Law firm to back clients’ litigation after £50m deal with hedge fund – Legal Futures

Posted February 1st, 2016 in budgets, damages, fees, hedge funds, law firms, news, solicitors by sally

‘Cardiff-based Capital Law has today launched a £50m fund – backed by a hedge fund – to help its clients pursue litigation, in a first for a law firm.’

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Legal Futures, 1st February 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

SDT fines Berezovsky solicitor over fee deal for Abramovich case – Legal Futures

Posted January 29th, 2016 in disciplinary procedures, fees, fines, news, solicitors by sally

‘A solicitor involved in the 2011 litigation between Russian oligarchs Boris Berezovsky and Roman Abramovich has been fined £50,000 by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) for entering into what was then an unlawful contingency fee agreement, under which he would have netted tens of millions of pounds had Mr Berezovsky succeeded.’

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Legal Futures, 29th January 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Top UK judges denounce ‘dangerous’ increase in court fees – The Guardian

Posted January 27th, 2016 in budgets, courts, fees, judiciary, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘Court fee increases that were hastily introduced to plug a £100m hole in the Ministry of Justice’s budget were based on “hopeless” evidence, according to the most senior civil judge in England and Wales.’

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The Guardian, 26th January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

LSB to encourage comparison websites to enter the law and challenge regulators over practising fees – Legal Futures

‘The Legal Services Board (LSB) is set to make encouraging comparison sites to enter the legal market one of its goals for the next year, along with telling regulators to be clearer about how they spend the profession’s money.’

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Legal Futures, 20th January 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Gordon-Saker: Newspaper’s rights not breached by success fees and ATE recovery – Litigation Futures

‘A newspaper’s right to free expression under article 10 of the European Convention was not breached by being ordered to pay success fees and after-the-event (ATE) insurance premiums, Master Gordon-Saker has ruled.’

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Litigation Futures, 19th January 2016

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Government confirms 1 October 2016 date for fixed costs in clinical negligence – Litigation Futures

‘The introduction of fixed recoverable costs (FRC) in clinical negligence cases is still planned for 1 October 2016, the Department of Health has confirmed.’

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Litigation Futures, 14th January 2016

Source: www.litigationfutures.co.uk

Top judge says justice system is now unaffordable to most – The Guardian

‘Civil justice is unaffordable for most people, more people are being forced to represent themselves, and judges – whose pensions have been cut – feel underappreciated, according to the lord chief justice.’

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The Guardian, 13th January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

New immigration and nationality fees for 2016 to 2017 – UK Visas and Immigration

Posted January 13th, 2016 in fees, immigration, news, passports by sally

‘Today 11 January 2016, the government set out its proposed changes to the fees for visas, immigration and nationality applications and associated premium services for 2016–17.’

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UK Visas and Immigration, 11th January 2016

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration

Massive increase in family immigration fees for 2016-17 – Free Movement

Posted January 12th, 2016 in families, fees, immigration, news, visas by sally

‘The Home Office is proposing a massive 25% increase in already high immigration application fees for families for the year 2016-17. Family and spouse visas will in future cost £1,195. The maximum chargable for these applications will be increased from £2,141 to £3,250. The fee for a settlement application will increase to £1,875 and to £2,676 for Adult Dependant Relatives.’

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Free Movement, 12th January 2016

Source: www.freemovement.org.uk

Finance and Divorce Update January 2016 – Family Law Week

‘Edward Heaton, Principal Associate and Jane Booth, Associate, both of Mills & Reeve LLP analyse the news and case law relating to financial remedies and divorce during December 2015.’

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Family Law Week, 8th January 2016

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Deliberately understating claim value to avoid higher court fees is an ‘abuse of process’, court rules – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 8th, 2016 in abuse of process, fees, law firms, limitations, negligence, news by sally

‘It was an “abuse of process” for individuals to deliberately understate the value of their claims against a law firm so that they could avoid paying higher court fees up front and issue their claims within the limitation period, the High Court has ruled.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 7th January 2016

Source: www.out-law.com

High Court finds abuse of process in how law firm sued fellow solicitors – Legal Futures

Posted January 8th, 2016 in abuse of process, fees, law firms, limitations, negligence, news by sally

‘The High Court has found a Newcastle law firm’s conduct an abuse of process after it repeatedly failed to pay the proper court fees when it issued claims.’

