London, United Kingdom, (24th November 2011) – TheJudge, an established broker in the litigation risk transfer market, comments on a recent announcement made by the Ministry of Justice.
Court fees charged to litigants are set to increase after the MoJ revealed the High Court and Court of Appeal’s costs should be paid for by court-users rather than the taxpayer.
The MoJ has launched a consultation on the fees, arguing that the costs should be increased and be proportionate to the value of the claim in dispute; that new fee bandings should be introduced for disputes worth in excess of £300,000; and time-related fees should be brought in to reflect the increased cost involved in providing longer trial. The move comes as part of a wider drive to push down the cost burden of the courts on the taxpayer.
Speaking from TheJudge, Director Matthew Amey commented: “Some clients may struggle to gain access to justice if the MoJ’s proposed plans to increase court fees are implemented. Even where a law firm is prepared to act on a CFA basis, a financially distressed litigant generally remains responsible for payment of disbursements, including court fees. The MoJ’s proposals that some court fees could increase ten-fold may be too great a risk for a litigant to take if such risk cannot be hedged, usually by way of ATE insurance.”
For more information on TheJudge’s services, call +44 845 257 6058 or visit http://www.thejudge.co.uk.
About TheJudge:
With over a decade of experience, TheJudge is the largest and longest-established broker in the litigation risk transfer market. They specialise in hedging litigation costs for their clients by utilising their expertise in After the Event (‘ATE’) litigation insurance, Third Party Funding and various other forms of legal expenses, insurance and financial instruments for all types of litigation. TheJudge is the chosen specialist broker for many of the leading Dispute Resolution and Litigation teams around the world, serving a diverse client base.
Contact:
Matthew Amey
90 Fenchurch Street
London
Zip: EC3M 4ST
Tel: +44 845 257 6058
Fax: +44 1403 267943
Email: marketing@thejudge.co.uk