Court Service records £100m ‘profit’ from civil litigation for first time – Litigation Futures

Posted July 19th, 2017 in civil justice, courts, fees, news, reports, statistics by sally

‘The civil courts recorded a surplus of more than £100m in 2016-17, their biggest profit to date, according to the annual report of HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS).’

Full Story

Litigation Futures, 18th July 2017

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

News focus: LASPO 4 years on, the Law Society review – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 3rd, 2017 in budgets, civil justice, criminal justice, legal aid, news by tracey

‘Is access to justice an essential public service, akin to state schooling and lifelong healthcare free at the point of delivery? The Law Society believes it is – or at least should be – and pushes the point hard in a damning new report on the social consequences of swingeing funding and scope cuts to civil legal aid. Barriers erected by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders act (LASPO) in 2013 have denied justice to some of the most vulnerable people in society, Chancery Lane argues in Access Denied? LASPO four years on.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 3rd July 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

The UK Jurisdictions After 2019 – Sir Geoffrey Vos, Chancellor of the High Court

The UK Jurisdictions After 2019 (PDF)

Sir Geoffrey Vos, Chancellor of the High Court

Lecture to the Faculty of Advocates, 20th June 2017

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Revealed: Jackson’s fixed fees pilot to cap costs at £80k – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted June 21st, 2017 in civil justice, civil procedure rules, costs, judges, news, pilot schemes by sally

‘Pointers for the potential level of fixed costs for civil claims have been revealed on the eve of a pilot scheme to test how the idea will work.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 20th June 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Legitimate expectation as a ground for judicial review – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 19th, 2017 in civil justice, equality, judicial review, local government, news by sally

‘A number of recent judicial decisions – particularly a recent ruling by the UK’s top judges in the United Policyholders case – have gone some way towards clarifying what counts as a breach of ‘legitimate expectation’ by a public body.’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 16th June 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

The Lord Slynn Memorial Lecture by Sir Terence Etherton, Master of the Rolls: The Civil Court of the Future – Judiciary of England and Wales

Posted June 15th, 2017 in civil justice, courts, internet, judges, speeches by sally

The Lord Slynn Memorial Lecture by Sir Terence Etherton, Master of the Rolls: The Civil Court of the Future

Judiciary of England and Wales, 15th June 2017

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Protecting the cost of clients’ initial disbursements – Litigation Futures

Posted June 1st, 2017 in civil justice, costs, insurance, news, solicitors by sally

‘The overwhelming majority of solicitors understand the need to offer their clients financial protection during the course of litigation, however, often the inclination is to assist in safeguarding their client’s financial risk is generally befitting when it comes to Issuing Proceedings. At this juncture it becomes appropriate to make a recommendation of the possibility in obtaining After the Event Insurance.’

Full Story

Litigation Futures, 31st May 2017

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Six men drop Lord Janner compensation claims – BBC News

Posted May 30th, 2017 in civil justice, compensation, inquiries, news, sexual offences by sally

‘Six men who accused the late Lord Janner of child sexual abuse have discontinued a legal case aimed at winning damages from his estate.’

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BBC News, 28th May 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

35th Blackstone Lecture by Lady Justice Hallett: Trial by Jury – Past and Present – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

‘It is a pleasure to have been asked to give this year’s Blackstone lecture. Lord Devlin at the outset of his Hamlyn Lectures in 1956 observed: that trial by jury was a subject on which it was not possible to ‘say anything very novel or very profound’. If not a subject suitable for original comment, why did I choose it?’

Full speech

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 22nd May 2017

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Low-Budget Litigation – Not Necessarily A Good Thing – Parties Should Not Treat Costs Budgeting As Some Sort of Game – Zenith PI Blog

Posted May 16th, 2017 in budgets, civil justice, costs, news, solicitors by sally

‘It is far from unknown, in my own experience of costs management hearings, for a party which does not expect to recover any costs (for example, a defendant in a case where liability has been admitted) to serve a very low costs budget.’

Full story

Zenith PI Blog, 16th May 2017

Source: www.zenithpi.wordpress.com

A Stitch in Time Saves Nine – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted May 16th, 2017 in amendments, civil justice, civil procedure rules, news, time limits by sally

‘In the well-known case of Cobbold v London Borough of Greenwich (LTL 24/5/2001) Gibson LJ said:

‘The overriding objective (of the CPR) is that the court should deal with cases justly. That includes, so far as is practicable, ensuring that each case is dealt with not only expeditiously but also fairly. Amendments in general ought to be allowed so that the real dispute between the parties can be adjudicated upon provided that any prejudice to the other party or parties caused by the amendment can be compensated in costs, and the public interest in the efficient administration of justice is not significantly harmed…’.’

Full story

Hardwicke Chambers, 11th April 2017

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

High Court rejects litigation privilege claim in test case – Litigation Futures

Posted May 11th, 2017 in civil justice, crime, disclosure, documents, fraud, news, privilege, prosecutions, trials by tracey

‘The High Court has rejected a mining company’s claim for litigation privilege in a test case which for the first time involves potential criminal, rather than civil, litigation.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 10th May 2017

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Fixed-cost plans for clinical negligence “will prevent many cases being brought”, CJC warns – Litigation Futures

‘Government plans to impose fixed costs on clinical negligence cases worth up to £25,000 “will prevent many cases being brought”, the Civil Justice Council (CJC) has warned.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 11th May 2017

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

The Value of Justice: The Bar Council Manifesto for Justice 2017 – The Bar council

Posted May 9th, 2017 in barristers, civil justice, criminal justice, reports by tracey

‘The Bar Council’s General Election 2017 Manifesto for Justice .’

Full manifesto

The Bar Council, 8th May 2017

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Legal aid safety net applications up by 43% – Legal Voice

‘There has been a 43% increase in applications to LASPO’s safety net regime compared to last year and theLegal Aid Agency granted almost six out of 10. There were 441 applications for exceptional case funding received between October and December 2016, comprising 383 and 58 re-submissions. This compares to 308 in the same period for 2015.’

Full story

Legal Voice, 6th April 2017

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk

Prisons and Courts Bill to improve access to justice and better protect the vulnerable – Ministry of Justice

Posted March 21st, 2017 in bills, civil justice, courts, criminal justice, internet, news, prisons by tracey

‘Plans to revolutionise the courts to make them more straightforward and efficient, and deliver swifter justice for victims.’

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 20th March 2017

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Quality must trump convenience in online justice reforms – The Bar Council

Posted March 21st, 2017 in barristers, bills, civil justice, courts, criminal justice, internet, press releases by tracey

‘As the Government presses ahead with plans for online and virtual hearings, the Bar Council has warned that the quality and the reputation of our system of justice must not suffer.’

Full press release

The Bar Council, 20th March 2017

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Business and Property Courts – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted March 14th, 2017 in civil justice, courts, dispute resolution, press releases by tracey

‘From June of this year, the specialist civil courts are to be known as the “Business and Property Courts of England and Wales”.’

Full press release

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 13th March 2017

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Legal problem and resolution survey 2014 to 2015 – Ministry of Justice

‘These reports present the findings from the Legal Problem and Resolution Survey 2014 to 2015, a telephone survey of 10,058 adults in England and Wales.’

Full reports

Ministry of Justice, 3rd march 2017

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Online court “visible by September and no big bang”, top judge reveals – Legal Futures

‘The first signs of an online court (OC) will be visible in tribunals by September, online processes will be extended to a wide range of civil court proceedings by May 2020, and the reforms will be incremental, according to one of the judges in charge.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 22nd February 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk