‘This consultation sets out the government’s proposals for reforming the fee payable for an application for a grant of probate. The proposed fee regime will move from a flat to a banded fee approach, proportionate to, and rising with, the value of the estate, and at the same time will increase the value of the estate below which no fee is payable from £5,000 to £50,000, lifting some 30,000 estates out of paying any fee. The proposals are intended to be fair and progressive. The Government is also considering whether grant of probate applications should be excluded from the fee remissions scheme and are seeking views on this issue.’
Ministry of Justice, 18th February 2016
Source: www.consult.justice.gov.uk
‘For some families it could amount to a potential 129-fold increase in costs.’
Daily Telegraph, 18th February 2016
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘Communities secretary Greg Clark has announced that he will consult on whether to reward good performance by certain council planning teams with the opportunity to increase their planning application fees.’
OUT-LAW.com, 16th February 2016
Source: www.out-law.com
‘It has appeared inevitable in recent months that some form of fixed costs scheme will be introduced if the powers that be have their way although it was anticipated smaller claims would be targeted. However, Jackson LJ dropped the hand grenade that all costs involving claims up to £250,000 should be fixed.’
Litigation Futures, 17th February 2016
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘Plans to create three new breeds of lawyer – probate practitioners, conveyancing technicians and probate technicians – are being published today by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC).’
Legal Futures, 15 February 2016
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The High Court has ruled that a conditional fee agreement (CFA) was valid even though the claimant’s legal aid certificate remained in place.’
Litigation Futures, 16th February 2016
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘Partners at top City law firms are charging clients more than £1,000 an hour, according to a Conservative thinktank which condemns fee rises for restricting access to justice.’
The Guardian, 5th February 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘In a debate, held on 10 December 2015 (Human Rights Day), Lord Howarth of Newport succinctly summarised the consequences of the legal aid cuts as a; “denial of access to justice, human suffering, failure to achieve the intended savings, and damage to the legal profession.”’
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 2nd February 2016
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
‘Lawyers have responded negatively to Lord Justice Jackson’s call last week to introduce fixed costs for all civil claims worth up to £250,000.’
Litigation Futures, 1st February 2016
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘Cardiff-based Capital Law has today launched a £50m fund – backed by a hedge fund – to help its clients pursue litigation, in a first for a law firm.’
Legal Futures, 1st February 2016
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘A solicitor involved in the 2011 litigation between Russian oligarchs Boris Berezovsky and Roman Abramovich has been fined £50,000 by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) for entering into what was then an unlawful contingency fee agreement, under which he would have netted tens of millions of pounds had Mr Berezovsky succeeded.’
Legal Futures, 29th January 2016
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Court fee increases that were hastily introduced to plug a £100m hole in the Ministry of Justice’s budget were based on “hopeless” evidence, according to the most senior civil judge in England and Wales.’
The Guardian, 26th January 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The Legal Services Board (LSB) is set to make encouraging comparison sites to enter the legal market one of its goals for the next year, along with telling regulators to be clearer about how they spend the profession’s money.’
Legal Futures, 20th January 2016
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘A newspaper’s right to free expression under article 10 of the European Convention was not breached by being ordered to pay success fees and after-the-event (ATE) insurance premiums, Master Gordon-Saker has ruled.’
Litigation Futures, 19th January 2016
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘The introduction of fixed recoverable costs (FRC) in clinical negligence cases is still planned for 1 October 2016, the Department of Health has confirmed.’
Litigation Futures, 14th January 2016
Source: www.litigationfutures.co.uk
‘Civil justice is unaffordable for most people, more people are being forced to represent themselves, and judges – whose pensions have been cut – feel underappreciated, according to the lord chief justice.’
The Guardian, 13th January 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
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