed yesterday, as Labour launched a bid to make paying a referral fee a criminal offence punishable by up to six months in prison.

The government has fought off amendments to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill that would have reversed the impact of the Jackson reforms on several areas of practice. It has also rejected the judge’s recent call to fund expert reports in clinical negligence cases with legal aid.

The war of words over the Jackson reforms restarted today ahead of MPs resuming scrutiny of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill tomorrow. The Association of British Insurers has put together a ‘consortium for compensation reform’ made up of 16 leading retailers and business groups.

Government plans to reduce the amount of litigation in the county courts by introducing mandatory pre-action directions will undermine the constitutional principle of access to the courts, the Civil Justice Council (CJC) has warned. The news comes as the CJC’s role in implementing the Jackson reforms has also been revealed.