Issue: Vol 160, Issue 7413

R (on the application of Saeedi) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2010] EWHC 705 (Admin), [2010] All ER (D) 16 (Apr)

A working law and procedure manual for local councils is unlikely to excite the creative juices of Andrew Lloyd Webber for swift transition to the West End stage, but this “power-full” two- acter is no less valuable for that.

The guideline rates for summary assessment of civil and family costs have been uprated for inflation by 1.7% for work done after 31 March 2010 so, for example, band A London 1 fee earners will now attract £409 for each hour of their toil as against £217 in National 1 and £201 in National 2 areas. Well, it’s better than a kick in the rear—and even better than a salary freeze!

R (on the application of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust and another) v Oxfordshire County Council [2010] EWHC 530 (Admin), [2010] All ER (D) 249 (Mar)

British Chiropractic Association v Singh [2010] EWCA Civ 350, [2010] All ER (D) 08 (Apr)

Mental health and human rights solicitor, Lucy Scott-Moncrieff has been elected deputy vice president of the Law Society and will take up office in July

Author relies on fair comment defence

Websites with law firm ratings, such as lawyerlocator.co.uk, are the most popular way to find a solicitor

“Rushed” and “inadequate” plans to cut conditional fee agreement (CFA) success fees for libel cases by up to 90% have been defeated in the House of Commons.

If a 584-page report can be distilled into one basic question it is this: who should meet the cost of funding personal injury litigation?