Costs Round Up #70
Welcome to our latest round up of the weekly legal cost news
CAFCASS
This week, CAFCASS figures revealed a 16% increase in care applications for July 2016 compared to the same month, the previous year.
Legal Aid
The very real impact of care cases was highlighted this week in reporting on the Ellie Butler case – a case where both parents by right received non means tested legal aid but her grandparents who could not afford representation, missed out. This is a horrible case. The Daily Mail chose to highlight the costs to the state and us as the tax payer. Take a minute to look at this report from the transparency project two million things wrong with this headline who have taken time to correct all the factual inaccuracies reported by that paper and gives a better perspective on the case.
Agenda
It makes you think, doesn’t it? And that’s what we need to be doing on the topic of legal aid . Further reading can be found here in this article wasted legal aid and the benefit of hindsight by John Bolch and here by this letter from John Briant legal aid is a national institution like the NHS so why is it not properly funded – however the comments section to this last piece sum up the challenge faced, compounded by a political agenda from successive governments that does not see a priority in social justice.
New Data
We were intrigued by the data on offer from Steven Stratton (Suffolk Solicitor) asking what is fueling [sorry] the increase in car insurance premiums.
New Case Rulings
There were case rulings on costs budgets and additional liabilities, further definition on the law on fundamental dishonesty and a new industrial deafness case thought to be the only one of its kind, for a steam engine fireman working in the 1960s.
Company news
We are delighted to welcome the birth of new baby Darcy to Ed Hogan and his wife Becci, from our Haywards Heath office which has coincidentally TODAY re-located to shiny new premises. The teams at Norwich, Chesterfield and Ilkley (Leeds) are putting the final touches to a new costs seminar focusing on proportionality for early September and the whole company welcomes our new team members at Manchester and Cardiff office.
Until next week…
John M Hayes - working in partnership, we help you recover your costs so you can focus on growing your business
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