In response to justice secretary David Lidington's confirmation that the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) are to press ahead with increases to the small claims limit for personal injury, the Law Society has warned that ordinary people, including the elderly, will be denied the vital expert legal advice required to navigate the court system and understand the essential medical evidence to prove injury.

Law Society president Joe Egan said: The lord chancellor insisted today in a Justice Select Committee hearing that road traffic accident claims up to £5,000 ‘are not cases where it ought normally to be necessary to have legal representation’.

The reality is that a five-fold increase in the small claims limit - from £1,000 to £5,000 for road traffic accidents - will prevent people who’ve been injured through no fault of their own from recovering legal costs. This means that many people would not be able to obtain legal representation for claims when they have been injured, forcing them to fight through the courts on their own without legal help.

The Law Society's full statement and warning can be viewed here.