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The insider: 3 February 2023

03 February 2023 / Dominic Regan
Issue: 8011 / Categories: Opinion , Costs , Expert Witness , Procedure & practice
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If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all: Dominic Regan covers shocks & surprises when the bill comes, & underlines the importance of following the rules

‘A customer should never be surprised by the bill he or she receives from a lawyer.’ The more I reflected upon those 16 words found on p5 of the guide to charging published by the Legal Ombudsman, the more I thought that it captured the essence of costs law. True, it comes in at 3,000 pages less than the imminent new 4th edition of the magisterial Friston on Costs. However, so many recent cases concern surprises (shocks) when a bill is levied. I suggest that every fee-earner in the profession should learn that mantra and adhere to it.

Our distinguished readership includes Simon Williams, legal ombudsman, who got in touch after my column reflecting on the Belsner saga (‘The insider’, 172 NLJ 8004, p8). He told me that there has always been a steady stream of complaints

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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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