Jeff's Idea Lab Blog

Ian Mulgrew's February 5, 2010 column brings to light a very interesting trend.

ICBC is spending upwards of $100 million per annum on its lawyers. This figure represents a 20% increase over what it spent on lawyers three years prior.

So what ? you might ask.

Well, those of us in the legal trade know full well that ICBC scrutinizes its legal bills quite closely.

So, what this trend clearly indicates is that ICBC is becoming increasingly litigious. These numbers back up what many lawyers who represent injured motorists have been saying in the recent past.

That ICBC is working very hard to ,"put their clients through the hoops".

The real question, though, is simple. What is ICBC's master plan concerning their ever increasing legal expenditures ? Or, more to the point, do they have one.

Is ICBC trying to scare injured people away from pursuing legitimate injury claims ?

Is ICBC trying to make it increasingly difficult for lawyers who represent injured individuals to make a living ?

Is ICBC trying to push BC's legal system to the limit by litigating every case to the limit ?

These questions are all worth considering.

What do you think ?