Inside this issue:
Page 2 The Corby Group Litigation 2009
Page 4 The True Cost of Bullying
Page 5 New Flagship Office in London
Issue No 13
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costs in brief New “Thriller” to be out in January. Lord Justice Jackson’s far reaching and challenging costs review is expected to be published at the end of the year and should be hitting our desks in early January. Those who have attended any of the workshops /seminars will know that having identified the issues to be tackled in his preliminary report, the workshops that LJ Jackson has been carrying out up and down the country have not necessarily given him the answers that he was looking for, but may well have added to the confusion and possibly even raised issues that us Practitioners have side stepped on a daily basis, mainly because to look too deep, may take us to a place that we would rather not go. Is that such a bad thing however? LJ Jackson has looked at all of the issues and has invited input from many, a lot of whom answered his call, though not always giving him the response that he wanted or expected. At the Reynolds Porter Chamberlain “workshop” I believe that LJ Jackson walked into the meeting thinking that most Practitioners
supported his view that “risk free litigation” was not fair to all sides. LJ Jackson walked out having heard the comments from the floor where the majority view was that to look to the client to pay the Success Fee or even the ATE Premium was a step backwards. Talking about walking, The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) walked out of talks of a mediation process set up at the request of LJ Jackson on extending fixed costs in personal injury cases. Fixed Costs are already in place for road traffic cases worth up to £10,000 but APIL opposes the extension. They are clearly unhappy about the way they are being treated. One thing that does seem to be positive from our position, is that there does not appear to be too many opinions in support of the abolition of costs shifting, e.g. “loser pays the costs”.
Costs Helpline. Your cost questions answered If you don’t have the time to contact us by telephone our free advice line is just a click away. Visit the Kain Knight website and look for the Costs Helpline.
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Michael Kain To predict what LJ Jackson’s report is going to recommend is anybody’s guess but I think one thing is sure we are in for a “thrilling” bumpy ride if not immediately but in the future. Michael Kain Nov 2009
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