Costs Round Up #59
Welcome to another costs round up, the 5 minute read that enlightens, brightens and informs on the week in legal costs news.
This week there was a huge response to this article in which a £4000 bill for the cost of a drain repair led to a claim for costs of over £300,000. Read the article not least for the comments that follow which are pithy and funny and full of interesting perspective (something the parties appear to have lost entirely early on in proceedings).
The complex area of unbundling of legal services came under scrutiny this week with this judgment. While dipping in and out of legal service provision may seem an interesting alternative to keeping costs in check and allowing more affordable access to justice for LIPs at what point does duty of care cease? This article is interesting again for the debate that flows from the comments section which carefully sums up the issues facing a just such a provider of unbundled legal services.
For a longer read, Kerry Underwood provides comment and reflection on Webb Resolutions Ltd v Countrywide Surveyors Ltd [2016] Ch Div (4 May 2016) in which a High Court Deputy Master held that a Defendant in a case where the claim was issued but then abandoned before service was entitled to costs of and incidental to the claim.
We also highlight a piece by Rachel Rothwell writing on fixed costs for the Law Society Gazette entitled “How fixed costs are looking” providing comment and opinion and a welcome dose of positivity.
The Justice Alliance has launched a crowd funding initiative to raise finance for a one-off publication telling the definitive story of legal aid; aimed at the public to explain why legal aid matters and why we need to fight now for properly funded access to justice. Find out how to contribute and read more here.
The Court of Appeal reached a decision on the Legal Aid Agency exceptional funding scheme last week and has concluded, in summary that the exceptional funding regime is unfair and badly operated but not quite bad enough to be unlawful. Find out more about the exceptional funding scheme here and read about the Court of Appeal decision here
And finally, the writer wishes all our readers a great bank holiday weekend and looks forward to catching up on the legal costs news next week.
Until next time…..
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