Costs Round-Up #48

Welcome to this week’s legal costs round-up.

We start with the case of Sarpd Oil International Ltd v Addax Energy SA & Anor [2016] EWCA Civ 120  ; the Court of Appeal has ruled that a High Court decision not to award security for costs, even though the paying party refused to show it was capable of paying the costs, was ‘plainly wrong’. Read more from Neil Rose here.

The Law Society has said, as part of their submission to the Labour Party’s review of legal aid, that it is considering how provision of an innovation fund could help legal aid solicitors use new technology to provide access to justice

Andrew Brough’s latest blog considered the issue of successful part 36 offers in fixed fee cases following the case of Broadhurst & Anor v Tan and Anor [2016] EWCA Civ 94.

Whilst on the subject of fixed costs…..the Law Society Gazette reported that plans to extend fixed costs to all areas of civil litigation are already progressing.

The Legal Aid agency announced that they will be implementing changes to their current eforms on 9^th March. For full details click here.  

This week also saw our Head of Legal Aid, David Smith deliver well received seminars in Bristol and Exeter on ‘Family Legal Aid Costs: Getting it Right’. Thank you to everyone who attended. Further seminars will be announced later this year and you can keep up to date by subscribing to our free monthly newsletter on our home page.  

Until next week……