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The insider: 21 April 2023

21 April 2023 / Dominic Regan
Issue: 8021 / Categories: Opinion , Profession , Legal services , Career focus , Costs
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In his latest column, Dominic Regan sets out next steps for fixed costs, some unexpected downsides of taking silk, & the importance of being in the right place at the right time

Well that was a surprise!

Those pesky Fixed Costs Rules, which are definitely coming into force on 1 October, are to apply to cases issued from that date onwards. Up until now, the plan was that they would only apply where the cause of action accrued after the date of implementation. One need not be Nostradamus to predict a flurry of issuing before the end of September. While we still do not have the Rules—likely to appear before May is out—the attraction of recoverable costs being at large is irresistible. Personal injury practitioners who feel they have endured years of reform are given a treat. Accident cases will only be within the new regime where the cause of action accrued in or after October. For disease cases the critical date is that of the letter of

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NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Writing in NLJ this week, Thomas Rothwell and Kavish Shah of Falcon Chambers unpack the surprise inclusion of a ban on upwards-only rent reviews in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
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