Nov
4
My intellectual property rights have been infringed
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I assume readers are familiar with search engines such as Google and Yahoo.
In addition to the ordinary search results they produce, they also also show sponsored links. This works by allowing advertisers to purchase the right to have their advert displayed when certain keywords are typed into the search engine. For example, a business selling designer goods might choose the keywords “designer goods” and “fashion”.
Louis Vuitton brought a case against Google complaining that adverts for counterfeit items popped up when internet users searched for the company and that this infringed their trademark rights. They wanted to prevent others from being able to use their registered trademarks as a keywords.
The case ended up being referred to the European Court of Justice. The preliminary ruling was that there was no breach.
All very interesting, but what has this got to do with legal costs, I hear you ask?
I recently discovered that a Google search for Gibbs Wyatt Stone produces a sponsored link for an entirely different firm of law costs draftsmen (although I wouldn’t quite describe our services as being those of traditional costs draftsmen). I suppose I should be flattered that our reputation is such that others hope to raise their own profile by association with our name. However, I’m left feeling vaguely used and violated.
Oct
28
Challenging success fees
Filed Under Legal Costs | 2 Comments
(b) his assessment of the amount of the percentage increase in relation to those proceedings, having regard to the risk assessment; and
Is that an end to the story? Not quite. The ever ingenious Gibbs Wyatt Stone recently acted for the Defendant in an EL claim (Middleton v Mainland Market Deliveries Ltd (
Costs Practice Direction 32.5(1)(b) requires a receiving party to serve with his Bill:
However it was argued for the Defendant that this document did not properly comply with the requirements of 5(1)(c). That section required “the reasons, by reference to the risk assessment [emphasis added], for setting the percentage increase at that level”. Because the solicitors had simply adopted the fixed success fees, they had not undertaken the “risk assessment” required by 5(1)(a). Regulation 5 is a 3-stage process. To comply with 5(1)(c) requires the earlier steps to have also been undertaken. As such, it was argued there was a breach of CPD 32.5(1)(b) and that, by virtue of CPR 44.3B(1)(d)(i), the success fee was therefore not recoverable.
This was a different argument to the one run in Gower Chemicals. That argument was based on there being a breach of the CCFA Regulations which rendered the whole retainer invalid and all costs being irrecoverable. The argument advanced in this case was not that there was a breach of the Regulations, but that there was a breach of the detailed assessment disclosure requirements and the success fee alone was irrecoverable.
The judge accepted the Defendant's submissions and disallowed the success fee.
If this decision were to be followed by other judges, a very large number of other cases would potentially be affected. A large number of “risk assessments” prepared in CCFA cases do not strictly follow the 3-stage process. Interestingly, there is a possible argument that the requirement to comply would have existed even if this was a fixed success fee case. The CCFA in place pre-dated the revocation of the Regulations (as most still do). There is nothing in CPD 32.5(1)(b) that disapplies the rule in fixed success fee cases. Although Lamont v Burton [2007] EWCA Civ 429 and Kilby v Gawith EWCA Civ 812 are authority for the proposition that the courts have no discretion as to whether to allow fixed success fees, does this extend as far as overriding the disclosure or notification requirements? If a party fails to comply with CPD 19.4(1), for example, surely they can't recover the success fee notwithstanding that it is a fixed fee case. Does this also apply to CPD 32.5(1)(b) in its current form?
In the same case, Counsel had entered into his CFA after liability had been admitted. The CFA did not put Counsel at risk in relation to Part 36 offers (despite his risk assessment being prepared on the mistaken basis that it did). Nevertheless, the fixed success fee figures had also been applied producing a claim for 100% as the matter proceeded to trial. The judge accepted that the success fee should be reduced to the 5% figure suggested in paragraph paragraph 24 of C v W [2008] EWCA Civ 1459.
Who says that legal costs isn't exciting?
