Behind the story: How digging for details unearthed a scandal – The Times

Posted November 14th, 2008 in claims management, fees, industrial injuries, law firms, news by sally

“It was meant to give sick and dying men recompense for the irreparable damage to their health caused by years of mining coal. Yet the legacy of the world’s biggest private injury compensation scheme is the number of opulent houses, private jets and luxury cars purchased with the profits of the solicitors who handled their claims.”

Full story

The Times,14th November 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Jim Beresford’s firm made £16.7m in year handling miners’ compensation claims – The Times

Posted November 14th, 2008 in fees, industrial injuries, law firms, miners, news by sally

“Jim Beresford gained the dubious distinction of being the ‘highest-earning solicitor in Britain’ through the profits generated by his firm’s handling of miners’ compensation claims.”

Full story

The Times, 14th November 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Are high costs failing those looking for justice? – The Times

Posted November 13th, 2008 in costs, fees, news, special report by sally

“The fundamental review of costs of litigation in the civil courts set up under Lord Justice Jackson was described as the biggest thing since the Woolf report, at the Civil Justice Council’s (CJC) costs forum last month — which is appropriate, given that high costs are a particular failure of the former Lord Chief Justice’s reforms.”

Full story

The Times, 13th November 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

R (Buglife — The Invertebrate Conservation Trust) v Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corpn – WLR Daily

Posted November 11th, 2008 in fees, judicial review, law reports, protective costs orders by sally

R (Buglife — The Invertebrate Conservation Trust) v Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corpn [2008] EWCA Civ 1209; [2008] WLR (D) 348

On an application for a protective costs order the principles set out in the authorities were to be applied and the procedure followed in a flexible way, taking into account the circumstances of the particular case. The costs in general should be relatively modest and were likely to be capped. In deciding the amount of any cap on liability the agreed success fee for a conditional fee agreement was relevant and as a result was to be disclosed to the court.”

 

WLR Daily, 10th November 2008

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

R (Hillingdon London Borough Council and others) v Lord Chancellor and another – WLR Daily

Posted November 10th, 2008 in costs, family courts, fees, judicial review, practice directions by sally

R (Hillingdon London Borough Council and others) v Lord Chancellor and another [2008] EWHC 2683 (Admin); [2008] WLR (D) 347

WLR DAily, 7th November 2008

Source; www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Why David must still be able to take on The Daily Goliath – The Times

Posted November 6th, 2008 in costs, defamation, fees, special report by sally

“Lawyers are not popular and never less so than when they demand their fees. But to be really despised, we must fight and win a “no win, no fee” case and then have the temerity to request payment of our fees with 100 per cent uplift.”

Full story

The Times, 6th November 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Why ‘no win, no fee’ is bringing access to justice – The Times

Posted November 6th, 2008 in class actions, costs, fees, news by sally

“The slow squeezing of life out of the legal aid system over the past decade and the impact it has had on money available to fund group claims led to multiparty specialists concluding that — with only rare exceptions — such claims were doomed.”

Full story

The Times, 6th November 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Canterbury Hockey Club and Another v Revenue and Customs Commissioners Case C-253/07 – Times Law Reports

Posted November 4th, 2008 in EC law, fees, law reports, sport, VAT by sally

Canterbury Hockey Club and Another v Revenue and Customs Commissioners Case C-253/07

Court of Justice of the European Communities

“Judgment October 16, 2008 Affiliation fees paid by sports clubs to an umbrella organisation in return for services supplied by the organisation were exempt from value-added tax if certain conditions were satisfied.”

The Times, 4th November 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.

Court cases cost too much, says judge – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 4th, 2008 in costs, fees, news by sally

“England’s senior civil judge has commissioned a one-year ‘fundamental’ review of legal costs, with the aim of improving access to justice.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 3rd November 2008

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Tuckers Solicitors receives £9m for one year’s legal aid work – The Times

Posted October 31st, 2008 in fees, law firms, legal aid, news by sally

“A solicitors’ firm reaped gross earnings of nearly £9 million from defending cases on criminal legal aid in one year, according to new figures released today.”

Full story

The Times, 30th October 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Very High Cost Criminal Cases – significant progress towards a new scheme – Ministry of Justice

Posted October 27th, 2008 in costs, criminal justice, fees, legal aid, legal profession, press releases by sally

“Significant progress is being made towards a new scheme of graduated fees for lawyers in very high cost criminal (VHCC) cases, Justice Secretary Jack Straw said today.”

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 24th October 2008

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Response to Ministry of Justice consultation paper: Reforming the Legal Aid Family Barrister Fee Scheme – Judiciary of England and Wales

Posted October 15th, 2008 in barristers, consultations, family courts, fees, legal aid by sally

“Response to Ministry of Justice consultation paper: Reforming the Legal Aid Family Barrister Fee Scheme.”

Full response

Judiciary of England and Wales, 14th October 2008

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Turf wars erupt over fees for family cases – The Times

Posted October 7th, 2008 in family courts, fees, legal profession, news by sally

“The credit crunch may dominate world headlines but closer to home lawyers are feeling the impact of their own pay squeeze.”

Full story

The Times, 7th October 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Fees and allowances payable at inquest – Ministry of Justice

Posted October 1st, 2008 in coroners, fees, inquests, press releases by sally

“The Ministry of Justice has published details of revised fees and allowances payable by the coroner on holding inquests.”

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 1st October 2008

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Jack Straw takes lawyers to task for their fees – The Times

Posted September 23rd, 2008 in fees, legal profession, news by sally

“Jack Straw has opened a ‘new front for reform’ – as the Labour Party press release put it – with a blistering attack on the fees charged by lawyers under ‘no win, no fee’ cases.”

Full story

The Times, 23rd September 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Straw vows to act against ‘scandalous’ ‘no win, no fee’ lawyers – The Guardian

Posted September 22nd, 2008 in fees, legal profession, news by sally

“A crackdown on the ‘scandalous’ behaviour of ‘no win, no fee’ lawyers, who have ramped up their fees in recent years, is to be launched by the government.”

Full story

The Guardian, 21st September 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Trials disrupted as barristers boycott high-cost case panel – Legal Week

Posted September 18th, 2008 in barristers, criminal justice, fees, news by sally

“The Government is in crisis talks with the Bar Council after the poor uptake of the very high-cost criminal cases (VHCC) panel has threatened the number of major trials going ahead.”

Full story

Legal Week, 18th September 2008

Source: www.legalweek.com

Barristers snub major trials in row over fees – The Times

Posted September 11th, 2008 in barristers, fees, news by sally

“Dozens of major trials, including rape and murder cases, are under threat because barristers are refusing to work for a minimum £91 an hour.”

Full story

The Times, 11th September 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Self-financing legal cases are too high a price for society – The Times

Posted September 4th, 2008 in courts, fees, special report by sally

“Justice, the much-quoted saying goes, is open to all – like the Ritz Hotel. Access to the courts can often depend on the depth of a person’s pocket, with some of the best lawyers coming at a prohibitively high price. But lawyers’ fees aside, should the courts be a free public service, like the health service? Or should litigants who use them pay the cost?”

Full story

The Times, 4th September 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Courts face closure as judges are told of £90m shortfall in collection of fees – The Times

Posted September 4th, 2008 in courts, fees, news by sally

“The criminal courts are facing their biggest cash crisis in decades after a warning to judges and magistrates of a £90 million shortfall in the budget for the justice system. Judges and magistrates in England and Wales have been told of the emergency, which is likely to result in trial delays, cancelled court sittings and redundancies.”

Full story

The Times, 4th September 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk