Litigation

Article: Action to help litigants in person

ProfessionThe Civil Justice Council (CJC) has predicted a rise in the number of litigants in person and set out a series of steps to tackle the challenges this will present.

Article: Bar Council plays a leading role in City Week conference

THE Bar Council explained the high quality and high value services which the Bar offers both at home and abroad when it hosted a seminar as part of City Week’s two-day UK International Financial Services Forum on 20-21 September 2010.

Article: Bar Council responds to Jackson report

Lord Justice Jackson has recommended sweeping reform of civil litigation, including raising civil damages awards by ten per cent and introducing US-style contingency fees. Jackson LJ’s eagerly-awaited 584-page Final Report into civil litigation c...

Article: Bar Council welcomes Lord Justice Jackson’s preliminary report

THE Bar Council welcomed Lord Justice Jackson’s Preliminary Report reviewing the cost of civil litigation published today. Responses will be sought by Lord Justice Jackson from interested parties over the summer, before a final report and r...

Article: Bar responds to Jackson cost review

Referral fees lead to bad service and should not be permitted for barristers or other lawyers, while putting a limit on costs in advance is “neither necessary nor appropriate”, the Bar Council has said in its response to the Jackson review on the cos...

Article: CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST IN BAR COUNCIL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT VISIT TO CHINA NOVEMBER 2009

Plans are underway for a delegation comprised of representatives from both the Bar Council and Law Society to visit Shanghai, Hangzhou and Guangzhou the week beginning the 2 November to hold seminars on commercial areas of law in conjunction with...

Article: Chancery on Jackson

The Chancery Bar Association has published a detailed 88-page response to the preliminary Jackson Review into civil litigation costs. It recommends that judges take a greater role in case management and make more “bold” decisions about direction, sco...

Article: Chancery on Jackson

The Chancery Bar Association has published a detailed 88-page response to the preliminary Jackson Review into civil litigation costs. It recommends that judges take a greater role in case management and make more “bold” decisions about direction, sco...

Article: CLAF group launches before Jackson bites

Civil litigationA Bar Council working group has been set up to explore the viability of a Contingency Legal Aid Fund (CLAF) in the wake of the government’s announcement on civil litigation costs.

Article: CLAF team work on details

Work is continuing on the Bar’s proposed self-funding civil justice scheme to “deal with nuts and bolts” ahead of Lord Justice Jackson’s final recommendations on litigation costs.

Article: Clarke on costs

Lord Clarke, the Master of the Rolls, has urged members of the judiciary to support Lord Justice Jackson’s preliminary review of civil costs and costs management pilot in Birmingham. The aim is to reduce costs and “realise the Woolfian dream”, he said in...

Article: Employment cap

A 35 per cent cap has been imposed on contingency fees in employment cases.

Article: ENFORCEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

In May, the EP should adopt an own-initiative report responding to the Commission’s 2009 Communication on enhancing the enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights COM(2009)467). See further: www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/file.jsp?id=5817632

Article: Hoffmann wants public body proposal dropped

Lord Hoffmann has spoken out against Law Commission proposals to help individuals seek redress against public bodies. Currently, individuals must establish that the public body owes them a specific statutory duty or is in breach of a duty of care at...

Article: IBA Hears Plans to Modernise

Civil LitigationMichael Todd QC, Chairman-elect of the Bar Council, is to set up a working group in the New Year to draw up proposals to modernise civil litigation.

Article: Independent Courts Charity Appeal gains influential backing

An appeal on behalf of an independent charity which provides free services for people who go to court has been backed by the Attorney General, the Lord Chief Justice and the Bar Council. The Personal Support Unit, based at the Royal Courts of Justice,...

Article: INDUSTRY BRIEFING COURSE

The Bar Council contributed to another regular training session for Commercial Officers from selected UK embassies on 6 November. On this occasion officers from UK missions in Russia, India, China, Chile and the Middle East attended. The bar-led part...

Article: IP - TOWARDS A UNIFIED PATENT LITIGATION SYSTEM?

In June, the Council formally asked the ECJ for a ruling on the compatibility with the EC Treaty of a possible future Agreement creating a Unified Patent Litigation System (“UPLS”). The incoming Swedish EU Presidency will support...

Article: Jackson reforms could restrict access to justice

Civil litigationProposals to implement Lord Justice Jackson’s recommendations on civil costs could lead to “acute” problems for litigants.

Article: Jackson review

Lord Justice Jackson will publish the final report of his eagerly-awaited Review of Civil Litigation Costs on 14 January 2010. An advance copy will be sent to the Master of the Rolls by 31 December 2009.

Article: Libel fee changes

New measures aimed at tackling excessive legal fees in “no-win no-fee” defamation proceedings came into effect from 1 October.The government has introduced three major changes following its consultation paper earlier this year, “Controlling Costs in...

Article: Libel fee cut will not go ahead

Plans to cut conditional fee agreements (“CFA”) success fees for libel cases by up to 90 per cent have been dropped owing to lack of Parliamentary time. The controversial plans, which were opposed by many claimant libel lawyers, would have capped the...

Article: Mediation education

Lord Neuberger, the Master of the Rolls, has called for mediation and alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”) to be made a part of every lawyer’s education.

Article: Mediation on the rise

Commercial and civil mediation has grown by 30 per cent in the last three years.

Article: New ADJ President

JudiciaryDistrict Judge Paul Mildred has warned the legal aid cuts will heap pressure on the courts, in his first public comments since becoming President of the Association of District Judges.

Article: New Code for Litigation Funders

Civil LitigationThe Civil Justice Council (CJC) has published its much-anticipated Code of Conduct for Litigation Funders and the Rules of the Association for the Association of Litigation Funders in England and Wales. The Rules require every member...

Article: PIBA ANNUAL LECTURE “WHAT IS AN ACCIDENT?” BY SIR JOHN LEWIS

Personal Injuries Bar Association (PIBA) Inner Temple at 6pm on Tuesday 16 November 2010 CPD 1 hour (to be confirmed)

Article: Preliminary findings on civil litigation cost review

The Bar Council has reacted with interest to Lord Justice Jackson’s provisional view on “no win no fee” agreements contained in his preliminary report in his Review of Civil Litigation Costs.

Article: Professional Negligence Bar Association (PNBA)

17TH ANNUAL CLINICAL NEGLIGENCE RESIDENTIAL SEMINAR Friday 10 (evening) – Sunday 12 (lunchtime) September 2010

Article: Success fees in libel cases reduced

The Justice Secretary, Jack Straw, has reduced the maximum success fee that lawyers can charge in defamation cases from 100 per cent to 10 per cent.

Article: UNIFIED PATENT LITIGATION SYSTEM – DEVELOPMENTS

The EU institutions are engaged in strenuous efforts to create a Unified EU Patent Litigation system, and within that, to secure an Agreement on the European and Community Patents Court and Draft Statute. To that end, the Commission has produced a...