Day 168, week 35: leader boards
Had a small personal injury case today worth around ÂŁ2,000 and yet I still managed somehow to recover some ÂŁ11,000 of costs for my solicitors. Alice in Wonderland territory if you ask me. It even gave the judge cause to remark. Except he didnât just remark. He was clearly an excitable man who wanted a chat with counsel and so we both whispered to our respective clients that weâd see them outside.
âI have to say, the costs today were really rather a lot. Felt obliged to award them but I do have to questionâŚâ
He tailed off as heâd been wont to do during the hearing.
âThis will actually be my first case that I can put on the Felix costs ladder.â
He was referring to the judgeâs intranet. Their own private network in which they gossip about cases and whatever else takes their fancy. He then went on to explain that all the judges nationwide are contributing to a kind of ladder in which the most outrageous costs awards for small personal injury claims are added.
âKind of like the TopGear leader board,â he explained.
Not.
âThe highest is twenty-five grand at the moment,â he went on almost giddy in his confession.
If this is what a judge admits to in front of both parties, kind of makes you wonder what else they are posting about on Felix. Counsel with the snootiest voice? Litigant with the longest hair? Would be interesting to know.
Might even be worth making a freedom of information request just for the fun of it.
May 30, 2007
¡ 
Tim Kevan ¡ 
2 Comments
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The FoI Act has come in for a bit of stick lately on the basis that it is being abused and valuable time is being wasted answering the requests. One example cited was a request that the Foreign Office provide details of their annual outlay on Ferrero Rocher to see if they are really spoiling their guests. Abuse? Time-wasting? What nonsense! Brilliant
The costs should not surprise you. The whole purpose of the legal profession is to enrich the professional participants.