A victory for the consumer

After the Supreme Court decision in Law Society of Ireland v Motor Insurer’s Bureau of Ireland, the Society has lobbied government to ensure that victims who would otherwise be only partly compensated for injuries receive full compensation.

Minister Paschal Donohue announced on 30 January 2018 that in principle the State will be responsible for ensuring all “third party claimants are compensated in full.” The exact details of how this policy will be implemented remains to be finalised.

• See the government press release regarding Setanta insurance and related cases

Warm welcome

“This is a victory for the consumer. Both the victim, who would have been severely undercompensated, and the policyholder, who may have been the subject of a claim on personal assets, have had their rights vindicated. The only voice they have is their solicitor. The solicitor’s voice is the Law Society. Together, we have done our job and ensured an egregious wrong has been corrected,” said Michael Quinlan in an email to members.

Solicitors can log in to access the President’s Bulletin under eNewsletters.

For more information on the Society’s policy and law reform advocacy, see Policy and Law Reform.