The Civil Procedure Rules, paragraph 9.1 of practice direction 32, and section 58 of the County Court Act 1984 give the list of persons who may take oaths – that is, solicitors, barristers, notaries public, licensed conveyancers, fellows of CILEx and justices of the peace (JPs), among others less often used.
JPs’ fees are £25 per document under the Magistrates’ Courts Fees Order 2008. We try to assist the public by being available to carry out this task.
So why is it that we can still only charge £5 per oath and £2 for each exhibit (last changed on 18 October 1993 from £3.50 and £1 since 1 July 1988)? There is a considerable disruption factor of anything from five to 20 minutes depending on who drafted the oath, and on my hourly rate, that could mean losing fee-earning time worth up to £80 plus VAT.
Roger S Salvetti, partner, Biscoes, Hampshire
