Litigation/Dispute Resolution
Major report rejects regulation of third-party litigation funding
There should only be a move to regulate third-party litigation funding in the event of “an identifiable problem or market failure”, a major report has concluded.
Court orders parties to engage in ADR over costs
A ruling that parties must engage in ADR before their argument over costs can be heard is a landmark that could herald the start of a new era, according to costs lawyers.
High Court orders City litigators to name source of “forged” report
The High Court has ordered a leading City litigation firm to name the source of a potentially forged report produced as part of an arbitration dispute between Russian oligarchs.
Burford doubles funding for cases led by diverse lawyers
Litigation funder Burford Capital has set aside a further $150m (£115m) for cases led by women or ethnic minority lawyers.
Deceased solicitor’s partner told to delete posts attacking executors
The High Court has ordered the partner of a leading Birmingham solicitor, who died at the end of last year, to remove social media posts accusing his executors of misconduct.
Service failure dooms negligence claim against law firm
The High Court has thrown out a professional negligence action against a City law firm because of the claimant’s failure to serve the particulars of claim in time.
Court criticises solicitor in relationship with client for work on her claim
The High Court has criticised a “seriously mistaken” senior solicitor for leading on a £1.3m claim against another law firm when he was in a romantic relationship with the claimant.
CA rejects public access barristers’ bid for outstanding fees
The Court of Appeal has rejected a bid by two public access barristers to be paid nearly £125,000 in fees after the lower courts found a key term in their retainers unfair.
Court of Appeal blocks solicitors from reopening PPI claims
The Court of Appeal yesterday closed off claimant solicitors’ hopes of reopening payment protection insurance claims which they allege were undersettled.
Major chambers has suffered £2.75m theft, High Court reveals
A former credit control manager at a major London chambers has admitted to stealing £2.75m from the set over the past five years, it emerged in the High Court yesterday.
High Court criticises “disorganised and unhelpful” solicitor
The High Court has criticised a solicitor’s “disorganised and unhelpful” conduct of a claim in refusing to set aside an order that his client’s costs budget be limited to the court fees.
Birss: Costs budgeting-lite and GHR for counsel on their way
The next steps to implement the Civil Justice Council’s 2023 costs review are underway, although it is not yet certain how far the guideline hourly rates will be extended to counsel.
CMC partners with university to pioneer housing disrepair app
A claims management company has worked with Salford University to launch an app, backed by artificial intelligence, that identifies housing disrepair.
Hoffman: What more could we have done in Nigeria fraud case?
The former law lord who presided over the arbitration whose $11bn award was later found to have been obtained by fraud has said there was nothing the panel could have done differently.
Judge refuses to point finger at solicitor over witness statement failure
Another party has fallen victim to the rules on witness statements, but the High Court has declined to order their solicitor to explain how the failure to comply came about.
Blog
It’s time for law firms to ask tougher questions
For years, many law firms have treated ID verification as a box-ticking exercise. Run a liveness check, match a face to a document and move on. But that is no longer good enough.
Business fatigue to AI will risk job security
Whilst we know professional learning has always been part of career paths, to hire, retain and keep talent, AI needs to be embedded as a core part of this training.
On good authority? GenAI and the reputational risks to law firms
As GenAI’s influence grows, so do the risks which are already playing out in courtrooms across England and Wales, where some early adopters are setting precedents they would rather not.
