New bill of costs set to become compulsory from October 2017 – Litigation Futures

Posted October 10th, 2016 in civil procedure rules, costs, news by sally

‘The new format bill of costs is set to become compulsory in a year’s time after the rule committee decoupled it from mandatory use of the J-Codes, it has emerged.’

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Litigation Futures, 6th October 2016

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

UK court bars GMC from releasing report into doctor’s professional competence to patient on privacy grounds – OUT-LAW.com

‘A doctor has successfully prevented the General Medical Council (GMC) from disclosing a report concerning an investigation in his professional competence to one of his patients.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 4th October 2016

Source: www.out-law.com

Paying the Price of Love: Costs in Hague Cases – Family Law Week

Posted September 27th, 2016 in child abduction, civil procedure rules, costs, international courts, news, treaties by sally

‘Sarah Lucy Cooper, barrister of Thomas More Chambers, considers the circumstances in which a respondent might secure a costs order against an applicant in Hague Convention abduction proceedings.’

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Family Law Week, 21st September 2016

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Litigants in Person and Costs Budgeting: Campbell v Campbell [2016] EWHC 2237 (Ch) – Zenith PI Blog

Posted September 26th, 2016 in budgets, civil procedure rules, costs, litigants in person, news by sally

‘Can litigants in person ‘escape’ the rules relating to costs budgeting in all claims? To what extent does the costs management regime under CPR 3.12 to 3.18 apply to the costs of a litigant in person?’

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Zenith PI Blog, 23rd September 2016

Source: www.zenithpi.wordpress.com

CJC accuses government of “unprincipled” move over judicial review costs transparency – Litigation Futures

‘Ministry of Justice (MoJ) plans to require judicial review claimants to share details of how their action is being funded with the defendant and other parties is “a fundamentally unprincipled breach of the principle of equality of arms”, the Civil Justice Council (CJC) has claimed.’

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Litigation Futures, 21st September 2016

Source: www.litigationfutures.co.uk

Court has power to apply costs management to litigant in person, chief master rules – Litigation Futures

Posted September 20th, 2016 in case management, civil procedure rules, costs, litigants in person, news by tracey

‘Courts can make a costs management order in relation to litigant in person (LiP) costs, and LiPs can recover costs where they obtain assistance from lawyers short of them having conduct of the case, the chief Chancery master has ruled.’

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Litigation futures, 19th September 2016

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

QOCS: The Strike Out and Fundamental Dishonesty Exceptions in Action – Hardwicke Chambers

‘There are still relatively few findings of fundamental dishonesty being made by Courts. Despite the fact that this is obviously an important exception to the QOCS regime, the fundamental dishonesty threshold is proving a difficult hurdle for Defendants to meet. This article explores a recent finding of fundamental dishonesty and the lessons that can be learned by Claimants and Defendants in such cases.’

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Hardwicke Chamebrs, 17th August 2016

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

An expensive mistake: defendant to discontinued action sanctioned in costs for failure to comply with the pre-action protocol – Zenith PI Blog

‘Although a first instance decision of a district judge, the case of Nicole Chapman v Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (Bolton County Court, 15 June 2016, Case number B74YM281) warrants some attention. The defendant was ordered to pay the unsuccessful claimant’s fixed costs on discontinuance because of its failure to comply with the pre-action protocol.’

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Zenith PI Blog, 23rd August 2016

Source: www.zenithpi.wordpress.com

Court of Appeal threshold to remain unchanged – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted August 24th, 2016 in civil procedure rules, delay, news, oral hearings, statistics by sally

‘The Law Society has welcomed a government decision not to raise the threshold for permission to take cases to the Court of Appeal as part of a package of reforms to reduce delays.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 24th August 2016

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

£13m claim made subject to costs management to ensure it is dealt with justly – Litigation Futures

Posted August 23rd, 2016 in case management, civil procedure rules, costs, news by sally

‘The chief Chancery master has ordered that a case be cost-managed after its £13m value was not disclosed in the claim form, finding that anyway there were “positive reasons why cost management is desirable”.’

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Litigation Futures, 22nd August 2016

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Costs management – New Law Journal

Posted July 27th, 2016 in budgets, case management, civil procedure rules, costs, fees, news, time limits by sally

‘One of the most important aspects of the Jackson Reforms relates to costs budgeting and the use of Precedent H.’

