Costs round Up #4
Welcome to a round-up of the best costs-related posts published this week.
At Civil Litigation Brief Gordon Exall, Barrister presents commentary on Yeo v Times Newspapers Ltd where guidance is given on costs budgeting in practice . Jon Lord, Mediator presents costs budgeting what is the correct methodology considering the position as set out in the Jackson Reforms and that taken in the most recent case of Tim Yeo MP v Times Newspapers Limited [2015] EWHC 209 (QB). “Court Directions played an important role in costs management but has costs budgeting curtailed that, and if so, should it have done?”
Look out for the Court of Appeal ruling on Cox v Woodlands Manor Care Home Ltd due soon. Johanne Johnston presents a useful summary on the ruling here. In this case, the failure to attach a notice of cancellation to the CFA where the Claimant was signed to her CFA at home, meant that costs were assessed at nil. The decision will apply to all CFAs entered into between solicitors and their client’s between 1 October 2008 and 13 June 2014 (when a new version of the regulations came in).
Implementing reforms to civil legal aid was published by the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Marilyn Stowe Solicitor presents a summary of the report at no evidence to support legal aid cuts MPs report. The cuts to public finding were introduced by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) in order to save money, the report claims, with little or no evidence of the likely social impact. Margaret Hodge (Labour) who Chairs the committee said “it is deeply disturbing that the Ministry of Justice’s changes to civil legal aid were based not on evidence but on an objective to cut costs as quickly as possible. The Permanent Secretary told us that “the level of spend” was the “critical” factor driving the reforms.”
And finally: have we survived LASPO yet? The question every PI firm should be asking itself, says Dave Bott Partner of Bott & Co who talks us through his seven point plan.
If you have a blog on costs related matters and would like to submit your post to the round-up, e-mail: Ilkley@johnmhayes.co.uk
John M Hayes: Celebrating 30 years in business 1985 to 2015
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