Annual fee meaning

This Checklist outlines the Guideline Hourly Rates (GHR) across periods from 1 October 2021 through 31 December 2023, and the current figures, which were adjusted for inflation on 1 January 2026. From 2024, the GHR are uplifted each year for inflation in line with the Services Producers Price Index. The 2021 Guide remains pertinent for practitioners as it explains the purpose and approach to GHR. At paragraph 28, it states that GHR provide a baseline for summary assessment and can also sensibly inform detailed assessment. The rate applied will also turn on the fee earner’s grade and location, for example whether a Grade A working in London or outside London. For principles and the courts’ approach, see Practice Note: Guideline hourly rates. GHR from 1 January 2026 Grade A - Solicitors and legal executives with over eight years’ qualified experience London 1: £579 London 2: £422 London 3: £319 National 1: £295 National 2: £288 ...

In this issue: Key DR developments Cross-border disputes Pre-action and limitation Litigation Case management Evidence and disclosure ADR Scottish Dispute Resolution Dates for your diary Useful information Daily and weekly news alerts Key DR developments Guidance and reports Courts and Tribunals Judiciary publishes February 2026 updated edition of the Equal Treatment Bench Book: The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary has issued an interim February 2026 update to the Equal Treatment Bench Book. For more information, see: Courts and Tribunals Judiciary publishes February 2026 updated edition Equal Treatment Bench Book—LNB News 26/02/2026 28. HCCH publishes 2025 annual report highlighting private international law developments The Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) has released its 2025 annual report, noting the creation of two new Experts’ Groups to examine private international law topics linked to Digital Tokens and Carbon Markets. For more information, see: HCCH publishes 2025 annual report highlighting private international law...

In this issue: Companies House Corporate governance Equity capital markets Accounts and reports Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Companies House Companies House announces fee changes from February 2026 Companies House has confirmed a revised fees schedule from 1 February 2026, following its annual assessment to align charges with the cost of providing services. Notably, the digital incorporation filing fee will rise to £100, and the digital confirmation statement fee will increase to £50. These adjustments are set out in the Registrar of Companies (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/1137), which were laid before Parliament on 30 October 2025 and take effect on 1 February 2026. The accompanying explanatory memorandum states that the updated fees are intended to recover increased costs linked to implementing the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA 2023) and the Economic...

In this issue: Arbitration in England & Wales International Arbitration Sector-and industry-specific arbitration Institutional and ad hoc arbitration Other arbitration and ADR-related news and developments Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Useful information Arbitration in England & Wales Arbitration Bill receives Royal Assent, strengthening England and Wales as an arbitration hub The Arbitration Bill secured Royal Assent from His Majesty the King on 24 February 2025, and now takes effect as the Arbitration Act 2025. This targeted refinement of the Arbitration Act 1996 further consolidates London’s standing as a premier arbitration seat. See News Analysis: Arbitration Bill receives Royal Assent, strengthening England and Wales as an arbitration hub and LNB News 25/02/2025 7. Court of Appeal—final anti-suit injunction varied to avoid Russian court penalty In UniCredit v RusChemAlliance [2025] EWCA Civ 99, the Court of Appeal modified a final anti-suit injunction, removing the injunctive relief while keeping a declaration that...

Over the course of the past month, annual adjustments have been made to merger control thresholds in Canada, Italy and the Philippines, while Montenegro has revamped its regime, introducing swifter timetables and more adaptable filing provisions. Canada—thresholds remain the same in 2026 On 2 March 2026, the Canadian Competition Bureau (CCB) confirmed, after its yearly review, that Canadian merger notification thresholds will stay exactly as they are for 2026. The thresholds remain (in brief): size of transaction test: the target must be, or control, an operating business in Canada with more than CDN$93m (approximately €58.9m/US$66.6m) in Canadian assets (book value) or gross revenue produced by those assets from sales in, from or into Canada (ie domestic plus export sales), and size of parties test: all parties and their affiliates (in aggregate) must together hold over CDN$400m (approximately €253.4m/US$286.3m) in Canadian assets or gross revenues derived from sales in, from or into Canada (ie domestic sales, exports and imports) (this threshold is unchanged and...

