Domestic abuse survivor takes UK justice ministry to court over legal aid – The Guardian

‘A single mother and domestic abuse survivor is taking the Ministry of Justice to court this week after being refused legal aid because she was deemed to have no dependents, even though she had applied for the funding to enforce a child custody arrangement.’

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The Guardian, 6th March 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Election court awards costs against petitioner in ‘dates bribe’ case – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted March 1st, 2023 in bribery, costs, elections, local government, news, political parties by sally

‘A rare sitting of the Election Court has agreed to withdraw a petition for a council election to be declared void after receiving “conclusive evidence” that the petitioner handed packets of dates to potential voters.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 28th February 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Beneficiary allowed to challenge firm’s fees after fourfold rise – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted February 13th, 2023 in costs, fees, law firms, news, solicitors, wills by tracey

‘The High Court has allowed a will beneficiary to challenge a costs bill which rose significantly from its original estimate.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 10th February 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Defendant landlord ordered to pay £52k+ after squashing three flats into basement without planning permission – Local Government Lawyer

Posted January 31st, 2023 in costs, fines, landlord & tenant, news, planning by tracey

‘A landlord who put three flats into the basement of one of his properties in Camberwell has been ordered to pay more than £52,000 in illegal gains, fines and costs.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 30th January 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Costs protection still in place for last-minute discontinuance, rules CoA – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 19th, 2023 in civil procedure rules, costs, news, personal injuries, striking out by tracey

‘A claimant who discontinued his personal injury case on the morning of trial should still be entitled to costs protection, the Court of Appeal has ruled.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 18th January 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

SRA sanctioned for wrongly publishing trainee’s ban – Legal Futures

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has been sanctioned in costs after prematurely stating on its website that it had banned a former trainee solicitor from working for law firms.’

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Legal Futures, 16th January 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Court rejects costs budgeting plea on child’s clin neg claim – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 16th, 2023 in birth, costs, damages, hospitals, negligence, news, personal injuries by tracey

‘The High Court has rejected a defendant’s plea for a costs management order regarding a child’s clinical negligence case which could still have years to run. Master Cook stated that the policy of children’s cases being exempt from costs management should be adhered to, even if the defendant was unhappy with the costs incurred so far.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 13th January 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Breach of trust, directors and corporate trustees: multiple derivative claims following McGaughey v USS – Wilberforce Chambers

‘It is commonplace now for the trustee of almost any sort of trust to be a company, and for the individuals who may colloquially be referred to as “the trustees” to in fact not be trustees at all, but to be the directors of the trustee company. Occupational pension schemes have been particularly keen adopters of this structure. In some respects it makes little difference to the beneficiaries: the trustee is the trustee, whether an individual or a company. But when the individuals involved are alleged to have acted in breach of their duties, the corporate structure allows for more complex claims than the ordinary breach of trust claim that would be brought against individual trustees.’

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Wilberforce Chambers, 20th December 2022

Source: www.wilberforce.co.uk

Should Boundary Disputes Be Allocated to the Small Claims Track? – Pallant Chambers

Posted January 9th, 2023 in boundaries, chambers articles, costs, news, small claims by sally

Boundary disputes, whether concerning large or small amounts of land, are evidentially and legally complex. As a result, they often involve significant costs. In Davis & Anor v Winner, His Honour Judge Mithani KC, in somewhat of a surprising judgment, stated, obiter dictum, that to prevent disproportionate costs in boundary disputes involving a small amount of land they should be allocated to the Small Claims Track (“SCT”). Davis has been subsequently relied upon by District Judges to allocate analogous cases to the SCT. However, given the complex characteristics of boundary disputes, it is necessary to undertake a detailed assessment of their suitability for the SCT.

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Pallant Chambers, 14th December 2022

Source: www.pallantchambers.co.uk

Recoverability of VAT on Costs – Guildhall Chambers

Posted January 9th, 2023 in chambers articles, costs, news, VAT by sally

‘The issue of the recoverability of VAT in the assessment of costs is unusual, but a 20% difference in the sum to be paid as a paying party can be very significant. The issue became very contentious in this case, with the RP contending in their skeleton argument that the point raised was “bizarre and bound to fail”.’

