Ccl legal news issue 2

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CONSULTING

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DIGITAL FORENSICS

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E-DISCLOSURE

LEGAL NEWS Issue 2

www.cclgroupltd.com

HENRY V NGN OR HENRY V JACKSON?

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What does the long-awaited decision in Henry v vely supports business objectives. NGN Ltd mean for the regime of costs budgeting?

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, with well-defined terms that suit business needs.

management – using our proven project

ment methodology to reduce the risk of IT projects Sylvia Henry, a social worker for Haringey ure they Council, are completed oninvolved time, to in budget andP who was the Baby

ectives.case, was the subject of a series of libellous articles in The Sun following the baby’s death in 2007, described as a ‘sustained and vitriolic campaign’ calling for her dismissal.

Ms Henry’s lawyers, the prominent media firm Taylor Hampton, started proceedings against News Group Newspapers (NGN), who own The Sun, in March 2010. NGN ultimately settled in June 2011. This case was one of the first to be subject to the costs budgeting pilot under Practice Direction 51D, the Defamation Proceedings Costs Management Scheme – widely seen as a key test of the upcoming Jackson Reforms. PD51D, para 5.6 states that, ‘When assessing costs on the standard basis, the court: (1) Will have regard to the receiving party’s last approved budget; and (2) Will not depart from such approved budget unless satisfied that there is good reason to do so.’ Despite coming to a settlement, the parties were unable to agree on the amount of costs recoverable by Ms Henry. Costs had exceeded the approved budget by around £300,000, representing an eightfold increase compared to what had been approved. And although the respondent requested a costs management conference shortly before the trial, neither party had

sought the court’s approval for any revised budget. During detailed assessment proceedings, Senior Costs Judge Hurst, acting in line with PD51D, was not satisfied that there was good reason to depart from the approved budget, and therefore disallowed £268,832 of costs. This decision was however, subsequently overturned by the Court of Appeal in January. So where does this leave us in relation to the Jackson Reforms? This case has the potential to significantly undermine the costs budgeting reforms coming into force in April; and raises the question: what latitude to depart from approved budgets does this decision actually afford us post-April? A number of commentators have suggested that this decision seriously undermines the Jackson Reforms and the decisions of costs judges, paving the way for satellite litigation post-April. The sole purpose of the new rules is to constrain costs and ensure that they are proportionate to the value of the case. If the decisions of costs judges can be so easily over-ruled, then this casts doubt on whether the Jackson Reforms will be able to achieve this aim, and raises concerns as to whether they may, in fact, create more uncertainty rather than remove it. However, the words of Lord Justice MooreBick in the judgement seem to clearly

N THIS EDITIO N... > Hen ry v NG N > Tho ught month s of the > The Jackso n Refo > Pot rms ential s ources of ESI > BYO D > DB As > Wh y CCL? > CPD course

indicate that the Henry case will not have such a damaging effect on the Jackson Reforms. Moore-Bick LJ observed that the ‘rather unusual circumstances of this case’ mean that ‘those rules, which will become effective from 1st April 2013, differ in some important respects from the practice direction with which this appeal is concerned’ – indicating that, in this case, the decision to allow departure from the original budget was very much fact-led and case specific, and will not create a precedent which threatens to undermine the Jackson Reforms. Whatever the outcome – the lesson from Henry seems to be that it will be a brave lawyer who seeks the latitude to depart from approved budgets under the new rules. Lawyers must endeavour to adhere to approved budgets, and ensure that they go back to the court for any revisions to the budget. Early co-operation, consideration and discussion on e-disclosure is something that is encouraged by the new rules. For CCL’s view on the lessons we can learn from Henry, and their relevance to the forthcoming Jackson Reforms, please visit CCL’s e-disclosure blog on our website, where you can read the full article: www.cclgroupltd.com/EDblog

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