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19 April 2024
Issue: 8067 / Categories: Legal News , Procedure & practice , Civil way , Fees , Employment
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NLJ this week: Gold on fees, Vento awards & clear drafting

Court fees are going up on 1 May! In this week’s ‘Civil way’, Stephen Gold, NLJ columnist and former district judge, reports that 172 fees are affected, although some have escaped Those are not the only fee hikes, as Gold notes

Gold also covers the latest CPR updates, a digital extension for employment tribunal litigants and a new threshold at the Rolls Building: ‘If your claim fails to top £5m then the eight judges normally sitting in the Commercial Court would like you to take your business elsewhere.’ He outlines the various Vento awards for injury to feelings and psychiatric injury.

He praises the latest guidance on Bill drafting, which he recommends for anyone drafting documents, including, for example, that ‘legislation should speak firmly but not shout’.

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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