Procedure & practice

Costs budgeting, guideline hourly rates and the extension of fixed costs were among the topics covered in a recent batch of recommendations handed down by the Civil Justice Council (CJC). In this week’s NLJ, Julian Chamberlayne and Louise Morgan welcome the ‘various bespoke processes’ championed in the CJC’s final report, and set out their thinking on the reforms ahead.

The fixed costs rules are almost here. Published at the end of last month although not effective until 1 October, ‘palpable anxiety is already coursing through the legal profession,’ Professor Dominic Regan reports in this week’s NLJ. 

Ring the bells & sound the drums: the fixed costs rules are almost here. Dominic Regan provides the lowdown on what to expect & how to prepare

Nothing is ever certain in litigation: David Walbank KC assesses the Court of Appeal’s reversal of a first-instance decision on state immunity

The Civil Justice Council has handed down a wide range of recommendations on costs budgeting, guidelines hourly rates & beyond: Julian Chamberlayne & Louise Morgan hail the arrival of a more bespoke approach

The Supreme Court has launched on 7 June 2023 its 2023—26 Business Plan. 

The Sentencing Council will publish new and revised guidelines according to its business plan for 2023-24, published in May.

Justice is slow, with small claims taking a year to reach court (51.9 weeks), the latest Ministry of Justice (MoJ) civil justice statistics show.

Andrew Parker reviews the draft rules for extending fixed costs to cases valued up to £100,000

Wilson Leung examines a recent judgment providing much-needed clarity on the process of bringing committal proceedings in Hong Kong