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Does electronics fit the bill? Recovery of costs continues to be a key plank of the civil litigation landscape, despite many rule changes in recent years. or four years now the Rules Committee has been attempting to bring costs recovery into the modern world with the introduction of an electronic Bill of Costs. We now have a change of rules that makes the electronic bill mandatory. Despite a pilot scheme for some years there has been little take up from the legal profession. Based upon the results of a survey of Aestima’s clients, we found less than 5% of solicitors are familiar with the new bill format and do not know if their electronic time recording is compatible with the new bill!
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The aim of the electronic bill is to reduce costs of the assessment process but, with the profession so unprepared, any savings are likely to accrue far in the future. We are also concerned that use of the new bill may carry risks of reducing costs recovery far below the current norm by ‘touch of a button’ bill production without full understanding of how it is compiled. Law Costs Consultants have been fearful that use of the new bill could bring about their demise as it could encourage an approach to costs based almost exclusively on IT skills, rather than on legal knowledge and judgment of expert professionals (as well as our technical know-how with the new bill template), all of which is crucial.
The abandonment of expert costs advice would carry other risks for receiving and paying parties. For example, to prepare a bill without extracting costs which haven’t been awarded or to include Solicitor and Own Client costs will cause the Costs Officer to be sceptical about the rest of the costs claimed, which may in turn result in a harsher assessment of costs. Lack of technical ability to manipulate the bill and discover incorrectly claimed costs could easily destroy a Solicitor/client relationship if unnecessarily high costs have to be paid following an adverse costs order. Now is the time to ensure you are planning for the future and are fully up to speed with the new developments. Good working practices will ensure your future in the market, maintain current client relationships and allow new relationships to emerge where others have not been progressive and forward thinking when it comes to the issue of legal costs. We would like to help you successfully meet these challenges.
Jill Paveley Law Costs Consultant, Aestima Law Costs Consultants www.aestima.co.uk Tel 01268 572320
To bee or not to bee? What could be more urban than tall buildings; busy streets and bee keeping –yes beekeeping. Once thought of as the preserve of country dwellers, urban beekeeping appears to be more and more popular. ot only individuals but some law firms have realised the benefits of having ‘bees in residence’. Hive rental and maintenance comes at a small price but speaks volumes for a law firm’s environmental and social responsibility values.
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But don’t you need lots of space to keep bees? The hive has a footprint of less than 2 feet square, so there is room in even a ‘postage stamp’ sized garden. It does however need to be located in a secure place that is not in close proximity to or accessible by the public – office rooftops are ideal. The bees certainly don’t seem to mind where they live. Their basic requirements are food and water which they will find for themselves. They will happily travel up to 3 miles on a foraging trip to find a source of nectar. With a multitude of gardens and open spaces, every town has a plentiful supply of food. Water is available from a pond or garden water feature or even a puddle. But what about all the expensive kit you need to buy? To get started you just need the hive, a hive tool and a bee suit. Most specialist equipment, like a honey extractor, you should be able to hire from your local bee keeping society – membership is highly recommended, as is a beginner’s course. Once you have completed the course, the swarm liaison officer will probably be able to supply you with a colony of bees – for free!
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CENTRAL LONDON
But I just don’t have the time. Bees need very little upkeep. Weekly inspections from March to June will take 30 minutes per hive (less time as you gain experience) and from late autumn the bees ‘cluster’ in the hive, which is like hibernation. During this time, the less you interfere with them the better. And the rewards - is it worth it? Apart from the best honey you have ever tasted, you will be helping bees to survive and thrive. They are under threat and without honey bees pollinating our crops, humans are toast! Most of all, you will be helping yourself. Nothing could be further from the daily grind of most urbanites and time spent watching bees is the perfect rest and relaxation activity. I know, I’ve been doing it for years. If you the desire to have bees but not the time or resources, why not engage a professional beekeeper to supply and manage your hives? If you would like to find out more about beekeeping or hive rental please get in touch.
Steve Lagden Steve Lagden is a beekeeper and a Legal Costs Consultant with Aestima Law Costs Consultants. Email steve.lagden@aestima.co.uk telephone 01268 572320