Gove promises action on criminal referral fees – Law Society’s Gazette
‘The lord chancellor is to crack down on the banned practice of referral fees in criminal proceedings.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 9th July 2015
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Category: fees
Legal Aid boycott ‘causing chaos’ – BBC News
‘Lawyers who are boycotting legal aid work in protest against cuts say their action is causing “chaos” in some courts and police custody suites.’
BBC News, 8th July 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Legal aid work refused by law firms in cutbacks protest – BBC News
‘A number of criminal law firms have refused to take work funded by legal aid in protest against government cuts.’
BBC News, 1st July 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
High court judgment slates ‘grossly excessive’ fees – Law Society’s Gazette
‘Claimant lawyers in a judicial review immigration case have been criticised for progressing “diffuse and frankly confusing” arguments and for charging their clients “grossly excessive” fees.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 23rd June 2015
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Legal aid fees to be cut by 8.75%, confirms Ministry of Justice – The Guardian
‘Legal aid fees for criminal solicitors will be cut by 8.75% and the number of contracts for attending police stations and magistrates court reduced by two-thirds, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed.’
The Guardian, 10th June 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
In re Hartmann Capital Ltd (in special administration) – WLR Daily
In re Hartmann Capital Ltd (in special administration); [2015] EWHC 1514 (Ch); [2015] WLR (D) 241
‘As a matter of construction of article 4 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (Commencement No 5 and Saving Provisions) Order 2013, which spoke in specific terms of an administrator “appointed pursuant to the provisions of Part II of the [Insolvency] 1986 Act” and a company which had “entered into administration under Part II of the 1986 Act”, administrators appointed pursuant to the Investment Bank Special Administration Regulations 2011 (SI 2011/245) were denied the funding possibilities available to other administrators.’
WLR Daily, 13th May 2015
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
Decision to switch from legal aid to CFA on eve of LASPO ruled reasonable – Litigation Futures
‘A claimant who switched from legal aid funding to a conditional fee agreement (CFA) on the eve of the introduction of the Jackson reforms acted reasonably, a costs judge has decided.’
Litigation Futures, 27th May 2015
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
Regina (Hemming (trading as Simply Pleasure Ltd) and others) v Westminster City Council (Architects Registration Board and others, intervening) – WLR Daily
‘A licensing authority was entitled to levy on a successful applicant for the grant or renewal of a licence a charge enabling the authority to recover the full cost of running and enforcing the licensing scheme.’
WLR Daily, 29th April 2015
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
Monthly Roundup – Costs and Budgeting – Zenith PI
‘April has seen a great deal of discussion on costs and budgeting. Here is a review of what else we have been writing about this month.’
Zenith PI, 6th May 2015
Source: www.zenithpi.wordpress.com
BPTC fees rise as Inns of Court estimate students waste £5m on the course every year – The Lawyer
‘Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) fees have risen by 9 per cent in three years nationwide, while fees in the capital have been hiked by 12 per cent in the same period.’
The Lawyer, 30th April 2015
Source: www.lawyer.com
News focus: law and justice pledges – Law Society’s Gazette
‘The general election manifestos are in – here’s our quick-fire summary of their headline pledges on law and justice.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 20th April 2015
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Searching questions in the CJEU: the East Sussex County Council case – Panopticon
‘When local authorities provide property search information, can they charge for doing so? On what legal basis? How should such charges be calculated?’
Panopticon, 17th April 2015
Source: www.panopticonblog.com
The Criminal Courts Charge: a “tax on the poor” or making criminals “pay their way”? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange
‘Much has been written about the criminal courts charge – a new mandatory financial charge incurred by convicted defendants (after a trial or entering a guilty plea) and unsuccessful appellants. I wrote a short “explainer” piece setting out the key provisions for UK Criminal Law Blog here. In essence, the charge accounts for a contribution to the costs of running the courts – making criminals “pay their way”, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said.’
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 15th April 2015
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
Law Society drops plan to bring JR over court fee rises – Litigtation Futures
‘The Law Society has rowed back from seeking a judicial review of the recent court fee increases, citing counsel’s opinion.’
Litigation Futures, 9th April 2015
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
Well I wouldn’t start from here – Nearly Legal
‘A cautionary tale on how, when things go badly wrong, it is, by and large, better not to take active steps to make them worse.’
Nearly Legal, 8th April 2015
Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk
PART 36 of the CPR – Offers are changing – Park Square Barristers
‘Part 36 of the Civil Procedure Rules encourages parties to settle their disputes. It does this by imposing sanctions if one party turns down an offer to settle but then doesn’t get a better result at trial. The rules are complex, so Andrew Mitchell takes a closer look at the latest changes to Part 36.’
Park Square Barristers, 1st April 2015
Source: www.parksquarebarristers.co.uk
