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17 September 2021 / Stephen Gold
Issue: 7948 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Civil way
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Civil Way: 17 September 2021

Skates needed for fee saves; Welch business; Mediation money; Domestic abuse update; Online divorce mandatory; CPO compensation up

THE BILL

Race is on The threatened court fee hikes will happen with a pinch of ‘remodelling’. But on what date? Early Autumn, they said. I consulted on when that season begins and the majority view which I accepted was 22 September 2021. True to their word, the Court Fees (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2021 (SI 2021/985) which does the damage will come into force on 30 September 2021. So you had better get your skates on to save, for example, £43 on an application for divorce, nullity or civil partnership dissolution, £20 on a civil application notice (£8 where by consent) and £85 on a multi-track trial fee (and with no transitional relief on that one or elsewhere). Although court fees have nothing to do with the judiciary, the county court at Central London poked its nose in at consultation as did a respondent called Min. There’s a sweet pill with the raising

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—Nathan Evans

Birketts—Nathan Evans

Commercial and technology team in Cambridge strengthened by partner hire

Andrew & Andrew Solicitors—Shikha Datta

Andrew & Andrew Solicitors—Shikha Datta

Hampshire firm appoints head of new family department

Latham & Watkins—Sarah Lightdale

Latham & Watkins—Sarah Lightdale

Firm strengthens securities practice with partner return

NEWS

From blockbuster judgments to procedural shake-ups, the courts are busy reshaping litigation practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School hails the Court of Appeal's 'exquisite judgment’ in Mazur restoring the role of supervised non-qualified staff, and highlights a ‘mammoth’ damages ruling likened to War and Peace, alongside guidance on medical reporting fees, where a pragmatic 25% uplift was imposed

Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies
Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
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