LSB approves BSB’s application to regulate entities – Bar Standards Board

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is pleased to confirm that its application to the Legal Services Board (LSB) to become a regulator of entities – businesses authorised to carry out and provide reserved legal activities – has been approved.’

Full story

Bar Standards Board, 2nd December 2014

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Crown court fees – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 2nd, 2014 in courts, Crown Court, fees, news, trials by sally

‘The first change relates to cases when the defendant elected trial and solicitors had been restricted to the fixed fee, even though the Crown did not proceed at all, and the defendant is acquitted on the order of a judge. In these cases, provided the case goes beyond the plea and case management hearing, a cracked trial fee will be paid.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 1st December 2014

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Legal aid contracts for on-call criminal solicitors to be slashed by two-thirds – The Guardian

‘On-call, duty contracts for criminal solicitors to attend police stations and courts will be slashed from 1,600 to 527 in England and Wales, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed.’

Full story

The Guardian, 27th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The consequences of non payment of Court fees and the failure to file trial bundles – A recent case considered – Zenith PI Blog

Posted November 24th, 2014 in case management, delay, fees, news, solicitors, striking out by sally

‘Despite solicitors for three claimants failing to pay the relevant court fees, failing to file a pre-trial checklist, and failing to prepare a trial bundle (which caused the trial window to be lost) it was nonetheless inappropriate to strike out the claim- the case was all but ready for trial and the claim was not insubstantial.’

Full story

Zenith PI Blog, 21st November 2014

Source: www.zenithpi.wordpress.com

Backlash on whiplash – New Law Journal

Posted November 18th, 2014 in compensation, expert witnesses, fees, Ministry of Justice, news, personal injuries by sally

‘Chris Pamplin looks at recent moves by the Ministry of Justice to control the whiplash claims industry & MROs.’

Full story

New Law Journal, 14th November 2014

Source: www.newlawjournal.co.uk

JR looms as MoJ admits: new whiplash rules “could lead to misunderstanding” – Litigation Futures

‘The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has admitted that the new rules for whiplash claims, introduced on 1 October this year, “could in practice lead to some misunderstanding” and may have to be amended.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 14th November 2014

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Judge hits out at system that encourages solicitors to charge barristers referral fees – Legal Futures

‘Mr Justice Green, chairman of the Advocacy Training Council, has condemned the lack of a “level playing field” for publicly funded advocates, which is leading to the practice of “selling litigation rights”.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 13th November 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Judge hits out at system that encourages solicitors to charge barristers referral fees – Legal Futures

Posted November 13th, 2014 in advocacy, barristers, fees, judges, legal aid, news, solicitors by tracey

‘Mr Justice Green, chairman of the Advocacy Training Council, has condemned the lack of a “level playing field” for publicly funded advocates, which is leading to the practice of “selling litigation rights”.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 13th November 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

New payday loan rules to cap fees, total cost and default charges – The Guardian

Posted November 11th, 2014 in consumer credit, consumer protection, fees, financial regulation, interest, news by michael

‘The UK’s financial watchdog is clamping down on payday loans, with new rules to ensure that borrowers are never forced to repay more than twice the sum of their original loan.’

Full story

The Guardian, 11th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Inquiries as to Damages in the Patents County Court: Henderson v All Around the World Recordings Ltd – NIPC Law

Posted November 5th, 2014 in copyright, damages, fees, inquiries, intellectual property, news by sally

‘I last discussed this litigation in Success Fees and ATE Premiums in the Patents County Court: Henderson v All Around the World Recordings Ltd 4 May 2013. I set out the basic facts in my case note:

“This was an action for infringement of a performer’s rights which Judge Birss QC (as he then was) decided in Henderson v All Around the World Recordings Ltd and Another [2013] EWPCC 7 (13 Feb 2013)……. She had not been entirely successful and the costs of an unsuccessful copyright claim and half the costs of an application were awarded against her but she had succeeded overall.”‘

Full story

NIPC Law, 5th November 2014

Source: www.nipclaw.blogspot.co.uk

Phasing in new legislation – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The major piece of criminal law legislation for 2014 is the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act. It has been brought gradually into force throughout the year.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 3rd November 2014

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Grayling shelves plan to double the fee for getting a divorce – The Independent

Posted October 27th, 2014 in budgets, costs, divorce, families, fees, news by sally

‘The Secretary of State for Justice, Chris Grayling, has quietly shelved plans to nearly double the fee for filing a divorce petition.’

