LAWYERS are preparing for an “unprecedented” flood of hundreds of compensation claims for victims of child sexual abuse in WA once a major legal barrier is officially lifted.

Reforms to lift the statute of limitations, which required victims to launch civil action within six years of the abuse, passed State Parliament this week. Under the new regime, there will be no time restraint placed on survivors — many of whom have not been ready to disclose their ordeals until decades later — to sue their perpetrators or institutions.

The Sunday Times spoke to three legal firms this week who said their combined current case load for WA claims was almost 400.

Senior solicitor at Bradley Bayly Legal, Renea Capararo, said the firm was working on more than 200 cases and aimed to lodge up to 50 claims in the WA District Court on the same day the legislation to remove the time restrictions came into effect. She said it would be unprecedented in terms of the avalanche of impending claims.

“In a sense, they’re opening the floodgates,” Ms Capararo said.

She said about half of the cases, which dated back to the 1950s, were against State Government departments — mainly education and child protection — while the remainder involved other organisations including the Catholic and Anglican churches, Salvation Army and Christian Brothers.

“Money is not the main driver,” she said.

“A lot of these victims were abused at a time when they would not have disclosed it because it was shameful and they feared being called a liar. This is an acknowledgement of the truth of their stories.”

Shine Lawyers is working on up to 150 cases, while another firm, Tindall Gask Bentley, has about 40.

It’s not clear how many of these cases will end up in the courts.

WA Treasury figures show the State Government could be liable for between $70 million and $647 million in damages over the next four years because of the removal of the statute of limitations.

Greg Reidy, 55, is one of hundreds of victims of child sexual abuse who are ready to make their long overdue bid for compensation.

He said his childhood was “stolen” when his teacher at North Inglewood Primary School, Robert John Lefroy, molested him over four years in the 1970s, starting when he was just eight.

Lefroy was jailed for four years in 2003.

Mr Reidy said his abuse stunted his education, which has limited his job options.

After his abuser was convicted, Mr Reidy said the compensation on offer to him was up to $4000. “I feel happier now, but I now have to fight for decent compensation,” Mr Reidy said.

There will be no cap on civil damages under these new laws, except for a limit on legal fees.

WA is yet to sign up to the Commonwealth redress scheme for victims of institutional child sex abuse because it has concerns about how the scheme, which has a $150,000 cap, will apply to child migrants and child sex abuse survivors with criminal convictions.