Welcome to our weekly round-up of interesting news on costs
The truth about Magna Carta and the Legal Aid Cuts, writes John Bolch – and it’s not what you think. Bolch reviews the speech made by Hon Mr Justice Mostyn in Australia on access to justice 18-19 June 2015. In a week full of turmoil and threatened strike action from UK Barristers and lawyers, his piece makes interesting reading.
By way of contrast, our Leanne Davies throws down a challenge to review high cost case plans and asks: Are You making the Most out of CCFS? Leanne is based in our Birmingham Office and co-ordinates all training on high cost case matters for John M Hayes. Read more about Leanne here.
Cost budgeting continues to throw down its own challenges with the High Court in London temporarily throwing in the towel and announcing that costs budgeting will be abandoned for clinical negligence matters to clear the existing back log.
There is more useful guidance on costs budgeting from the High Court in Stocker v Stocker which is helpfully summarized in an in-depth article by Barrister Kate McKinley and Simon Gibbs considers the issue of phased bills and the challenges posed for costs draftsmen due to poorly drafted rules.
Elsewhere the market sees BetFred boss Fred Done enter the arena providing valuable funding assistance to enable access to justice for low value claims. And just in case you were considering contacting the Court to request the return of an outstanding application fee you would do well to read this article from Legal Orange on the merry-go-round of recovering money back from the Court
Don’t forget that aside from criminal legal aid, funding in family legal aid matters has dropped by over 60% as a result of the cuts, causing an unprecedented rise is unrepresented parties at Court.
In an open letter to the Guardian on 1 May 2015, Sir Alan Moses and Sir Anthony Hooper, (along with a further 136 prominent peers, lawyers and doctors working in the civil and criminal justice systems) pointed out that in 2010 annual expenditure for the civil and criminal justice system stood at approximately £2bn per annum, which equates to the cost of running the NHS for a fortnight.
Makes you think, doesn’t it?
And finally, heart felt congratulations to all the LALY 2015 winners announced last night
Until next week,