Cherie Blair to use no win no fee - 11/04/2008

Cherie Blair is the latest high profile figure to use the no win no fee legal arrangement.

Mrs Blair, a highly paid barrister and lecturer, is using the conditional fee arrangement (CFA) to bring legal proceedings against a newspaper for libel.

A no win no fee arrangement is where a claimant uses the services of a lawyer without having to pay any upfront fees of any kind. If the claim is successful the lawyer taking the case will recover costs and a success fee from the opposing party while the claimant gets 100% of any compensation awarded.

Other well known people who have used the CFA system include Heather Mills, the ex wife of Sir Paul McCartney and Italian world cup winning footballer Marco Materazzi.

The current CFA system, which was introduced over a decade ago to replace the old legal aid system, was designed to give access to the law for personal injury claims to those people who previously could not have afforded to do so. It was later extended to include most civil cases, including defamation.

But the system has not been without its stern critics. A group of media organisations have written to the Ministry of Justice urging the Government to reform the CFA system, arguing that some lawyers are exploiting the system in prolonging cases and driving up the cost of fees as a result.