American friends of mine emailed from sunny Washington the other day to complain (if that is the right word) that they had been living and working in the UK for a number of years and that it was only after they left to go back to the US that we in England had what you might call a proper summer!! At any rate, it has been reasonably good since the start of July.
The fair weather, however, has not deterred the outpouring of news in this part of London. Assuming that not everyone is plugged into their smart devices over the holidays, there is much catching up to be done when the holidays are over. I have tried to keep up with developments during August, not least because I am going away in September, but also to make it easier for all those returning to the office in the next week or so to catch up on what they have been missing.
To add to the growing number of unmissable items is an article by Andy Ellis in the Law Society Gazette of August 15th called Relief from Sanctions in costs budgeting.
To be up to speed on what is happening in the courts some four or five months into the new regime for costs in most litigation cases, you should read Mr Ellis’ article. Without wishing in any way to steal his thunder, I was gratified to note that of the five recent cases he mentions, four have already been the subject of comment in this blog! The fifth is the decision of Mr Justice Walker in the QBD dated 25th July 2013 in Wyche v Careforce Group Plc, which was unreported.
The lesson is clear. To know what is happening and how the courts are applying the new rules on costs, read this blog and/or Mr Ellis in the Law Society Gazette.