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Civil way: 27 June 2025

CFO not so special; whiplash pain; abusive legal aid; NDA reform

LAW BITES

Have mercy They’ve done it again. The Court Funds Office’s (CFO’s) special account rate has predictably dropped in response to the last Bank of England’s base rate reduction, from 4.50% to 4.25% as from 30 May 2025. Revise interest calculations for personal injury specials accordingly. The NLJ scissors remain mislaid and so you might take a look at ‘Civil way’, NLJ, 17 January 2025, p15. Should CFO special account invested funds be transferred over to an outside investment by the litigation friend, subject to court agreement? It is unlikely that a fixed-term ISA would currently yield a better rate of return. A fixed-term non-ISA might do so.

Whiplash cash Over six months after the outcome of the Lord Chancellor’s statutory review of the whiplash reforms was announced (see ‘Civil way’, 174 NLJ 8098, p15), there is legislation which gives effect to her conclusions. To the chagrin of the personal injury claimant

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Group partner joins Guernsey banking and finance practice

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

London labour and employment team announces partner hire

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Double partner appointment marks Belfast expansion

NEWS
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has not done enough to protect the future sustainability of the legal aid market, MPs have warned
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
Boris Johnson’s 2019 attempt to shut down Parliament remains a constitutional cautionary tale. The move, framed as a routine exercise of the royal prerogative, was in truth an extraordinary effort to sideline Parliament at the height of the Brexit crisis. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC dissects how prorogation was wrongly assumed to be beyond judicial scrutiny, only for the Supreme Court to intervene unanimously
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