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Guildhall Chambers, 6th December 2022

Source: www.guildhallchambers.co.uk

Two cases about QOCS where the claimant accepted a Part 36 offer late – Hailsham Chambers

‘Two recent decisions on the application of qualified one-way-costs-shifting (“QOCS”), of the High Court in Chappell v Mrozek [2022] EWHC 3147 (KB), and of the Court of Appeal in Harrison v University Hospitals of Derby & Burton NHS Foundation Trust [2022] EWCA Civ 1660, reinforce the difficulty that personal injury and clinical negligence defendants will face in obtaining enforceable costs orders other than where the claimant obtains an order for damages at trial1. Defendants will generally be unable to enforce costs orders where the claim is settled via Part 36, even if an order of the court is required to enforce the settlement, to permit the claimant to accept the offer, or to direct that the amount payable to the claimant is reduced by the amount of any deductible benefits.’

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Hailsham Chambers, 3rd January 2023

Source: www.hailshamchambers.com

SRA can enforce costs order against solicitor struck off in 2010 – Legal Futures

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) can enforce a £15,000 costs order against a struck-off solicitor more than 12 years after it was made, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 6th January 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Court allows costs challenge by client ‘not informed’ about options – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 19th, 2022 in costs, damages, news, personal injuries, solicitors, time limits by tracey

‘The High Court has ruled that a costs bill can be challenged after the one-year time limit for requesting detailed assessment. In Menzies v Oakwood Solicitors, Mr Justice Bourne said Leeds firm Oakwood Solicitors had not made clear to a former client the procedure for objecting to the deduction of costs from his damages. Payment was therefore not effected by a settlement of account and a challenge could still be made.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 16th December 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Maternity scandal victims join fight against fixed costs – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 19th, 2022 in birth, children, costs, families, hospitals, negligence, news by tracey

‘A powerful new lobby has joined the fight to stop the government capping costs for clinical negligence claims worth less than £25,000. Some 28 families involved in the Shrewsbury and Telford maternity scandal have signed an open letter to health secretary Steve Barclay opposing the proposals.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 19th December 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

High court rejects costs setoff in QOCS claim – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 16th, 2022 in accidents, compensation, costs, damages, news, part 36 offers, personal injuries by tracey

‘The High Court rejected a defendant’s bid to escape the full rigour of the qualified one-way costs shifting (QOCS) regime in a ruling handed down this week.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 15th December 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Pseudonymous claimant debarred from proceedings – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 28th, 2022 in anonymity, civil procedure rules, copyright, costs, cryptocurrencies, internet, news by tracey

‘The operator and publisher of a website is not entitled to participate in court proceedings under the pseudonym “Cøbra” – even with legal representation, the High Court has ruled. In Wright v Persons Unknown, Costs Judge Rowley agreed to bar “Cøbra” from costs proceedings arising from a copyright case unless it identifies itself and provides an address.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 25th November 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Belsner faces £130k costs payment but Checkmylegalfees “has a future” – Legal Futures

Posted November 16th, 2022 in costs, indemnities, law firms, news, third parties by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has signalled the possibility of a non-party costs order in the Belsner case after ordering the claimant to make an interim costs payment of £130,000.’

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Legal Futures, 16th November 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Service charges, burden of proof, and costs of proceedings – Nearly Legal

Posted November 14th, 2022 in burden of proof, costs, landlord & tenant, news, service charges, tribunals by tracey

‘Assethold Ltd v. Nelio Patricio Teixeira Franco (LANDLORD AND TENANT – SERVICE CHARGES – ADMINISTRATION CHARGES – burden of proof – scope of costs incurred for the purpose of the preparation and service of a notice under section 146 of the Law of Property Act 1925) (2022) UKUT 285 (LC).’

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Nearly Legal, 13th November 2022

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Bar to pay £22k legal costs to council and close for two months over alcohol-related violence, magistrates rule – Local Government Lawyer

Posted November 14th, 2022 in appeals, costs, licensed premises, local government, news, violent disorder by tracey

‘A court has ordered a Leicester bar to pay more than £20,000 in legal costs to Leicester City Council after an unsuccessful appeal of licensing restrictions, which were aimed at reducing crime, disorder and noise problems.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 11th November 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

MoJ makes late U-turn on how to extend fixed costs – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 14th, 2022 in civil procedure rules, costs, Ministry of Justice, news by tracey

‘The government appears to have significantly altered its plans for implementing the fixed recoverable costs extension just weeks before the rules need to be signed off.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 11th November 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk