Litigation/Dispute Resolution
“Not all mistakes are misconduct”, says SDT as it clears solicitor
Not all mistakes made by solicitors are professional misconduct, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has ruled in dismissing allegations that an assistant misled the court.
High Court rejects challenge to foreign in-house lawyers’ privilege
Legal advice privilege extends to communications with foreign lawyers working in-house even if they are not recognised or regulated as “professional lawyers”, the High Court has ruled.
Law Society and Bar Council at odds over quarantine exemption
The Law Society has spoken out against a government clarification sought by Bar Council that means anyone self-isolating after returning from abroad can break quarantine to attend court.
Former partner faces £230,000 director’s loan account claim
A former equity partner in a two-partner North-East law firm faces a claim to repay his overdrawn director’s loan account of nearly £230,000 as the fall-out from its acrimonious split continues.
Quindell saga rumbles on with claim against PwC
The company formerly known as Quindell has served a £63m claim against accountancy firm PwC for allegedly using confidential information to reduce the amount Slater & Gordon paid.
Firm “needed court action” to force departing partner to return files
A law firm had to begin legal action to force a partner who had decided to leave to return the files she took home to work on during lockdown, it has emerged.
Top judge slates firm over trial live-stream breach
The president of the Queen’s Bench Division has strongly criticised lawyers at US firm McDermott Will & Emery after they allowed a trial to be live-streamed to observers without the court’s permission.
Justice committee launches inquiry into court backlog
MPs have today launched an inquiry to investigate delays in the court system and what should be done to clear the backlog of cases amid concerns in particular for the criminal courts.
‘Deepfake’ warning over online courts
Video manipulation software, including ‘deepfake’ technology, poses problems for remote courts in verifying evidence and that litigants or witnesses are who they say they are, a report has warned.
Justice secretary drops plan to replace jury trials
The Lord Chancellor has dropped a widely criticised plan to replace juries in some trials with a judge and two magistrates, while the head of HMCTS said the pandemic has “proved the case” for court reform.
Blog
The cost of systemic failure and childbirth injuries
Recent reports show that the NHS has paid almost £3.5bn in medical claims around childbirth injuries over the past six years.
Mazur: when regulators make simple things complicated
What the last six months have shown is that supervision cannot be treated as a background compliance obligation quietly managed somewhere in a firm’s operational processes.
How unstoppable AI is reshaping UK legal practice
At a time when most technology innovation still flows from the US and China, UK lawtech is attracting growing international attention and capital.
