’Predictability and Budgeting’

Professor John Peyser has written a comprehensive and erudite article on ‘Predictability and Budgeting’ in the Civil Justice Quarterly for January which the Civil Justice Council has placed on its website at: www.costsdebate.civiljusticecouncil.gov.uk The article deals with recent case law in estimating and budgeting, and offers some practical guidance on using project management to budget litigation costs. In Leigh v Michelin Tyre plc (23/ LL p3) Lord Justice Dyson suggested that this is a topic that the Rules Committee should address once more. Accordingly, the costs committee of the Civil Justice Council is preparing a consultative paper to be offered to the Rules Committee and the Department of Constitutional Affairs as part of the process of examining these developments. The Civil Justice Council invites comments on the whole issue of costs control through budgeting and estimating, and in particular invites comments on the following points: