29 March, 2011
Future of CFAs and ATE announced today
Filed UnderLegal Costs
The Ministry of Justice will make a statement today as to its response to the Jackson consultation. Press leaks suggest that the government will push ahead with ending the recoverability of success fees and after-the-event insurance premium from the losing side.
As usual, Legal Futures is likely to be first to report the details and they invite you to check their site after 3.30pm. (Fingers ready at the keyboard Neil?)
Kenneth Clarke speaking earlier today on: the Today programme. Sounds like clinical negligence claims will be hit as well as other claims.
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18 Responses to “Future of CFAs and ATE announced today”
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Simon
You’re too kind. I am indeed poised – there’a s press briefing at lunchtime ahead of the statement, so Legal Futures should publish a full breakdown of the detail as soon as Clarke makes his statement.
Neil
It’s very exciting. A bit like attending one’s own funeral.
There will be a press briefing at 1:30pm today and then a formal announcement in Parliament at 3:30pm
Who needs a job anyway?
Doley doley dole, here we come!! Or we can get a job form filling for £4 an hour.
Emmigration?
Live from the Commons just now, the MOJ response to Jackson, and what they propose to implement
legal costs are disproportionate
amends no win no fee by ending recoverability of success fee and ate premiums
increase damages 10%
success fee paid out of damages
one way cost capping
small value claims to mediation, SCT rises to £15k
CC jurisdiction up to £100k
I did laugh at the proposal to increase the SCT to £15k in non PI claims. Can you imagine litigants in person screaming at each other over the table in £10k disputes? Judges are going to love that….
implemented in full it appears, game over
End only if fixed costs introduced for all pi fast track claims?
MoJ press release here: http://www.justice.gov.uk/news/newsrelease290311a.htm and here: http://www.justice.gov.uk/news/announcement290311a.htm
What is your view on the future for the average draftsman/negotiator then Simon?
If by average draftsman/negotiator you mean one whose case load consists of mainly fast-track matters, in a word: history.
What about if you were in a position where you worked in a firm where you have a mixture of stuff (fast track/multi track), you are fairly young, progressing with the intention of doing more heavyweight stuff and about to commence the ACL, worth carrying on?
The best I can suggest is don’t accept career advice from idiots who write blogs.
To anon @ 6.49pm. I am sure the ACL will happily open the door to you but dont forget to bring your cheque book! Why would anyone consider joining the ACL after today?!
You can bet directors of cost only firms will be telling staff that jobs will be safe and we will still get work through the door! Directors will just want to squeeze every last penny out of the system before cuts are made.
With respect to Anon its going to be difficult fighting for work with the limited amount of years (by your own admission) you have. Everyone will be after the multi track work.
I will stay around to deal with the run off and then hopefully have 6-12 months off work to consider my options. Its been a long 10 years but we had a good run.
Good luck.
And don’t get too depressed (although I speak as someone who has done a handful – if that – of fast-track cases in the last 9 years!). There are and will be many opportunities for those of us who have the ‘draftsman’s’ set of skills. And membership of the ACL should give you an ‘inside edge’ over those who aren’t members.
As one who is (overly) fond of speaking in metaphors (and unattributed quotations) – and who is a perennial optimist – I truly believe that this signals ‘evolution not revolution’.
This relates to a previous thread that concerned why the ACL was not representative of all in the industry and one of the points I made was that with there being uncertainty with regards to the future, then it is understandable why people may not join and complete the ACL considering they could be out of a job and also a fair few thousand out of pocket.
Now I can totally see that if you are older and owning, running or working in a firm that is all fast track then I can see that its a bleak future.
However those who are younger and looking to progress (which surely you should be supportive of Simon considering you are on the Council) may be a little bit more shall we say confused. Do you commit and go for the costs lawyer qualification? Even if you do will there be work? seeing as there are alot of costs lawyers already around. You can see the point I am making.