Oct
9
The Solicitors Journal, aimed not just at solicitors but lawyers generally, claims that its website attracts over 34,000 users a month. Insurance Times, aimed at the whole insurance industry, claims over 45,000 users per month. Both websites have excellent and comprehensive content. The Gibbs Wyatt Stone website attracts over 12,000 users per month. The majority of this traffic is attracted to the Legal Costs Blog pages. Gibbs Wyatt Stone are a niche firm operating in a niche area of the law. These figures suggest one of two things. First, it may be that the figures quoted by the Solicitors Journal and Insurance Times are not as impressive as they first appear. Alternatively, the Legal Costs Blog is attracting a surprisingly high readership given the nature of its content. I'll leave readers to make up their own minds as to which of these it is.
It can safely be assumed that a large proportion of the readership are those who work within the English legal costs world. However, it appears that this blog has a wider reach. We have one subscriber from the High Court in Anguilla in the Caribbean. The other week I was contacted by a charming chap from the Czech Republic asking for book recommendations on the subject of legal costs as this was his "hobby" (and I thought I was the only one).
A comment recently added to one of my previous posts concerning the Jackson Costs Review complained that this was "a most biased defendant based blog". Well, yes. That's the point. Unfortunately, the comment was posted anonymously and so we will never know who expressed that view (although I'm sure there are plenty who share it). Strangely, a specialist costs barrister who had recently seen the blog suggested I should consider "making it more overtly for defendants". Goodness knows how some people would react if I did make it more defendant leaning.
On a related topic, it has recently been reported that Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation (whose publications include The Sun and The Times) is set to start charging online customers for news content across all of its websites. The internet has increasingly been viewed as a source of unlimited free information (in theory paid for by advertising). The tide may be starting to turn. You'll be pleased to know that we currently have no plans to start charging for the blog. Remember, you can subscribe to the blog by entering your email address in the box part way down the web page and receive posts straight to your inbox. If you get tired of receiving them, just unsubscribe.
Feb
9
Welcome to The Legal Costs Blog
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Welcome to the new Legal Costs Blog. Although the blog is officially launching today, we have added some content already and some archive material to give you an idea of the kind of thing to expect.
Please browse around and leave a comment as to what you think and let us know if you have any suggestions for future topics.
Part way down the page, on the right hand side, you will find a box to enter your email address so you can subscribe and receive any future posts straight to your email inbox.
Jan
29
Dec
30
Expert Witness
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Dec
11
15th Annual Solicitors Costs Conference
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We are pleased to be able to announce that Simon Gibbs of GWS as been invited for the second year running to be a speaker at the prestigious CLT Annual Solicitors Costs Conference. He will be speaking on the subject of “Personal Injury – The New Claims Process”. The event will be held on 30th January 2009 in London. For a copy of the Conference Brochure use this link: Brochure.
We are able to arrange a 20% discount on the normal delegate fees to any of our clients. Please contact us if you would like to take advantage of this discount.
Oct
14
Oct
14
New Appointment – Emily Fraser
Filed Under Legal Costs | Leave a Comment
Aug
19
Idiot-proof CFAs – tested to destruction by idiots
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Since the CFA Regulations 2000 were revoked, on 1st November 2005, it should now be virtually impossible to enter into a defective CFA. Generally the only requirements for a CFA to be valid are that it is in writing and the success fee does not exceed 100%.
GWS were recently instructed to advise in relation to a claim funded by a post-November 2005 CFA. The agreement followed standard wording but the space in the document where the amount of the success fee was to be inserted had been left blank. Notwithstanding this, the Claimant’s solicitors initially claimed a success fee of 25%, this being an EL claim to which fixed success fees apply. The Claimant’s solicitors conceded the success fee at an early stage but maintained the claim for the balance of their costs.
GWS advised the Defendant that the CFA was defective because it is a requirement of s58(4)(b) of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 for a CFA which provides for a success fee to state the level of the success fee. It was clear from the CFA in question that it was indeed intended to provide for a success fee, but that amount had simply not been inserted. GWS drafted a detailed skeleton argument in support of the argument that the CFA was invalid and this was served on the other side. In due course the Claimant’s solicitors conceded that the CFA was indeed defective and dropped their claim for costs entirely.
Clearly the new CFA regime is still too onerous for some claimant lawyers. How soon before we hear demands for further simplification? Quite how much more simple it can get is hard to see.
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