08 February 2013 / Andrew Parker

Issue: 7547 / Categories: Opinion , Legal services

printer

mail-detail

Fresh ground?

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.

The legal profession needs to wake up and smell the coffee, warns Andrew Parker

Three years ago I warned in these pages that the broad recommendations of the Jackson Review of Civil Litigation Costs would be delivered (“Access all areas”, 160 NLJ 7408, p 366). In March 2011, the coalition government published the outline of its plans based on the report and, in May 2012, the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 received the Royal Assent.

April in the offing

The planned implementation date of 1 April 2013 has been public knowledge since at least July 2012—it was certainly in the minds of the Court of Appeal when it delivered the initial decision in Simmons v Castle [2012] EWCA Civ 1039, [2012] All ER (D) 335 (Jul). The new Master of the Rolls, Lord Dyson, stated unequivocally to the Law Society’s Civil Litigation Conference in October that the rules would be in place for 1 April 2013.

However, recent coverage suggests that many lawyers are only now beginning to accept

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content

If you are already a subscriber sign in

...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

Fresh ground?

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.

The legal profession needs to wake up and smell the coffee, warns Andrew Parker

Three years ago I warned in these pages that the broad recommendations of the Jackson Review of Civil Litigation Costs would be delivered (“Access all areas”, 160 NLJ 7408, p 366). In March 2011, the coalition government published the outline of its plans based on the report and, in May 2012, the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 received the Royal Assent.

April in the offing

The planned implementation date of 1 April 2013 has been public knowledge since at least July 2012—it was certainly in the minds of the Court of Appeal when it delivered the initial decision in Simmons v Castle [2012] EWCA Civ 1039, [2012] All ER (D) 335 (Jul). The new Master of the Rolls, Lord Dyson, stated unequivocally to the Law Society’s Civil Litigation Conference in October that the rules would be in place for 1 April 2013.

However, recent coverage suggests that many lawyers are only now beginning to accept

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content

If you are already a subscriber sign in

...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

SourceURL:

Links:

E-newsletter Sign-Up

MOVERS & SHAKERS

London Solicitors Litigation Association—John McElroy

London Solicitors Litigation Association—John McElroy

Fieldfisher partner appointed president as LSLA marks milestone year

Kingsley Napley—Kirsty Churm & Olivia Stiles

Kingsley Napley—Kirsty Churm & Olivia Stiles

Firm promotes two lawyers to partnership across employment and family

Foot Anstey—five promotions

Foot Anstey—five promotions

Firm promotes five lawyers to partnership across key growth areas

NEWS

NLJ this week: Divorce ‘nuclear weapon’ freezes assets but entangles outsiders

Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners

NLJ this week: What counts as ‘rent’? Court says labour alone won’t do

A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent

Your magistrates’ court needs you!

Thousands more magistrates are to be recruited, under a major shake-up to speed up and expand the hiring process

NLJ this week: Freed but failed—justice system leaves the innocent empty-handed

Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’

NLJ this week: Clarity on whistleblowing, settlements and tribunal limits

A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’

back-to-top-scroll