Litigation/Dispute Resolution

The High Court has adjourned next week’s trial of a £32m claim against a Manchester law firm because its KC is ill, holding that it would be unfair to force it to proceed with junior counsel.

The number of new claims issued in the Commercial Court last year fell to the lowest figure in over a decade, new research has revealed.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has opened dozens of investigations into law firms in relation to their conduct of volume litigation. Between them, they handle more than 150,000 claims.

The first opt-out collective action decided by the Competition Appeal Tribunal yesterday went against the claimant acting on behalf of 3.8m customers of communications giant BT.

Law firms lining up claims for motor finance mis-selling have had a busy week, with significant court rulings and a Financial Conduct Authority announcement.

Law firms need to be careful in marketing their services as ‘no win, no fee’, and in how they attract clients, especially in high-volume claims work, the SRA told solicitors today.

A judge has refused a lender’s application for summary judgment against a law firm in a case involving an “imposter who appears to have fraudulently deceived” both of them.

Few costs lawyers have seen a reduction in disputes between solicitors and their clients despite 2022’s Court of Appeal ruling in Belsner, their representative body has reported.

The High Court has rejected the evidence of an expert witness who had “little or no regard” to the Civil Procedure Rules and was “prepared materially to mislead the court”.

The Supreme Court has granted permission to appeal the Court of Appeal decision on motor finance commissions, acceding to calls for a quick decision.