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08 September 2023
Issue: 8039 / Categories: Legal News , Procedure & practice , Civil way , Costs
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NLJ this week: How to escape the fixed costs regime & more

Former district judge Stephen Gold takes us through ways in which to avoid the fixed recoverable costs regime, due to come into force on 1 October, in this week’s 'Civil way'.

For example, fixed costs could be avoided where non-monetary relief is sought and the lawyer can persuade the judge to use their discretion on ‘interests of justice’ grounds. He lists the types of cases where exclusions apply, for example, certain clinical negligence claims where both breach and causation have been admitted.

Gold helpfully explores various scenarios which may help lawyer and client escape the new regime. He also covers a rise in the special account rate, recent guidance from the president of the Family Division, new guidance for attorneys and deputies on vaccinations for those who lack mental capacity to consent, and more. 

Find more nuggets of Gold here.

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