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Sir Ian Burnett selected to be next Lord Chief Justice
Sir Ian Burnett has been appointed Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 2 October 2017, taking over the role upon the retirement of Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd. Sir Ian is expected to serve for at least four years in the most senior judicial…
Tags: Lord Chief Justice -
Harmans Costs Brief – June 2017
In this issue we look at an important case from the Court of Appeal where refusal to mediate was not a bar to the recovery of costs. We also discuss another judgment that has been eagerly awaited by PI lawyers, the “£400 club” case. And don’t…
Tags: access to justice, ADR, costs, Costs Brief, costs budgets, Court of Appeal, Deputy High Court Judges, fixed costs, Insurance Premium Tax, IPT, Jackson reforms, LLST, London Legal Walk, Lord Chief Justice, Lord Justice Briggs, Lord Justice Jackson, mediation, Personal Injury, Precedent R, refusal to mediate, RTA Protocol -
Lord Chief Justice appoints 21 Deputy High Court Judges
Barristers from 11KBW, 39 Essex Chambers and 1 Garden Court are among 21 new Deputy High Court Judges appointed by the Lord Chief Justice for a single fixed four-year term. The new judges are: 1. Darryl Allen QC, Byrom Street Chambers. 2. Kelyn Bacon QC,…
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Government and judiciary outline plan for future expansion of fixed costs
This is a joint statement from The Lord Chancellor Liz Truss, Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas and the Senior President of Tribunals on their shared vision for the future of Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunal Service. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-our-justice-system-joint-statement The joint statement acknowledges that the proposed reforms would…
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Civil Courts Structure Review: Final Report
The Lord Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls, as Head of Civil Justice, asked Lord Briggs to carry out a review of the structure of the courts which deliver civil justice. Lord Justice Briggs retained his strong support for the creation of an…
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Harmans Costs Brief – March 2016
What a hectic month – we’ve added to our Law Society Excellence Award shortlisting last year with another shortlisting in the Modern Claims Awards, this time for Costs Company of the Year! Plans for our spring seminar are in full swing and we’ve also been keeping…
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Impact of court closures likely to impede access to justice for many
After the consultation on court closures, the decision has been taken to close 86 out of the 91 courts initially identified. This represents a reprieve for just 5. However, the Law Society thought there were good reasons to save 59 courts so how can the…
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Harmans Costs Brief – February 2016
Costs Brief February is here! Where else could we start but Gary Knight’s scathing response to Lord Justice Jackson’s vision of fixed costs. There’s also a legal costs update of key cases, the summary of the Civil Courts Structure Review interim report from Lord Justice Briggs plus we cover…
Tags: bill of costs, CFA, Civil Courts Structure Review, clinical negligence, costs seminar, County Court, court fees, Court of Appeal, CPR 44.3(2), family court, fixed costs, HMCTS, Law Society, Legal costs update, Legal Services payment orders, Lord Chief Justice, Lord Justice Briggs, Lord Justice Jackson, Personal Injury, The Master of the Rolls -
Fixed costs – the time is now? Gary Knight discusses below
So sayeth the Lord – well Lord Justice Jackson in his recent IPA Annual Lecture given on 28 January 2016. It has appeared inevitable in recent months that some form of fixed costs scheme will be introduced if the powers that be have their way…
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LCJ concern over litigants in person, outdated IT and unsatisfactory funding
There has been a considerable increase in litigants in person for whom the current court system in England and Wales is not really designed, the Lord Chief Justice has warned. In his annual report for 2015 Lord Thomas said this was a consequence of the…
