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Other LSSA briefs:

July 1st, 2014
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By Barbara Whittle

Contingency fees

In the light of all the recent judgment relating to the Contingency Fees Act 66 of 1997, the LSSA Contingency Fees Committee are drafting proposals to give practitioners guidance regarding the interpretation of the Act.

Court-annexed mediation

LSSA representatives attended a Justice Department consultative workshop on the court-annexed mediation rules and other aspects relating to court-annexed mediation that is due to be implemented in certain selected courts across the country on a pilot basis from 1 August 2014. Arising from this workshop the LSSA made input on training, qualifications and assessment of mediators, a code of conduct as well as a complaints process for mediators.

The LSSA also provided the department with a preliminary list of attorney mediators. The LSSA will update this list on a regular basis. Practitioners who have completed relevant training as mediators, can upload their details and their certificates on the LSSA website at www.LSSA.org.za or e-mail LSSA@LSSA.org.za for information on how to upload data on the mediators’ database.

Costs

Following discussions at the Costs Indaba held on 22 February 2014, the LSSA Costs Committee will be considering the following at its meeting early in July 2014 –

  • simplification of the tariffs
  • tariffs for advocates;
  • issues relating to r 43;
  • costs in the context of the Legal Practice Bill; and
  • an increase in tariffs in the current set up vis-à-vis the way forward.

Barbara Whittle, Communication Manager, Law Society of South Africa, e-mail: barbara@LSSA.org.za

This article was first published in De Rebus in 2014 (July) DR 30.

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