More couples opt for DIY divorce as legal fees rise – LegalVoice

Posted August 21st, 2013 in arbitration, budgets, divorce, expenses, family courts, fees, news by sally

“With the legal fees for a ‘simple’ divorce in London now at £2,500, DIY divorce websites are reporting a sharp rise in the number of couples using their services.”

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LegalVoice, 19th August 2013

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk

FOI reforms: dataset information could be disclosed in re-usable format even though copyright restrictions may still apply – OUT-LAW.com

Posted August 13th, 2013 in copyright, disclosure, fees, freedom of information, news, regulations by sally

“Public authorities could be required to make copyrighted information contained in datasets available in a re-usable format under changes to freedom of information (FOI) laws even if they are not in a position to sanction re-use.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 12th August 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

High Court caps ‘plebgate’ libel budget to court fees for Andrew Mitchell MP – The Lawyer

Posted August 8th, 2013 in budgets, case management, costs, defamation, fees, news by sally

“The High Court has told the former chief whip Andrew Mitchell MP that the cost of his libel action against The Sun will be restricted to the cost of the court fees for the claim.”

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The Lawyer, 7th August 2013

Source: www.thelawyer.com

In re Tulane Education Fund; Tulane Education Fund v Comptroller General of Patents – WLR DAily

Posted August 1st, 2013 in appeals, fees, law reports, patents, time limits, ultra vires by sally

In re Tulane Education Fund; Tulane Education Fund v Comptroller General of Patents [2013] EWCA Civ 890; [2013] WLR (D) 315

“Paragraph 5 of Schedule 4A of the Patents Act 1977, rule 116 of the Patents Rules 2007 and rule 6 of the Patents (Fees) Rules 2007 imposed a regime for the payment of annual fees in accordance with article 12 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 1768/92 and Council Regulation (EC) No 469/2009. The reference to Council Regulation (EEC) No 1768/92 in section 128B of the 1977 Act could be construed as a reference to the Council Regulation (EC) No 469/2009.”

WLR Daily, 24th July 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Action on compensation claims for slips and trips – Ministry of Justice

Posted July 31st, 2013 in compensation, fees, health & safety, news, personal injuries, state liability by sally

“Schools, businesses and councils will all be helped by the latest stage of major law changes turning the tide on compensation culture.”

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Ministry of Justice, 31st July 2013

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Keep it short, judges: no need to churn to earn – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted July 29th, 2013 in appeals, fees, judgments, news, solicitors by sally

“This time of year, high court and appellate judges will have been trying to clear their desks – to stop the complex half-finished judgment from skulking around in their minds and spoiling their holidays.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 27th July 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Regina (Attfield) v Barnet London Borough Council – WLR Daily

Posted July 29th, 2013 in fees, judicial review, law reports, local government, news, parking, road traffic by sally

Regina (Attfield) v Barnet London Borough Council [2013] EWHC 2089 (Admin); [2013] WLR (D) 303

A local authority was not entitled to exercise its powers under section 45 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 for the purposes of raising surplus revenue to defray other road expenditure and reduce the need to raise income from other sources, such as fines, charges and council tax.

WLR Daily, 22nd July 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

In re Portsmouth City Football Club Ltd (in liquidation); Neumans LLP (a firm) v Andronikou and others – WLR Daily

Posted July 25th, 2013 in appeals, expenses, fees, insolvency, law firms, law reports, sport by tracey

In re Portsmouth City Football Club Ltd (in liquidation); Neumans LLP (a firm) v Andronikou and others: [2013] EWCA Civ 916; [2013] WLR (D) 301

“Where solicitors had acted for a company in connection with its opposition to a winding up petition but had ceased to act for the company by the time the company went into out of court administration, the court had no power under the Insolvency Rules 1986 or under the inherent jurisdiction of the court to direct that fees which the company owed to the solicitors were an expense of the administration.”

WLR Daily, 24th July 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Number of ambulance-chasing firms falls by a third after change to ‘no-win, no-fee’ law – Daily Telegraph

Posted July 23rd, 2013 in compensation, fees, law firms, news, personal injuries by tracey

“The number of ‘ambulance-chasing’ firms handling personal injury claims has plummeted by nearly a third after a Government clampdown on no-win, no-fee deals earlier this year.”

