Legal Cost Specialists
My diary is already starting to fill up with legal costs conference speaking engagements. First up is the IBC Solicitors’ Costs Conference 2013 on 29th January. I’m due to talk about the latest news on Jackson implementation. I rather suspect this task would be easier if the new rules had all been published, if various […]
IBC Solicitors' Costs Conference Read More »
I note the Court of Appeal’s decision in SG v Hewitt [2012] EWCA Civ 1053 has begun to cause problems for the courts trying to determine in what circumstances the normal Part 36 rules should be disapplied. If only someone had been able to predict that this would happen. On an entirely different subject, my
The lobbying over the Government’s proposals to slash RTA portal fixed fees has thrown up some interesting arguments. The Law Society has waded into the debate to argue that there is “substantial evidence” that the RTA portal fee should go up by £100, rather than down by £700. The Law Society has based this on
Law costs draftsmen, costs lawyers and others working in the field of legal costs are set to have a great 2013. This may sound counterintuitive given the Jackson costs reforms are being introduced this year but it is worth considering the facts. Costs budgeting is set to be introduced in April. Overall this is bad
Year of the Law Costs Draftsman Read More »
Some time ago specialist costs counsel Mark Friston recommended to me Dragon NaturallySpeaking speech recognition software. I recently got around to purchasing a copy and have to admit that for someone such as myself who is, to put it mildly, “challenged” when it comes to touch typing this is a great product. However, a word
Software for Costs Lawyers Read More »
Karl Tonks, president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, writing in the New law Journal on the proposed reductions to the RTA portal fixed fees: “Lawyers cannot reasonably be expected to run cases at a loss. But if implemented, the only alternative will be to turn claimants away or take legal fees from a
Unfair funding methods Read More »
Quick update on the issue of how long it will take before bills of costs stop claiming for work relating to funding in light of Court of Appeal’s judgment, on 12 October 2011, in Motto & Others v Trafigura [2011] EWCA Civ 1150. The answer appears to be in excess of 14 months. I’ll keep
Solicitors, particularly in commercial litigation, will often inform their clients at the outset that it is unlikely there will be full cost recovery if successful and that recovery in the region of 70%-75% might be anticipated. In April 2013 the new Jackson proportionality test will be applied to costs. Where a solicitor estimates that the
New proportionality test Read More »
The government will today unveil its long-awaited consultation on increasing the small claims limit for personal injury cases from £1,000 to £5,000, a move that would decimate the workload of many law firms.
Increase in PI small claims limit to £5,000? Read More »
The Costs Law Articles Archive section of Legal Costs Central has been updated with an interesting article on the importance of getting the retainer right written by Simon Butler and Tom Rainsbury from 9 Gough Square, previously published in Solicitors Journal.
Getting the retainer right Read More »