Litigation/Dispute Resolution
The drama is over – no Mazur appeal
The Law Society has decided against trying to appeal last month’s Court of Appeal ruling in Mazur, it has confirmed to Legal Futures.
Judge warns PI firms of SRA referrals over damages deductions
Personal injury solicitors who jack up their base costs to ensure they always hit the 25% cap on deductions from damages risk referral to the SRA, a senior district judge has warned.
Government eyes consumer class actions regime
The Law Commission has launched a new project to consider whether a consumer class action regime should be introduced.
Solicitor builds AI adversary designed to dismantle legal arguments
A solicitor who knows how to code has created an AI adversary that stress-tests legal arguments before they are tried in court.
Collective action “more for benefit of lawyers and funders”
Judges have refused to grant a collective proceedings order over an alleged salmon production cartel because it appears more for the benefit of lawyers and funders than consumers.
High Court broadens scope of legal advice privilege
The High Court has widened legal advice privilege to all internal documents created by the client where the dominant purpose is to seek legal advice, even if they would not actually be sent to a lawyer.
Prison sentence for former executor who refused law firm’s requests
The High Court has imposed a suspended prison sentence on a former executor who failed to comply with court orders by not providing information to a law firm.
Declarations on AI in witness statements “would reduce efficiency”
Making litigators declare that they did not use AI in preparing witness statements would “reduce the efficiency that AI has introduced in certain tasks”, says APIL.
Law Society trains focus on SRA for Mazur supervision guidance
The Law Society has put the focus on the SRA to give the profession guidance on what amounts to supervision following the Mazur ruling.
Top City firm ordered to pay wasted costs over instruction error
A leading City law firm has been ordered to pay wasted costs in a maritime matter because it wrongly told the defendants that it was instructed by the claimant’s insurer.
Claimants can have two law firms for £85m Vodafone claim
A High Court judge has agreed to let 62 former Vodafone franchisees be represented by two law firms in their £85m claim against the mobile phone company.
Mazur: Law Society still mulling appeal as SRA reviews investigations
The Law Society has yet to decide whether to appeal last week’s Mazur ruling, while the SRA is reviewing investigations that followed the High Court ruling.
Judge: Unqualified agency advocates “risk undermining legal system”
The use of unqualified advocates by agencies has “the potential to undermine the integrity of the legal system”, a judge has ruled.
Solicitor develops free software to organise court bundles
A City solicitor has invented free software that aims to make producing PDF court bundles hassle-free for lawyers and litigants in person alike.
Cockerill: Costs budgeting ‘lite’ pilots set for expansion
The costs budgeting ‘lite’ pilots have proven popular with both judges and users in their first year, and are likely to be expanded, the Deputy Head of Civil Justice has revealed.
Blog
A letter from the SRA? Your first reaction matters
An email from the SRA has a way of rearranging a working day. It arrives in the same inbox as everything else, often in the same measured tone, yet it carries a different weight.
Regulate sole practices on evidence, not turnover
For a sole practice, the SRA’s plan that I cannot hold a compliance role if my firm has more than £600,000 of turnover is not a measure of risk. It is a ceiling on growth.
Is Google becoming pay-to-play for law firms?
For years, law firms have been told that SEO is the long-term alternative to paying for every click. That principle hasn’t disappeared but search results have changed significantly.
Reports
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