Blogs

Paramount have recently welcomed a further two new employees into the fold and we thought now would be an opportune moment to introduce Julie and Claire.

Julie Fitzpatrick is a highly experienced Costs Lawyer with over 12 years’ experience of legal costs. Julie worked for a large costing firm in Carlisle before moving to Paramount to help expand our civil department and to set up a new private client costing department.

In response to the volume of cases under CPR 45 II and IV where the only item in dispute was the ATE insurance premium, District Judge Smedley, stayed all such claims and selected fourteen to be taken forwards as test cases, although only seven, all section IV cases, remained extant by the time of the hearing. The issues to be decided were:

1. Whether it was reasonable for a receiving party to use a block rated policy when cheaper individually rated policies were available;
2. Whether the use of staged premium policies was reasonable or necessary; and

No news bulletin on the subject of costs would be complete without mention of the Lord Justice Jackson’s proposed reforms. Legal Futures reports that the Prime Minister has announced the extension of the RTA portal scheme to cases up to £25,000 as well as to further, as yet unspecified, areas of personal injury litigation, which are expected to include at least employers’ liability and public liability claims.

We are pleased to announce that due to our continued expansion we have moved into new and larger offices in Carlisle. Please see our updated Contact Page for our new telephone and fax details.

On 6th October 2011, the Solicitors’ Handbook, including the Solicitors’ Code of Conduct, with its emphasis on outcomes focussed regulation, came into force, replacing the Solicitors’ Code of Conduct 2007.

The new code is guided by a set of core principles which solicitors are expected to adhere to at all times. In addition there are a series of ‘outcomes’ which are mandatory.

Client care is regulated by chapter 1 of the new Code, and outcome 1.13 is simply that:

The legal sector is undergoing an unprecedented period of change. Never before has the legal services market been impacted by so many issues all at the same time – many have referred to this as the perfect storm.

We have now opened a new office in Carlisle and welcome further new staff to the company.

Lee Whitehead is the new head of the Carlisle Office and has 15 years of experience in costs with 10 of those years being in costs drafting. Lee has come from a firm in Manchester and undertakes all aspects of the business, including attending Detailed Assessment Hearings.

Working alongside Lee is Tom Brocklebank, our Senior Costs Draftsman and Negotiator. Tom comes to us from a local firm and has 8 years of experience in drafting Schedules and Bills and also Negotiating.

The Government’s Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill received what was described by the Speaker as a "well-subscribed" second reading on 29th June 2011. It passed by a margin of 295 votes in favour to 212 against and will now move on to be considered by a House of Commons Public Bill Committee. The Committee will receive written submissions until Thursday 13th October 2011.

Civil and Family Court Fees have changed as of April 4th 2011. Please see the table below for fees relative to costs.

Paramount Legal Costs would like to officially welcome 2 new members of staff:

Robert Parness joins us as our new Litigation Consultant. A graduate in law from Warwick University, Rob comes to us from Jennings Legal Services whom he joined in 1999, and where he was appointed Court Manager in 2002, heading a team of advocates attending detailed assessment hearings throughout England and Wales.