Full story

The Independent, 26th October 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

The cost of dying with an outdated will is ‘£9,700’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 23rd, 2014 in costs, fees, intestacy, news, wills by sally

‘Research suggests that a combined £175 million in assets is lost each year to bereaved families if a relative dies intestate or with an outdated will.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 22nd October 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

High Court attacks “unreasonable and opportunistic” defendants in relief from sanctions ruling – Litigation Futures

Posted October 6th, 2014 in appeals, costs, delay, disciplinary procedures, documents, fees, news, solicitors by sally

‘The High Court has overturned a cost judge’s refusal to grant relief from sanctions that prevented claimant lawyers from recovering their success fees, and instead accused the defendants of “unreasonable and opportunistic” conduct.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 6th October 2014

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

New whiplash and PPI claim rules – Ministry of Justice

‘The latest stages of the government’s work on compensation claims take effect today (Wednesday 1 October 2014) with new measures around whiplash and PPI claims.’

Full press release

Minsitry of Justice, 1st October 2014

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

Marley v Rawlings (No 2) – WLR Daily

Posted October 2nd, 2014 in appeals, costs, fees, law reports, mistake, rectification, solicitors, Supreme Court, wills by tracey

Marley v Rawlings (No 2); [2014] UKSC 51; [2014] WLR (D) 402

‘Where a mistake made by a solicitor in the execution of a will required its validity to be determined in litigation, funded in the High Court and the Court of Appeal on a traditional basis and in the Supreme Court under contingency fee agreements, the proper order for costs in the High Court and the Court of Appeal was that the solicitor’s insurers should pay the costs of both the successful claimant and the unsuccessful defendants, thereby short-circuiting the approach that, on a reasonable, but unsuccessful, challenge to the validity of a will, the costs should be borne by the estate.’

WLR Daily, 18th September 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

New, fairer way of calculating barristers’ practising certificate fees announced – The Bar Council

Posted September 26th, 2014 in barristers, fees, press releases, remuneration by tracey

‘The way in which barristers’ Practising Certificate Fees (PCF) are calculated will soon change to become fairer, the Bar Standards Board and Bar Council have announced today.’

Full press release

The Bar Council, 25th September 2014

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Bar Council publishes third representational annual report – The Bar Council

Posted September 22nd, 2014 in advocacy, barristers, budgets, costs, diversity, equality, fees, legal aid, news, reports by sally

‘The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has today published the third edition of its annual report, ‘Representing the Bar’, which focuses on the organisation’s representational activities and performance against key strategic aims for 2013-14.’

Full story

The Bar Council, 19th September 2014

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Fee-paid Judicial Pension Scheme – Ministry of Justice

Posted September 22nd, 2014 in consultations, fees, judiciary, news, pensions by sally

‘This consultation seeks views on the proposed design of the Fee-paid Judicial Pension Scheme (FPJPS).’

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Ministry of Justice, 19th September 2014

Source: https://consult.justice.gov.uk

Supreme Court forces barristers to waive success fees – Litigation Futures

Posted September 22nd, 2014 in appeals, barristers, costs, fees, news, solicitors, Supreme Court, wills by sally

‘The president of the Supreme Court has taken the “fairly remarkable” course of forcing two barristers into dropping their claims to success fees in a case which he said again highlighted the “many unsatisfactory aspects” of the pre-Jackson CFA regime.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 18th September 2014

Source: www.litigationfutures.com