Fee earners could risk failing to have their bills assessed if the right fee earner information is not provided, says Laura Rees
- Court of Appeal judgment in AKC v Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust [2022] EWCA Civ 630 is a blow to firms who use a team approach and have multiple fee earners conducting a case.
- Bills must be drafted with all the requisite fee earner information.
- Those that draft bills must have a deep understanding of the functionality of how a bill works, as leaving codes/details blank may mean that the summary sheets within the bill are unreliable.
Lord Justice Newey provided the leading judgment in AKC v Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust [2022] EWCA Civ 630, dismissing the claimant’s appeal and concluding that the claimant must provide more information in relation to the fee earner’s SCCO grade and status in both paper and electronic bills.
The claimant made a clinical negligence claim against the defendant in respect
