The pre-April 2013 costs regime, introduced by Pt II of the Access to Justice Act 1999, may be incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. Although Lord Neuberger stopped short of issuing a declaration of incompatibility in Coventry v Lawrence, he conceded that the respondents might be right in their contention that the global costs burden would be inconsistent with Convention rights. Not a happy time for litigators, according to Dominic Regan who writes: “Just as we slide away from the Mitchell mess we enter deeper, murkier waters”.
14 August 2014
Litigators in limbo
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly
Gateley Legal expands Midlands residential development team
Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees
Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees
Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron
Laytons ETL appoints new partner and head of intellectual property disputes
NEWS
A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land
Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee
Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE
The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London
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