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New Law Journal, 26th July 2016

Source: www.newlawjournal.co.uk

The fight against fraud – New Law Journal

‘“Fundamental dishonesty” and other measures, outlined by Denise Brosnan.’

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New Law Journal, 26th July 2016

Source: www.newlawjournal.co.uk

Fees fi fo fum – New Law Journal

Posted July 27th, 2016 in advocacy, appeals, civil procedure rules, costs, courts, damages, fees, news by sally

‘David Wright discusses fixed advocacy fees.’

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New Law Journal, 26th July 2016

Source: www.newlawjournal.co.uk

Relief from Sanctions Two Years after Denton: A Practical Views from the Bar – Littleton Chambers

Posted July 26th, 2016 in appeals, civil procedure rules, news, sanctions by sally

‘James Bickford Smith discusses judicial approaches to procedural default two years after the Court of Appeal’s decision in Denton v White Ltd and another, Decadent Vapours Ltd v Bevan and others and Utilise TDS Ltd v Davies and others [2014] EWCA Civ 906, and considers the challenges still facing practitioners and judges in dealing with applications for relief from sanctions.’

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Littleton Chambers, 20th July 2016

Source: www.littletonchambers.com

Predictive coding – the current landscape – Hardwicke Chambers

‘Disclosure of documents is a significant driver of costs. Where the relevant documents are electronic, the problem is usually exacerbated. This is simply because the vast majority of documents are now created electronically and the proliferation and storage capacity of day-to-day IT equipment is such that the amount of information available may be enormous.’

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Hardwicke Chambers, 21st July 2016

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Changing the effect – Counsel

Posted July 13th, 2016 in appeals, civil procedure rules, debts, dilapidations, news, part 36 offers by sally

‘Litigators beware – open conduct in litigation could change the effect of a Part 36 offer, warns Alan Tunkel.’

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Counsel, July 2016

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

DB UK Bank Ltd (trading as DB Mortgages) v Jacobs Solicitors – WLR Daily

DB UK Bank Ltd (trading as DB Mortgages) v Jacobs Solicitors [2016 [EWHC] 1614 (Ch)

‘The claimant bank brought a claim for professional negligence against the defendant firm of solicitors. The claimant’s solicitors sent a letter to the defendant’s solicitors stating that they were accepting the defendant’s offer to settle contained in a “ without prejudice save as to costs” letter (“WPSAC letter”) and enclosing a draft Tomlin order. A series of without prejudice letters and conversations followed. The defendant’s solicitors wrote reiterating the terms of their offer of settlement. Subsequently, the claimant’s solicitors sent a without prejudice letter containing a CPR Pt 36 offer. The parties differed as to the effect of the claimant’s Part 36 offer on the defendant’s WPSAC letter. The defendant contended that the claimant’s Part 36 offer was a counteroffer and, in law, had the effect of rejecting its WPSAC letter so that thereafter, it was not open for acceptance.’

WLR Daily, 4th July 2016

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Has the Claimant Beaten its Part 36 Offer? Perhaps not as Simple as it Looks – Zenith PI Blog

‘HHJ Pelling QC considered whether, when considering if a claimant had beaten its Part 36 offer, the court should simply compare the amount of the judgment with the offer the claimant had made or if account should be taken of the interest that had accrued in the period leading up to the trial.’

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Zenith PI Blog, 13th July 2016

Source: www.zenithpi.wordpress.com

Wrong warrants? Issues in N325 compliance – Nearly Legal

‘GCN’s Jonathan Holt sets out below the background and detail to the recent emergence of a potential argument employable by those facing a warrant for possession, whether it be as the result of rent arrears or a failure to make mortgage payments.’

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Nearly Legal, 13th July 2016

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Credit where Creditor’s due – Tanfield Chambers

Posted July 12th, 2016 in appeals, civil procedure rules, news, probate, wills by sally

‘In Randall v Randall [2016] EWCA Civ 494, the Court of Appeal considered whether a creditor of a beneficiary of an estate had sufficient standing to bring a probate claim to challenge the validity of a purported will of the testatrix.’

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Tanfield Chambers, 22nd June 2016

Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk