Litigation/Dispute Resolution

There is “no need” for stricter regulation of third-party litigation in the EU, an umbrella group of 44 consumer organisations in both Europe and the UK has said.

It was “unacceptable” for lawyers representing the actor Noel Clarke to allege The Guardian newspaper fabricated evidence in defending his libel claim, the High Court has ruled.

The Lady Chief Justice has suggested that a new mediation council should be set up for civil and commercial matters to bolster England and Wales’s status as a leading international mediation centre.

A new group bringing together businesses that fund, litigate, insure and recruit clients, especially to class actions, has been unveiled.

Litigators need to start preparing for a new era of costs budgeting, with three-year simplified pilots set to start in April, the Association of Costs Lawyers has said.

The Arbitration Bill sailed through its second reading in the House of Commons this week, with the government saying the legislation did not need to address arbitral corruption.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has come under fire for closing a complaint about a law firm that represented a Russian warlord without any further action.

The High Court has struck out “abusive, wasteful and meritless litigation” targeted at a direct access barrister, her clerk and her insurer – where the damages claimed ran into 27 figures.

Mastercard will back the man suing it, Walter Merricks, in his dispute with his litigation funder over its proposed settlement with him, which the funder opposes – to the tune of £10m.

A man whose application for permission to bring a judicial review against the Legal Ombudsman was certified as totally without merit has been ordered to pay £10,000 in costs.

A law firm funder with £25m in the market has launched its own alternative business structure focused on consumer claims and also acquired data breach law firm Hayes Connor.

The Competition Appeal Tribunal has refused to certify a £500m collective action because the proposed class representative was insufficiently independent of her solicitors and funder.

The government has applied to intervene in the Supreme Court hearing on motor finance, expressing concern that the Court of Appeal ruling could damage the market.

The justice select committee has launched a new inquiry into the county court, “amid persistent concerns over capacity and resources”, after the previous one was cut short by the election.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has urged law firms to protect themselves from sham litigation, which can be used to bypass anti-money laundering rules.