Litigation/Dispute Resolution
Negligence claim against law firm to go ahead after limitation ruling
A negligence claim over inheritance tax advice provided by City law firm Charles Russell Speechlys is to go ahead after the High Court held that it is not time-barred.
Solicitors “went too far” after client was given vulnerability order
Solicitors were wrong to allow a client to see cross-examination questions that had been drafted by the other side under a vulnerable witness order, a High Court judge has held.
Pilot suggests mediation in possession cases unpopular
The government’s tenancy mediation service pilot, which hoped to have 3,000 successful resolutions, ended up with just four, a review published this week has shown.
City firm’s advice to AA boss was negligent but did not cause loss
City law firm Rosenblatt was in breach of duty and negligent in advice it gave to the sacked chairman of the AA but this did not cause him any loss, the High Court has ruled.
Judge inappropriately interrupted cross-examination, CA rules
A judge who interrupted a claimant 52 times during cross-examination acted inappropriately, the Court of Appeal has held. It accepted he was trying to help the claimant.
New funder for public interest cases which “clarify the law”
A new initiative launching next month aims to provide a stream of funding for public interest cases which “clarify the law” and are unsuitable for crowdfunding.
High Court rejects client’s bid to escape £417k payment to City firm
The High Court has rejected the appeal of a former client of a leading City law firm against a decision that he has to pay its outstanding fees of £417,000.
Wikipedia information “undermining quality of judgments”
The widespread use of online source Wikipedia by senior judges could mean fake information spreading, leading to bad judgments, research has warned.
Mediators ready for compulsion as caseload tops pre-Covid level
The number of civil mediations has hit 17,000 a year, 3% higher than the pre-pandemic level, while mediators are ready and willing for mediation to become compulsory for sub-£10,000 cases.
Supreme Court refuses to hear two cases on solicitors’ rights
The Supreme Court has let down both the profession and clients by refusing to hear two cases on solicitors’ rights brought by a specialist London law firm, its managing partner has argued.
Blog
From ‘year zero’ to £6.5m – how a law firm found its second life
In 2018, I hit what I call ‘year zero’. On paper, Olliers Solicitors was a top-tier criminal defence firm but beneath the surface, I could see we were at a crossroads.
Linklaters’ chief growth officer takes the ‘blank sheet’ challenge
In the third and final part of this series, Lucy Murphy, chief growth officer at magic circle firm Linklaters, outlines her vision for the law firm of the future.
The ‘blank sheet’ challenge, part 2 – what would you do differently?
In the second part of this blog series, Shainul Kassam, managing director of small London firm Fortune Law, sets out how she would set up a law firm now.
