Litigation/Dispute Resolution

Shares in specialist insolvency litigation funder Manolete Partners slumped by 15% on Friday in the wake of a “rare” adverse High Court ruling and concerns over the wider economy.

A law firm being sued by for negligence cannot use its lien over a file for unpaid fees to overcome its obligation to disclose the file to its former client, the High Court has ruled.

Leading law firm Irwin Mitchell was not under a duty to advise a prospective client to notify their travel agent about an accident on holiday until the retainer was signed, the High Court has ruled.

The time between issue and trial for fast- and multi-track claims has hit 75 weeks, the longest this century, according to government figures published yesterday.

A party that needed specialist intellectual property advice was justified in using lawyers who charged significantly above the guideline hourly rates, the High Court has decided.

The High Court has refused a leading law firm an injunction to stop an opposing party making a use of a document it disclosed by mistake that cast doubt on an expert’s independence.

The High Court has struck out a “vexatious” and “abusive” fraud claim by a litigant in person, seeking £160,000 in damages from a solicitor over a 17-year-old property dispute.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to issue guidance on when litigators are allowed to label letters as ‘private and confidential’ and/or ‘without prejudice’.

The High Court has thrown out a negligence claim for almost £1.3m served on a City law firm after the time limit for service had expired.

The first transcription tool specifically designed for witness statements has been launched this summer, after the AI was trained to cope with legal language such as “my learned friend”.