PI & Clinical negligence horizon scanner—July 2025 [Archived] ARCHIVED: This Practice Note is archived and is not maintained. It summarises the principal legal developments relevant to personal injury and clinical negligence practitioners as at July 2025. For developments predating this horizon scanner, see PI and Clinical Negligence horizon scanning and key cases—overview. Key PI and clinical negligence developments The personal injury discount rate—a review In late 2024, the Lord Chancellor, Shabana Mahmood MP, revealed the outcome of her five‑month review of the discount rate, initiated in July 2024. One month after the new +0.5% discount rate took effect, Thea Wilson (barrister at 12 King’s Bench Walk) assesses its impact on cases, the responses from claimant and defendant representatives, and the consequences of the change for legal practitioners. See News Analysis: The personal injury discount rate—a review. MoJ announces reduction in CFO’s interest rates The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced lower interest rates for the Courts Funds Office’s (CFO) special and basic accounts...

Introduction The business model that supports a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project is crucial, as it shapes the project’s overall risk profile and, in turn, the form of financing required. The selection ultimately rests on several factors, such as risk appetite, fiscal and tax drivers, and the investor’s financing considerations, alongside whether they wish to invest in one or more segments of the LNG chain (for more on the LNG value chain, see Practice Note: LNG—an introduction). LNG projects can be configured in a range of ways: integrated/non-integrated merchant/tolling In an integrated arrangement, ownership is aligned across the whole LNG chain, from production through to liquefaction—that is, one or more investors holding the underlying upstream concession/PSC also hold the rights to the natural gas reserves...

Raw data required Total number of full-time fee earners – [ Insert number ] Total number of part-time fee earners – [ Insert number ] Total number of days per week worked by part-time fee earners – [ Insert number ] Total chargeable hours – [ Insert number ] Hourly rates being charged – £[ Insert figures ] Value of WIP billed – £[ Insert figure ] Billings – £[ Insert figure ] Calculating the variables Please click for an Excel version of this variable calculation sheet and an illustrative worked example. Number of fee earners as FTEs — Formula: Full-time fee earners plus pro rata part-time fee earners; Calculation: [ Insert details ]; Result: [ Insert result ] Average annual chargeable hours per fee earner — Formula: Firm’s total chargeable hours ÷ number of fee earners; Calculation: [ Insert details ]; Result: [ Insert result ] Average hourly rate — Formula:...

1 General information Review date [ Insert date ] Reviewer(s) [ Insert name(s) ] Scope of review ☐ Firm-wide ☐ Departmental [ insert details of department ] ☐ Fee earner [ insert details of fee earner ] Total client surveys reviewed [ Insert number ] Survey date range [ Insert date range ] 2 Data 2.1 How clients have rated our service Survey question Number of responses How easy was it to access our services? [ Insert number ] — Very good [ Insert number ] — Good [ Insert number ] — Average [ Insert number ] — Poor [ Insert number ] — Very poor [ Insert number ] — No answer given If you visited our offices, how would you score the welcome you received? ...

A: Pre-assessment Complete the self-assessment (Law Society’s website). Appoint a logistics lead and an accountable person/committee. Identify required Lexcel policies/procedures, allocate owners, brief them, and set deadlines with reminders. Choose an assessment body (Centre for Assessment Ltd, Inspiring Business Performance Ltd (IBP), or Recognising Excellence), apply and obtain an assessor. Agree the date, draft and finalise an all staff list, secure Law Society approval, notify staff (dates, interviews, process, holiday cut‑offs), book meeting room(s); update the assessor. Receive the assessment plan (interviewees, timetable, extra documents), amend schedules, brief fee earners/support staff, run open matter reports, gather further items requested, and email all required documents. B: Assessment day Receive the client file request; collate files and supporting materials, provide IT access, host the assessor, manage the timetable, and note feedback. C: Post-assessment Receive the final report within one to two weeks; log key points and an action plan; diary rectification deadlines (21 days minor,...