LATEST 'LAW WATCH' VIDEO: KEEP ABREAST OF NEW LAWS

 In this month's free video, I go through-

• The increases in court, tribunal and probate fees which bite as from 01 May 2024 - and what happened to the threatened divorce fee hike.
• Changes to debt relief orders next month (effective on 28 June 2024) - the panacea for the amateur debtor - which make it easier to qualify.
• Increases in personal injury damages following publication of new guidelines.
• Why judges' gowns are back at the Central Family Court.
• The new so-called compulsory mediation system for county court small claims cases which will lead to any party refusing to co-operate being sanctioned at the end of the case and having to lose or pay one-half of costs that would otherwise have applied - if not worse.
• And that Book!

Enjoy.

LAW WATCH - FROM STEPHEN GOLD

Will this law never stop? No. And just to prove it, here is another free video. This one is about why you may be claiming too little for personal injury damages, avoiding the 'fixed recoverable costs' regime for civil proceedings kicking off on 01 October 2023 (although note that the regime only applies to personal injury cases where the right of action accrues on or after 01 October 2023) and why the taxman's penalty may not be wholly or partly payable. Click below.

Personal Injury Claim? Don't settle yet!

Guidelines are periodically published for judges and anyone else interested on the levels of compensation which should be awarded for a multitude of personal injuries from loss of limbs to a whiplash. The levels go up with each set of guidelines and judges tend to reflect the latest figures in what they decide to award. It follows that insurance companies and others who have to pay out the compensation will reflect the guidelines in the amount they offer  as they know what the claimant will receive if there is no settlement and a judge in court decides. Here's a bit more to how it works at http://www.breakinglaw.co.uk/search/label/compensation%20for%20personal%20injury

And so, if you are on the verge of settling a claim or are a lawyer advising on a settlement, ensure that account is taken of the very very latest guidelines that have just been published in the 15th edition of the Judicial College Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases.

Happy Settlements.