In 2011 100 per cent success fees in libel actions were declared at odds with freedom of expression YUI MOK/PAJournalists of England and Wales, rejoice – success fees in libel actions are no more. Success fees were a big earner for claimant libel lawyers taking the risk of defamation claims on a conditional no win, no fee basis. Often involving a 100 per cent uplift on hourly rates that would usually start at £500, they came in for a lot of criticism, not least from the European Court of Human Rights. In MGN v UK, in 2011, the ECHR declared that MGN having to pay a 100 per cent success fee was “disproportionate”, and that the no win, no fee system was at odds with freedom of expression. Then came the Leveson inquiry into media practices and the…

Source: The Times December 07, 2018 00:00 UTC