All articles by John Hyde – Page 343
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News
Wales says no to separation – for now
Wales will not have a separate legal jurisdiction for at least a decade, the country’s first minister confirmed today. Carwyn Jones (pictured) said the estimated £1.2bn cost of devolving the entire criminal justice system would put too much pressure on the Welsh budget. ...
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Keystone offers £1 top-up insurance cover
Top-up legal expenses insurance cover with premiums that can be recovered after 1 April are being sold for just £1, the Gazette can reveal. After-the-event (ATE) insurer Keystone Legal is offering a product for cases insured by other legal expenses insurers that run out of cover, ...
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Bypassing lawyers would save £1.5bn, insurer claims
Removing lawyers altogether from the small-claims process would save each motorist an average £60 a year on their car insurance premiums, a major insurer today claimed. In a report into the personal injury sector Aviva called for claimants to go directly to the ‘at-fault’ insurer rather ...
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Majority against IFA referral move
A decision to lift restrictions on referrals to independent financial advisers was made despite the majority of consultation respondents opposing the move, the Gazette has learned. The Solicitors Regulation Authority decided last November to allow solicitors to refer clients to any financial adviser regardless of ...
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Cobbetts’ debt recovery arm finds a buyer
Administrators today confirmed that the final unsold part of defunct law firm Cobbetts has been acquired.
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‘Rolled-up’ hearing for RTA Portal challenges
A legal challenge to halt cuts to personal injury fees will be fast-tracked through the High Court, it was revealed today. The judicial review application by two claimant groups in opposition to new recoverable fixed costs in the RTA Portal has been listed for a ...
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MoJ sets out rules for post-Jackson civil justice system
The Ministry of Justice today sets out in detail how the Jackson reforms will work when the majority come into force on 1 April. In a statutory instrument laid down in parliament, the department sets out the Civil Procedure (Amendment) Rules that will set out the ...
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Cobbetts creditors must wait and hope
Further details have emerged of defunct firm Cobbetts’ financial troubles as administrators begin talks with creditors.
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Damages discounts may rise following new evidence - MoJ
Justice minister Helen Grant today said initial evidence may support a rise in the discount rate used to calculate deductions from compensation awards. The government has opened a second part to a consultation with the legal and insurance professions that began last year. It will run ...
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In the dark over Jackson
There are times as a journalist when it feels good to be the only one that knows something. Whether it’s an embargoed explosive report or an ‘off-the-record’ chat, knowledge is power. But there are some times when knowledge sits uncomfortably, when those who should know are ...
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Small-claims limit could rise above £5,000, Grayling admits
Justice secretary Chris Grayling has said the proposed new small-claims court limit of £5,000 may be ‘too low’ – despite the ongoing consultation on raising the figure from £1,000. Grayling (pictured) told parliament on Tuesday that raising the small-claims limit to £5,000 would mean ...
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400 jobs saved as Cobbetts deal goes through
All training contracts will be honoured and more than 400 jobs saved at defunct firm Cobbetts, administrators today confirmed.
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MPs censure pre-pack deals as Cobbetts takeover goes ahead
‘Pre-pack’ deals like the one that this week saved defunct law firm Cobbetts face new scrutiny, following a critical report by MPs.
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Peers pursue low-cost arbitration service
A group of four peers will this week make the case for an arbitration service for defamation cases. In an amendment to the Defamation Bill to be debated tomorrow, the Lords want to follow the recommendation of the Leveson report and push forward a low-cost arbitration ...
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Major CMCs win argument on MoJ fees
Large claims management companies (CMCs) have convinced the government to reinstate a cap on the fees they have to pay for regulation. The Ministry of Justice, which regulates CMCs, had planned to remove the annual cap of £30,000 for companies with contractual relationships with clients. ...
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Firms sign up to beat fee ban
A claims management firm says it has signed up almost 100 legal practices to a business model designed to sidestep the impending referral fee ban. Chris Georgiou, managing director of Accidents Direct, said he has spent 18 months refining a panel scheme which he says will ...
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Exceptional case proves Jackson rule
Litigation lawyers should ‘ignore Jackson at their peril’ regardless of a landmark costs ruling that appeared to undermine imminent reforms, a solicitor in the case said this week. James Heath, from London firm Taylor Hampton Solicitors, warned firms not to be complacent about costs despite ...
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Warnings follow Cobbetts collapse
The demise of top-100 firm Cobbetts should serve as a wake-up call for legal practices with outdated structures and mounting bank debts, legal sector finance experts said this week.
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News Focus: Cobbetts
As the Gazette went to press, it was unclear whether a drinks party at national firm Cobbetts was going ahead as planned. In the uncertainty following the firm’s acquisition amid financial troubles, the atmosphere at the Birmingham event would hardly have been conducive to ‘a wind-down and a few celebratory ...
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A quarter of judges escape Grayling’s pension cuts
Judges within 10 years of retirement will be shielded from reform of their pension scheme, justice secretary Chris Grayling today confirmed. Those who were 10 years, or less, away from retirement at 1 April, 2012 – around 25% of the total profession – will continue in their current schemes and ...