The London Solicitors Litigation Association (LSLA) has issued a robust response to the government’s latest proposal to hike court fees.
In March 2015, the fee for issuing a money claim rose dramatically to 5% of the value of a claim worth £10,000 or more, with a cap of £10,000. This sparked fury among many solicitors. In July 2015, however, the government issued a consultation proposing to raise fees even higher.
Responding on behalf of the LSLA, Seamus Smyth, partner, and Jonathan Fozard, associate, of Carter Lemon Camerons, say: “There has barely been enough time for the impact of these increases to be assessed, but the experience of many LSLA members is that the substantially increased court fees have both in themselves and/or as part of the overall cost of litigation deterred clients, particularly SMEs, from bringing claims.”