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Daily Telegraph, 23rd July 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Fees cut for lasting powers of attorney – Ministry of Justice

Posted July 17th, 2013 in fees, news, powers of attorney by sally

“Anyone applying for a lasting power of attorney (LPA) to choose someone they trust to make decisions for them if they lose mental capacity will be helped by a 15 per cent cut in the application fee announced by Justice Minister Helen Grant.”

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Ministry of Justice, 16th July 2013

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Legal aid reforms could undermine fundamental principles of justice, warns CPS – The Independent

“Government plans to reform legal aid for criminal suspects could undermine the fundamental principles of justice in England and Wales, the official prosecuting body has suggested.”

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The Independent, 16th July 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Proposals for radical overhaul of bar practising fee sparks fury – The Lawyer

Posted July 16th, 2013 in barristers, fees, news, remuneration by sally

“Top earning civil barristers are threatening revolt over plans to charge them a practising certificate fee (PCF) based on annual income.”

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The Lawyer, 15th July 2013

Source: www.thelawyer.com

Now is the time for a total review – The Bar Council

“Barristers are such an easy target. Trite sneers are instantly available to the disappointed litigant, failed pupil or populist politician. We are ‘fat cats’ sitting in ‘Georgian terraces’ bleating about the ‘racket’ coming to an end. The natural response of the practitioner to these comments is anger and frustration.”

Full story (PDF)

The Bar Council, July 2013

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Cost of practising as a solicitor to rise sharply – Legal Futures

“The cost of practising as a solicitor is set to rise at a rate of more than four times inflation, if the Law Society’s council approves figures that will be put before it later this week.”

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Legal Futures, 8th July 2013

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Unison to Judicially Review ‘Brutal’ Employment Tribunal Fees – UK Human Rights Blog

“News that Unison has applied for Judicial Review of the Government’s controversial plans to introduce fees in the Employment Tribunal has gone viral in the Labour Law community. A key theme in the application is access to justice for working people, particularly women.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 21st June 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Reforms to cut the Judicial Review period will come into force next month – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 14th, 2013 in fees, judicial review, news, time limits by sally

“The Ministry of Justice has confirmed that new rules in relation to Judicial Review of planning decisions will come into force on 1 July.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 13th June 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Bar Council Chairman: We will not facilitate a scheme which will wreck the criminal justice system – The Bar Council

The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has today stated that it has no plans to develop a quality system to facilitate price competitive tendering (PCT) for criminal legal aid. The Bar Council believes that real quality is based on choice of service providers, not price alone, on which the Government’s model is based. The Bar Council’s response to the Ministry of Justice’s consultation clearly sets out its position on this issue.

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The Bar Council, 5th June 2013

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

The Regan reforms – New Law Journal

Posted May 31st, 2013 in civil justice, expert witnesses, fees, news by sally

“Dominic Regan is in the mood for change post-Jackson.”

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New Law Journal, 30th May 2013

Source: www.newlawjournal.co.uk

Regina (Hemming (t/a Simply Pleasure Ltd and others) v Westminster City Council – WLR Daily

Regina (Hemming (t/a Simply Pleasure Ltd and others) v Westminster City Council [2013] EWCA Civ 591; [2013] WLR (D) 203

“Since the coming into force of the Provision of Services Regulations 2009 a local authority was not permitted, when determining the reasonable licence fee for sex establishments, to reflect in the fee which it determined the cost of enforcing the licensing system against unlicensed operators.”

WLR Daily, 24th May 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Sex shop chain in Soho wins landmark legal battle against Westminster Council over license fees – The Independent

Posted May 28th, 2013 in appeals, fees, licensed premises, local government, news, sex establishments by sally

“A sex shop chain in Soho has won a major victory against license fees charged by Westminster City Council, in a landmark decision that the council believe could ‘open the flood gates for illegal pornography.'”

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The Independent, 24th May 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk