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The insider: 25 November 2022

25 November 2022 / Dominic Regan
Issue: 8004 / Categories: Opinion , Costs , Personal injury , Damages
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Dominic Regan sees February and October in the fixed costs tea leaves, predicts Belsnerphobia in Wolverhampton, and shares the joy of swag

Fixed costs

I was in the front row at the Civil Justice Council National Forum last Friday. Lord Bellamy KC, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice, who has held office for almost an eternity (over five months) announced yet further delay to the Fixed Costs Rules. They are now going to come into force in October 2023.

The ministry is a soft target for criticism, but I am assured by the top brass that the concern was to ensure practitioners had a decent amount of time to digest the new measures, which I think might now be unveiled in February.

Belsner

Fear stalks the streets of Wolverhampton. Those employed at the office of the Legal Ombudsman, already burdened with a backlog, must be terrified at the thought of thousands of costs disputes coming their way, as strongly recommended by the Master

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Serious injury teambolstered by high-profile partner hire

Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Firm strengthens employment team with partner hire

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

Lawyers’ liability practice strengthened with partner appointment in London

NEWS
Tech companies will be legally required to prevent material that encourages or assists serious self-harm appearing on their platforms, under Online Safety Act 2023 regulations due to come into force in the autumn
Commercial leasehold, the defence of insanity and ‘consent’ in the criminal law are among the next tranche of projects for the Law Commission
The Bar has a culture of ‘impunity’ and ‘collusive bystanding’ in which making a complaint is deemed career-ending due to a ‘cohort of untouchables’ at the top, Baroness Harriet Harman KC has found
Lawyers have broadly welcomed plans to electronically tag up to 22,000 more offenders, scrap most prison terms below a year and make prisoners ‘earn’ early release
David Lammy, Ellie Reeves and Baroness Levitt have taken up office at the Ministry of Justice, following the cabinet reshuffle
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