Changes to “no win, no fee” arrangements will be at the heart of a shake-up of civil justice in England and Wales to be announced later today.

Justice Secretary Ken Clarke has said that he favours a system whereby lawyers received a share of the damages, rather than an additional “success fee”.

He has pointed out that in 2008-9 the NHS paid out £312m in damages but £456m in legal costs.

The change follows a review carried out by Lord Justice Jackson in 2010.

Lord Justice Jackson’s review of the system said lawyers in “no-win, no-fee” civil cases should no longer have a “success fee” which has to be paid by the defendants, but should get a share of damages.

The judge found huge rises in civil litigation costs in England and Wales in recent years and said reforms could save people millions.

It is not clear as yet the impact that this will have on experts in civil litigation cases, including forensic accountants such as ourselves.