Tenants left ‘vulnerable’ over £10k unlawful fees – BBC News
‘A tenant said she and her family were left feeling “really vulnerable” after being charged unlawful fees totalling more than £10,000.’
BBC News, 6th December 2023
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: fees
Severance Denied: Diag Human v Volterra Fietta [; A Potential Public Policy Warning for Litigation Funders – Gatehouse Chambers
‘The Court of Appeal has held that the severance of terms rendering a CFA unenforceable was not available to solicitors on public policy grounds and that consequently their clients were entitled to the return of sums paid on account. The decision in Diag Human v Volterra Fietta will ring alarm bells for litigation funders who might be contemplating launching similar arguments as a consequence of the Supreme Court’s decision in R (on the application of PACCAR) v Competition Appeal Tribunal.’
Gatehouse Chambers, 10th October 2023
Source: gatehouselaw.co.uk
Diag Human v Volterra Fietta – Hailsham Chambers
‘The Court of Appeal dismisses the solicitors’ appeal in Diag Human v Volterra Fietta. In this note, Jamie Carpenter KC, Counsel for the successful Respondents, analyses the decision and its implications for litigation funding agreements in light of PACCAR.’
Hailsham Chambers, 4th October 2023
Source: www.hailshamchambers.com
Court rejects ‘fishing expedition’ for firm’s call recording – Law Society’s Gazette
‘A costs judge has refused a former client’s plea for a recording of the call where they signed up to instruct a law firm. In Turner v Coupland Cavendish, Costs Judge Rowley said the call recording remained the solicitors’ property rather than the client’s and did not need to be disclosed.’
Law Society's Gazette, 6th November 2023
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Firm wins challenge to legal aid out of time reduction – Law Society’s Gazette
‘A firm has successfully challenged a 20% late-submission penalty to a legal aid settlement.’
Law Society's Gazette, 3rd November 2023
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Court transcript costs are exploitative – BBC News
‘Victims of violent and sexual crimes are calling for court transcript costs to be cut after they were quoted “unaffordable” sums for them.’
BBC News, 24th October 2023
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Are there any circumstances in which professional indemnity insurers will indemnify insured persons in respect of a loss of fees? – Hailsham Chambers
‘This was the broad question which confronted the Court of Appeal in RSA v. Tughans [2023] EWCA Civ 999, and the unanimous answer was Yes. The case is of interest both because of the result and because of the importance accorded by the Court to the policy underlying compulsion on professionals to have at least a specified minimum level of professional indemnity insurance.’
Hailsham Chambers, 4th September 2023
Source: www.hailshamchambers.com
Thousands more eligible for financial help with court fees – Ministry of Justice
‘The most vulnerable in society will be better supported to access justice following an expansion of a scheme to help people with court and tribunal fees.’
Ministry of Justice, 16th October 2023
Source: www.gov.uk
Rule committee warned government over clin neg fixed fee timetable – Legal Futures
‘The Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) warned the government in July about the difficulty of meeting the timetable for the new regime of fixed costs in low-value clinical negligence cases, it has emerged.’
Legal Futures, 12th October 2023
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Court stops firm using fees generated by claims joint venture – Legal Futures
‘The High Court has ordered a law firm not to use fees from a PPI claims joint venture now the subject of a dispute, despite it warning that this could put it out of business.’
Legal Futures, 29th September 2023
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Clients ordered to pay costs assigned by firm to non-lawyer – Legal Futures
‘A law firm’s former clients have lost their appeal against a decision that they owe outstanding fees to the non-lawyer who took assignment of their retainers.’
Legal Futures, 15th September 2023
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Judges criticise Mastercard fees of 70% above guideline rates – Law Society’s Gazette
‘Judges in the Competition Appeal Tribunal have taken a scythe to costs claims where solicitors were charging as much as 70% above the guideline hourly rate in a high profile group action.’
Law Society's Gazette, 12th September 2023
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Couple stung by £89 storage fee after spending £4,500 on wills – Law Society’s Gazette
‘A couple were told they would have to pay an annual £49 storage fee after spending £4,500 on their wills – which then increased to £89 a year, a report on the impact of unqualified advisers in the estate planning sector has revealed.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 7th September 2023
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Law Society and SRA win approval for 11.5% jump in cost of practising – Legal Futures
‘Individual solicitors and their firms will be paying an extra £13.2m to be regulated and represented in the coming year, the Legal Services Board (LSB) has confirmed.’
Legal Futures, 7th September 2023
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Firm’s tweet should have mentioned fee deduction, watchdog rules – Law Society’s Gazette
‘A flight delay claims firm should have made clear that clients would not receive the full amount of compensation promised, advertising watchdogs have ruled.’
Law Society's Gazette, 30th August 2023
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 A New Front in Solicitor-Client Assessments? – Hailsham Chambers
‘Surprisingly, the latest development in solicitor-client costs disputes has not come from the domestic courts, but from the European Court of Justice (ECJ). It has the potential to open up a new line of attack in Solicitors Act detailed assessments if the courts decide to apply it.’
Hailsham Chambers, 3rd July 2023
Source: www.hailshamchambers.com
Relief for claimant firms as appeal judges block costs challenge – Law Society’s Gazette
‘A landmark Court of Appeal costs ruling in favour of claimant solicitors cannot be challenged in the Supreme Court, appeal judges have ruled.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 10th August 2023
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
