Legal Cost Specialists
Lord Justice Jackson’s provisional view is that if there is too be an extension of fixed recoverable costs, it should, at least initially, be introduced for all claims up to £250,000: “The first question is whether we should be fixing costs for all civil cases (like Germany and New Zealand) or just for the fast […]
Predicting when costs are predictable Read More »
I am grateful to Kerry Underwood’s always excellent blog for bringing to my attention the case of Webb Resolutions Ltd v Countrywide Surveyors Ltd [2016] Ch Div. (A fuller case summary can be found on RPC’s website.) The Claimant notified the Defendant of a potential claim under the Pre-Action Protocol for Professional Negligence. The claim
Defendant’s pre-issue costs Read More »
I was absolutely gutted to miss last week’s Association of Costs Lawyers’ Annual Conference. (No, actually, I wasn’t busy preparing for a Eurovision themed party, but recovering from surgery.) I will now have to wait another year before having a similar chance engage in such typically scintillating conversation and the exchange of hilarious costs law
Association of Costs Lawyers’ Annual Conference Read More »
Legal costs practitioners are still struggling to work out exactly how the most recent VAT change impacts on what level of VAT to apply to different periods in bills of costs. What news do we now receive? Both Labour and the Conservatives are apparently considering a VAT increase to 20% to help fill the massive
Another VAT change? Read More »
To outsiders the language of the legal costs world can seem strange and archaic. Why are “indemnity costs” and the “indemnity principle” totally different and totally unrelated? Why did “taxing masters” have nothing to do with tax? To help cast some light on this obscure area of law the Legal Costs Blog is pleased introduce The (Alternative)
In legal costs it can often be the case that a judgment that is concerned with one particular issue may have unexpected relevance in another area. One example of this is the case of Roundstone Nurseries Ltd v Stephenson Holdings Ltd [2009] EWHC 1431 (TCC). The matter concerned a claim where proceedings had been issued.
Default costs certificates Read More »
Where a claimant has picked up one or more costs orders in its favour on the way to a trial, but fails very badly at the trial (for example due to exaggeration), can the costs judge assess those costs at nil on the footing that they were not, as it turned out, reasonably incurred because
Business Environment Bow Lane Ltd v Deanwater Estates Ltd Read More »
The recent case of Ahmed v Aventis Pharma Ltd [2009] EWHC 9052 (Costs) dealt with two small issues but both ones of interest. Firstly, following the decision in Crane v Canons Leisure Ltd [2007 EWCA Civ 1352, where solicitors outsourced the job of sorting and summarising medical records they could treat this work as forming
Ahmed v Aventis Pharma Ltd Read More »
The Law Society recently announced a change of policy with a call for the reintroduction of a ban on referral fees. The Legal Services Board said it will look at this issue as priority. The subject of referral fees is not, in theory, one directly related to legal costs but does seem to keep cropping
Legal costs and referral fees Read More »
The lobbying in advance of Lord Justice Jackson’s final report on his Review of Civil Litigation Costs continued to the last moment with The Times (see link) reporting on excessive legal costs in clinical negligence matters. No doubt all true, but it didn’t seem to add much to a similar article from The Times headed
Lawyers growing rich on NHS negligence Read More »