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Legal Futures, 8th January 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Barristers who work for free could be breaching referral fee ban, Bar Council warns – Legal Futures

Posted January 7th, 2016 in barristers, fees, law firms, magistrates, news, pro bono work, professional conduct by sally

‘Criminal barristers who agree to work for law firms “for no fee” could be breaching the referral fee ban, the Bar Council has warned.’

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Legal Futures, 7th January 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Retrospective success fee was justified, High Court rules – Litigation Futures

Posted January 7th, 2016 in costs, fees, immigration, law firms, legal aid, news by sally

‘A law firm was justified in charging a retrospective success fee as the claimant did not face different risks when he signed a conditional fee agreement (CFA) as when he had applied for legal aid five months earlier, the High Court has ruled.’

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Litigation Futures, 7th January 2016

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Lewis and others v Ward Hadaway (a firm) – WLR Daily

Posted January 6th, 2016 in abuse of process, fees, law firms, law reports, limitations, negligence, solicitors by sally

Lewis and others v Ward Hadaway (a firm) [2015] EWHC 3503 (Ch); [2015] WLR (D) 551

‘In determining whether a party had properly brought a claim before the court so as to stop the clock for limitation purposes, the requirement that the form be accompanied by the “appropriate fee” was not satisfied in circumstances where the act of payment of the fee was in itself an abuse of process. In such circumstances, the claim had not properly been brought and time continued to run for limitation purposes.’

WLR Daily, 21st December 2015

Source: www..iclr.co.uk

Disabled workers can’t afford justice to deal with workplace harassment – The Guardian

‘Since the government introduced fees for employment tribunals, together with legal aid cuts, disabled people have increasingly been unable to have their cases heard.’

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The Guardian, 6th January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Government decides against doubling court fee cap but gives green light to general increase – Litigation Futures

Posted December 18th, 2015 in consultations, courts, fees, news by sally

‘The government has decided against doubling the maximum court fee cap to £20,000, but is to press ahead with its planned 10% increase in court fees across the range of civil proceedings.’

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Litigation Futures, 17th December 2015

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Abdulle and others v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis – WLR Daily

Abdulle and others v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [2015] EWCA Civ 1260; [2015] WLR (D) 513

‘The Court of Appeal would not lightly interfere with a case management decision and would support robust and fair case management decisions by first instance judges to strike out, or to decline to strike out, claims under CPR r 3.4(2)(c). In a case in which the balance was a “fine” one, an appellate court should respect the balance struck by the first instance judge.’

WLR Daily, 8th December 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Gavin Edmondson Ltd v Haven Insurance Co Ltd – WLR Daily

Gavin Edmondson Ltd v Haven Insurance Co Ltd [2015] EWCA Civ 1230; [2015] WLR (D) 496

‘A solicitors firm which had concluded conditional fee agreements with road traffic victims and had entered those details in accordance with the Pre-action Protocol for Low Value Personal Injury Claims in Road Traffic Accidents on the website used by lawyers and insurers in such circumstances was entitled, when the claimants settled their personal injury claims directly with the defendants’ insurers, to recover the fixed costs and other sums payable under the Protocol scheme.’

WLR Daily, 2nd December 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

New Bar chairman: the BSB is independent enough – Legal Futures

Posted December 9th, 2015 in barristers, fees, legal aid, legal services, news, public interest, standards by sally

‘The current arrangements for the regulation of barristers are “relatively cost-efficient” and there is no need to make the Bar Standards Board (BSB) fully independent, the incoming chairman of the Bar Council has said.’

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Legal Futures, 9th December 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk