PI firms face deluge of costs claims after High Court ruling


Nick Lavender

Lavender: Solicitors owe clients fiduciary duty

Personal injury (PI) law firms that fail to spell out in their retainers the costs clients could be liable for beyond what is recovered from defendants face a wave of litigation following a landmark High Court ruling.

Even if they ultimately cap their recovery, this needs to be included in the retainer too.

Checkmylegalfees, which acts for the claimant in Belsner v Cam Legal Services Ltd [2020] EWHC 2755 (QB), said millions of clients may have claims a result.

Mr Justice Lavender’s ruling in what he recognised was a test case could end up in the Court of Appeal, as the firm – Norfolk firm CAM Legal – is seeking permission to appeal.

The story is reported in full on our sister site, Litigation Futures.




Blog


Why good governance matters when managing Law Society forms

Everyday legal transactions rely on Law Society forms. But they are often treated as static templates rather than what they really are: living documents that change over time.


A letter from the SRA? Your first reaction matters

An email from the SRA has a way of rearranging a working day. It arrives in the same inbox as everything else, often in the same measured tone, yet it carries a different weight.


Regulate sole practices on evidence, not turnover

For a sole practice, the SRA’s plan that I cannot hold a compliance role if my firm has more than £600,000 of turnover is not a measure of risk. It is a ceiling on growth.


Loading animation