Re L (Case Management: Wasted Costs)

HHJ Bellamy has recently handed down judgment in Re L (Case Management: Wasted Costs) [2016] EWFC B8 in which he makes wasted costs orders against all legal representatives in a case involving a late adjournment of a fact finding hearing.

The judgment sets out in detail the expectations of legal representatives handling cases in the family court, and HHJ Bellamy’s view that any failure to comply with the duties identified which leads directly to the adjournment of a hearing is likely to be considered negligent in the context of wasted costs.