The free guide to costs, funding and the Jackson reforms
Tag Results
Military claims not subject to EL fixed success fees, says High Court
A High Court test case decided yesterday that members of the armed forces are not employees for the purposes of the pre-1 April 2013 fixed success fee regime in employers’ liability claims.
TUC attacks government over compensation culture "dishonesty"
The government is being dishonest about the UK’s ‘compensation culture’ in order to justify cutting basic health and safety protections at work, a report backed by the TUC claimed yesterday.
Insurers urged not to shy away from contributory negligence arguments under new protocols
Insurers should still run contributory negligence arguments rather than seek to settle under the new extended protocols for employers’ and public liability claims – which come into force tomorrow – a leading defendant insurance law firm has advised.
The long wait is over – new fixed costs regime published with provision for defendants
The government finally published the rules for the extended portal on Friday – with just 12 full working days until it comes into force on 31 July. It is understood that the introduction of fixed costs for defendants in cases that fall out of the portal was one of the primary causes of the delay.
23 days to go and still no rules – Law Society calls for portal extension delay
The Law Society has demanded a delay in implementation of the extended portal after the “unacceptable” failure to publish new procedure rules with little over three weeks until it is meant to go live.
Massive rise in PL cases as number of clinical negligence claims also goes up sharply
There has been a huge spike in the number of public liability claims, and the number of clinical negligence actions has also risen sharply, new government figures have shown. However, the number of motor claims has fallen by nearly 10%.
High Court to fast-track portal fee judicial review
The High Court is to fast-track the judicial review challenging the government’s proposed cut in RTA portal fees, it has emerged. The action, brought by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and Motor Accident Solicitors Society, will be listed for a ‘rolled-up’ hearing as soon as possible.
Bar seeks “low fixed-fee” role in portal and fast-track cases
The Ministry of Justice is storing up even more trouble in portal and fast-track cases by cutting out barristers, the Bar Council and Personal Injuries Bar Association have said. The pair argued that instead of abolishing the disbursement basis for paying the Bar, it should introduce a low fixed-fee system.
MoJ insists it has evidence to justify fee cut as FOIL brands new levels “high but acceptable”
The government has insisted that it does have the evidence to justify the cut in fixed recoverable costs. Meanwhile, defendant insurance lawyers have described the proposed fee levels as “high, but acceptable” and “strongly” urged the Ministry of Justice not to increase them.
Evidence points to a £100 increase in portal fees, not a £700 cut, says Law Society
There is “substantial evidence” that the RTA portal fee should go up by £100, rather than down by £700, the Law Society has told the government. It calculated that solicitors should be paid £130 an hour for such cases, which would mean less than four hours’ work at the proposed fee level.
