Litigation/Dispute Resolution
US private equity funds “will buy large UK law firms next year”
A number of large UK commercial law firms will fall into the hands of US private equity investors next year, the founder of Doorway Capital, which owns national firm Simpson Millar, has predicted.
“Abusive” to bring minor data breach claim in High Court
A master has labelled as “a form of procedural abuse” a bid to bring a data breach claim in the High Court where the “very modest” damages would be dwarfed by costs of £50,000.
CJC backs new pre-action protocols and ‘good faith obligation’
The Civil Justice Council has set out a shopping list of potential changes to pre-action protocols (PAPs), including a summary costs procedure and new PAPs.
Director “had no standing” to challenge assignment to litigation funder
A company director had no standing to challenge an insolvency practitioner’s assignment of a claim against her parents to a litigation funder, the High Court has ruled.
CA: Lawyers can be cross-examined in wasted costs applications
Judges have the power to direct cross-examination of a lawyer against whom a wasted costs order is sought, but it should be “very much the exception”, the Court of Appeal said yesterday.
Vos unveils group to help steer civil justice system into the future
The Master of the Rolls has named legal futurist Professor Richard Susskind as chair of a new high-powered group tasked with drawing a road-map for the civil justice system through the 2020s.
Supreme Court strikes down £3bn Google data protection claim
The Supreme Court has blocked a £3bn representative action for misuse of private data by Google that did not seek to prove that consumers had actually suffered any damage.
High Court rejects attempt to block claims against lawyers
The High Court has refused to make an order to prevent future claims on a law firm’s fees that claimants may argue came from stolen funds.
Trust in English solicitor “no reason to ignore” Scottish appeal routes
The Court of Appeal has refused to hear an appeal from the Upper Tribunal Tribunal in Glasgow which would have allowed the appellant to keep using his English solicitor.
Toning down the theatrics: Barristers “less aggressive” in remote hearings
A significant number of expert witnesses who have been appeared in court remotely over the past 18 months say barristers have been “less aggressive” in their cross-examination.
Blog
The SRA’s client money reforms: good intentions, questionable execution
On the face of it, the SRA’s plans to tighten protections around client money sounds sensible. The detail, as ever, tells a more complicated story.
Recruitment, retention and reward in the legal accounts world
Understanding the legal finance market is important – not just for those actively involved in it day-to-day but also for leaders within law firms.
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.
