Costs

A circuit judge has ruled that a failure in a portal case to include the same damages figure in the stage 3 court proceedings pack as in the stage 2 settlement pack form renders the offer void.

Listed law firm DWF has launched a new tool for fast-track personal injury claims, which it says is capable of calculating costs in tens of thousands of cases every year.

Solicitors who acted for a client claiming as damages the fees which the client owed them for work done for him in earlier proceedings should not be ordered to pay costs if it fails, the High Court has ruled.

The High Court is set to rule on whether a party’s right to appeal from an oral hearing that follows a provisional assessment is limited to decisions made at the hearing.

The First-tier Tribunal wrongly took into account a ‘without prejudice’ offer when deciding on the costs of a case when there was no reason to believe that it was ‘save as to costs’, the Upper Tribunal has ruled.

Qualified one-way costs shifting should be extended to cover discrimination cases in the county court, MPs on the House of Commons women and equalities committee have recommended.

The Court of Appeal has warned parties that they can expect to be denied recovery of the costs of preparing non-compliant bundles of authorities.

Yesterday’s Court of Appeal decision was “a triumph for access to justice”, according to the insurer whose policy was under scrutiny. But the guidance on the proportionality test has been called “astonishing”.

The Court of Appeal has issued long-awaited guidance on how judges should apply the proportionality test, while also looking to curtail disputes over the reasonableness of block-rated ATE premiums.

The LASPO reforms are continuing to reduce the level of legal costs being paid out in clinical negligence claims against the NHS, with a 5% drop over the past year, new figures have shown.