In brief
A consultation paper on proposals to regulate the charging of success fees by claimant lawyers, Conditional Fee Agreements in Publication Proceedings, Success Fees and After the Event Insurance, has been launched by the Ministry of Justice. The proposals cover defamation and privacy disputes but exclude intellectual property, copyright and data protection proceedings. They include a nil recoverable success fee if cases are settled within 14 days, and a 100% recoverable success fee if the case reaches trial or settles within 45 days before the start of a trial. The paper is available at www.justice.gov.uk and closes on 31 October 2007.