Litigation/Dispute Resolution
Lawyers and lenders agog as Supreme Court hears motor finance case
All eyes are on the Supreme Court this morning as it begins a three-day hearing on motor finance commissions that could open up or close down a major new source of legal work.
Judge attacks process-driven approach to credit hire claims
A senior district judge has again attacked credit hire claims, as well as a process-driven approach to bringing them, in a case where he awarded £1,200 for a claim valued at £50,200.
Oligarch’s ex-wife drops negligence claim against former solicitors
Top family law firm Payne Hicks Beach has expressed itself “pleased but not surprised” by the decision of a high-profile former client to drop her negligence action against it.
Ex-law firm owner obtains freezing order against successor
The High Court has issued a freezing order against the non-lawyer owner of a law firm the SRA shut down last year, at the behest of the solicitor who sold it to her.
Public would be “shocked” by how credit hire works, says judge
The public would be “shocked” to learn how the credit hire industry operates, a senior district judge has suggested in a case where he had to award £55,000 for an unnecessary 96-day car hire.
SRA: Law firm’s work for warlord was not improper
The SRA yesterday took the unusual step of setting out why it cleared the law firm which acted for Yevgeniy Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group, of misconduct.
Whiplash tariff to rise on 31 May but fixed costs review delayed
The 15% uplift in the fixed fees for whiplash cases will take effect from 31 May, the fourth anniversary of the Official Injury Claim portal, justice minister Sarah Sackman has announced.
MR: “Very disappointing” end to court modernisation programme
The court modernisation project ends this month with the “very disappointing” outcome of only 23% of civil cases being digital end to end, the Master of the Rolls told MPs this week.
KC removed from panel hearing challenge to Scottish Bar rules
A Scottish silk has been removed from a Competition Appeal Tribunal panel set to hear a challenge to the rules of the Faculty of Advocates, the Scottish Bar.
Top family firm “would be prejudiced” by split trial in negligence claim
Top family law firm Payne Hicks Beach would be prejudiced by a split trial in the negligence action brought by the woman who secured the UK’s largest ever divorce award, the High Court has ruled.
Court allows City giant to progress ex-client’s claim on assignment
A major City law firm can continue bringing a case it took on assignment from former clients which could mitigate a possible professional negligence claim.
Litigation funders continue to pour money into market
Money continues to pour into the litigation finance market, with one expecting to treble its investment to £250m in the next two years and another set to launch a $75m fund.
Lawyer groups back stronger regulation of litigation funding
The Law Society, Bar Council, CILEX and the Association of Costs Lawyers have become the latest to call for stronger oversight of third-party litigation funding.
Costs judge allows £700 an hour in biggest departure from guidelines
A costs judge has allowed a leading US law firm to recover partner costs at £700 per hour, said to be the largest ever departure from the guideline hourly rates.
Thousands of privileged documents disclosed in “unprecedented” error
An “extraordinary” and “unprecedented” failure of disclosure that has seen thousands of privileged documents released to the other side has been revealed in the High Court.
Blog
Change in regulator shouldn’t make AML less of a priority
While SRA fines for AML have been climbing, many in the profession aren’t confident they will get any relief from the FCA, a body used to dealing with a highly regulated industry.
There are 17 million wills waiting to be written
The main reason cited by people who do not have a will was a lack of awareness as to how to arrange one. As a professional community, we seem to be failing to get our message across.
The case for a single legal services regulator: why the current system is failing
From catastrophic firm collapses to endemic compliance failures, the evidence is mounting that the current multi-regulator model is fundamentally broken.
