How can I make sure that I am prepared for upcoming changes to civil justice laws?
The changes that will come into force at the end of this month will affect the way compensation claims are handled by retailers, with an emphasis on processes and legal expertise. “It’s all about the claims strategies you adopt,” says Andrew Evans of law firm Hill Dickinson.
The changes are to the system dealing with personal injury claims made against a business by either members of the public who have been injured in a store, or out on the roads by a retailer’s vehicle, or by employees for workplace injuries.
From the end of July, if the claim is worth between £1,000 and £25,000 in damages, a retailer must be set up to receive and deal with the claim using the online Ministry of Justice portal. “Some retailers may be familiar with
this system, which has already been used to handle low-value motor claims.
“It is being extended to Employers’ Liability and Public Liability claims and thus into the stores and the supply chain and requires you to make decisions very quickly about whether you are liable to compensate a claimant,” says Evans.
Retailers need to register as a compensator on the new system (www.claimsportal.org.uk), and decide who will deal with the claims. They also need to train staff and customer services, and have incident capture reporting so that quick informed and reliable decisions can be made.
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