This MoJ is seeking views on implementing a package of Lord Justice Jackson’s proposals for reforming conditional fee agreements and other aspects of civil litigation funding and costs.
The consultation closes on Monday 14 February 2011
The committee reviewing the guideline hourly rates – which were last increased in 2010 – is set to issue a short call for evidence next month and it is vital that practitioners participate in the process, the Association of Costs Lawyers has warned.
The Civil Justice Council hopes to issue a call for evidence at the beginning of November, with a deadline of the end of the month for responses.
See the full Litigation Futures article.
The president of the London Solicitors Litigation Association, Francesca Kaye, has said that the absence of rules, regulations and practice directions with just 10 weeks to go before implementation of the Jackson reforms is “wholly unacceptable” and threatens to tip the civil litigation system into chaos.
Ms Kaye predicted that the delay in publishing the rules and practice directions, lack of IT and administrative resources in court and lack of time for the judiciary to get up to speed was adding up to “a perfect storm where the current crisis would be tipped into chaos”. Read the full Litigation Futures article here.
We are pleased to announce a new member to the team, Tom Winyard. Tom has been the costs manager of a well established law firm for the past 10 years and brings with him an extensive knowledge and experience of all civil litigation matters. He is a Fellow of the Association of Law Costs Draftsman and shortly anticipates becoming a full Costs Lawyer.
The Civil Justice Council has published its synopsis of the 3rd costs committee meeting, which was held on 25th July 2013. The 14 strong committee, chaired by Mr Justice Foskett, is tasked with…
- Conducting a comprehensive, evidence-based review on the nature of the Guideline Hourly Rates (GHR) in order to make recommendations to the Master of the Rolls by January 2014;
- Reviewing the GHR on an annual basis in order to make recommendations to the Master of the Rolls regarding how they need to be updated; and
- Monitoring the operation of the costs rules, in consultation with the Ministry of Justice, and where appropriate, making recommendations.
The Committee then went on to discuss the statistical validity of the information it ha gathered so fa, and the ways in which it required supplementing. It concluded that further information was required on:
Overheads
A finer breakdown of overheads in order to assess what was reasonable.
Additional costs
Further data on the additional costs incurred by firms on National Insurance, pensions and other benefits.
Realisation rate
Further data on the proportion of hours worked and recovered by firms (rather than the proportion of the bill).
Regional breakdown
Further data from some regions in England and Wales and in order to sub?divide the data relating to London.
Trainees
More data was needed on Band D generally.
Profit
It was suggested that the available data might be cross?checked with similar professions. The Committee discussed how and to what extent it should challenge the breakdown that seemed to be emerging: that something in the region of a third of a firm’s income was accounted for by salaries, overheads and profit.
Find the full synopsis here.
In a dramatic climbdown, the Lord Chancellor Chris Grayling has agreed that extension of the RTA portal to higher-value motor and employer’s and public claims will now not happen in April 2013.
Read the full Litigation Futures article here.
Neil joins after 9 years experience with another leading costs drafting firm where he gained considerable experience in both commercial costs disputes and personal injury CFA funded work. He is also widely experienced in attending detailed assessments both at the SCCO and county courts.