Dominic Regan provides the fundamental guide to the new portals
Poor claimant injury lawyers. Yet more upheaval, over and above the Jackson reforms, is imminent. The innocuously titled Civil Procedure (Amendment No 6) Rules 2013 (SI 2013/1695) do not betray the horrors which lurk within. Not only do we see portal extension but also a fixed costs regime which will attach to cases that exit the portal, are litigated and even reach trial. The days of costs far exceeding damages are numbered.
Changes to RTA portal
The road traffic accident (RTA) portal is well established. Where the claim notification form (CNF) is sent on or after 31 July 2013 the ceiling rises dramatically, more than doubling from the present £10,000 to £25,000. It would be prudent to fire off a CNF at once for cases worth over £10,000. The fixed costs for cases falling within the new, higher band will be £200 at stage 1 and £600 for stage 2. Those rare cases reaching stage
