Government floats referral fee ban and acting for both sides in bid to improve home-buying process – Legal Futures

Posted October 23rd, 2017 in consultations, conveyancing, estate agents, fees, news, sale of land, solicitors by sally

‘A ban on estate agents charging solicitors referral fees along with loosening the restriction on conveyancers acting for both seller and buyer were suggested by the government yesterday as possible reforms to improve the home-buying process.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 23rd October 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

When must a client be saved from himself? It is all a question of money says the Court of Appeal – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted October 20th, 2017 in fees, negligence, news, personal injuries, solicitors by sally

‘Do solicitors’ duties depend on how much they are paid? Are clients entitled to expect the same level of service from solicitors when they are strapped for cash? In Thomas v HJFS, the Court of Appeal has suggested that the standard of professional duties could be lowered when they are provided at a discount.’

Full Story

Hardwicke Chambers, 17th October 2017

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Employment tribunals missing targets and haemorrhaging judges – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 20th, 2017 in employment tribunals, fees, judiciary, news, repayment by sally

‘Employment tribunals are failing to hit basic targets and judges are departing without being replaced, users have revealed. Minutes of the National User Group Meeting on employment tribunals report that tribunals are falling short of targets for completing and disposing of claims.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 19th October 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Purplebricks ‘surprised’ at new ASA ruling for misleading advert – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 19th, 2017 in advertising, complaints, estate agents, fees, misrepresentation, news by sally

‘Online estate agent Purplebricks has said it is “surprised” the Advertising Standards Authority upheld a complaint against it for misleading viewers over its fee structure.’

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 18th October 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Revealed: Bar Council pulls plug on pioneering nursery – Legal Futures

Posted October 10th, 2017 in barristers, children, fees, news, women by sally

‘The Bar Council has closed its flagship nursery scheme at Smithfield in the City of London, citing a lack of places and promising to find other, “more effective” ways of supporting barristers with childcare responsibilities.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 10th October 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

BSB proposes targeted approach to CMA disclosure recommendations: focuses on consumers who would benefit most – Bar Standards Board

Posted October 3rd, 2017 in barristers, competition, consultations, consumer protection, fees, news by sally

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has today published a new consultation outlining its proposed response to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recommendations for more transparency about legal service providers’ fees, services and rights of redress for consumers.’

Full Story

Bar Standards Board, 2nd October 2017

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Top QCs set to escape price publishing regime – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 3rd, 2017 in barristers, competition, fees, news, publishing, queen's counsel by sally

‘QCs instructed in major cases would be exempt from publishing prices under plans set out by the Bar Standards Board today, though the regulator has recommended that the new rules go further than originally proposed by the competition watchdog.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 2nd October 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Fee change: all change? – New Law Journal

‘Alex Hawley reflects on the rise in anti-austerity sentiment & the possible impact of the Unison judgment on civil court fees.’

Full Story

New Law Journal, 15th September 2017

Source: www.newlawjournal.co.uk

Revealed: BSB set to expand price transparency obligation beyond public access to referral Bar – Legal Futures

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) will say today that new rules on publishing prices should extend to referral barristers as well as those handling public access work.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 2nd October 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Jackson: Most of the problems behind excessive costs are “sorted” or improving – Litigation Futures

Posted September 25th, 2017 in costs, fees, negligence, news by sally

‘Lord Justice Jackson said yesterday that 10 of the 16 causes of excessive costs in civil litigation he identified eight years ago have been eliminated or are on the way to elimination.’

Full Story

Litigation Futures, 22nd September 2017

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Council wins test appeal case against lettings agency ‘administration fees’ – Local Government Lawyer

Posted September 19th, 2017 in appeals, fees, landlord & tenant, local government, news, tribunals by sally

‘Camden Council has successfully appealed to the Upper Tribunal against a leading estate agency, Foxtons, using the term “administration fees” in their lettings agency work.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 18th September 2017

Source: localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Law firm faces £68,000 VAT bill after tribunal rules electronic property search fees are not disbursements – Legal Futures

‘A leading north-west law firm has been ordered to pay £68,000 in VAT for electronic local authority property searches it procured from an agency, after a tribunal ruled that they should not have been treated as disbursements.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 18th September 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

McKenzie ban back to drawing board – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted September 18th, 2017 in codes of practice, consultations, fees, judiciary, Law Society, McKenzie friends, news by sally

‘HM Judiciary is set to reassess some of its proposals for regulating the fast-expanding “McKenzie friend” sector after a consultation on banning fee recovery received “large numbers of responses”.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 15th September 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

MoD paid £750,000 on legal fees denying responsibility for soldier deaths – The Guardian

Posted September 12th, 2017 in armed forces, compensation, duty of care, fees, government departments, negligence, news by sally

‘The UK government spent more than £750,000 on lawyers’ fees trying to deny responsibility for the deaths of soldiers killed in lightly armoured Snatch Land Rovers, a freedom of information request has revealed.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 12th September 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Don’t reject legal aid application with ‘tick-box’ letter, judge says – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted August 25th, 2017 in documents, expert witnesses, fees, judges, judgments, legal aid, news by sally

‘A family judge has told the Legal Aid Agency not to issue a letter ‘almost akin to a tick-box form’ should it refuse to pay an expert’s fee in a case involving a three-month old boy at the centre of care proceedings.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 24th August 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘Administrative’ solution to employment tribunal fee issues imminent – OUT-LAW.com

‘A short stay on employment tribunal claims brought “in reliance upon” the Supreme Court’s recent finding that the fee regime introduced in 2013 was unlawful has been lifted by the tribunal service.’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 24th August 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

R (UNISON) v Lord Chancellor – Blackstone Chambers

Posted August 22nd, 2017 in appeals, employment tribunals, equality, fees, news, Supreme Court, trade unions by sally

‘The Supreme Court today [30 July] allowed UNISON’s appeal and held that fees imposed in respect of proceedings in employment tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal are unlawful because of their effects on access to justice.’

Full Story

Blackstone Chambers, 30th July 2017

Source: www.blackstonechambers.com

The Supreme Court, ET fees and access to justice: Stopping the government in its tracks – Cloisters

Posted August 22nd, 2017 in appeals, employment tribunals, equality, fees, news, regulations, Supreme Court by sally

‘Caspar Glyn QC, Schona Jolly QC and Sian McKinley consider the implications of today’s seismic decision from the Supreme Court which ruled that ET fees are unlawful: R (on the application of UNISON) v Lord Chancellor [2017] UKSC 51.’

Full Story

Cloisters, 26th July 2017

Source: www.cloisters.com

The most famous case on the rule of law for a generation? Employment tribunal fees declared unlawful – Hardwicke Chambers

‘The Supreme Court have, this morning, handed down Judgment in the case of R (on the application of UNISON) v Lord Chancellor [2017] UKSC 51, more commonly known as ‘the appeal against Employment Tribunal fees’.’

Full Story

Hardwicke Chambers, 26th July 2017

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Employment Tribunal Fees Regime Declared Unlawful – Littleton Chambers

Posted August 22nd, 2017 in employment tribunals, fees, news by sally

‘Prior to today’s decision of the Supreme Court the score read Her Majesty’s Government 2: UNISON 0 in the efforts of the union to overturn the Employment Tribunal fees regime which has been in place since July 2013.’

Full Story

Littleton Chambers, 26th July 2017

Source: www.littletonchambers.com