Litigation/Dispute Resolution
Listed litigation funder goes into run-off after string of losses
An AIM-listed litigation funder that has lost seven of its last eight cases and recorded an £87m loss in its last financial year has entered into an “orderly run-off”.
Birss eyes page limit for litigants in person to state their case
A strict page limit on outlining the case would help judges struggling to cope with litigants in person using AI to draft their claims, the incoming Master of the Rolls has suggested.
Without-notice application was “not fairly presented” to judge
The High Court has set aside a decision to add a defendant and serve them out of the jurisdiction after finding the case was “not fairly presented” to the judge.
First pilots under Online Procedure Rules go live
The first pilots under the Online Procedure Rules went live yesterday, covering digital possession claims in three county courts.
Judge allows counsel to record and transcribe proceedings
The Crown Court has allowed six barristers to record proceedings instead of taking manual notes, recognising that the move is “something of a leap into uncharted territory”.
CAT bets on £25 payout appealing to car delivery class members
Payouts from the car delivery charges collective action will start at £25, with consumers and businesses set to receive up to £56m of the £93m total settlement.
Pogust Goodhead to change name as founder blasts case against clients
Class action law firm Pogust Goodhead is to change its name after Harris Pogust demanded it do so and Thomas Goodhead turned up on the other side of its landmark Mariana Dam case.
Client must pay solicitor £9,500 over defamatory Google review
The High Court has ordered a former client to pay a solicitor £9,500 for posting a defamatory review on Google describing him as “a fraudster” who “rips you off”.
Law societies oppose SRA’s new litigation funding rules
The national Law Society and Birmingham Law Society have argued against SRA plans for law firms which use litigation funding – but the Legal Services Consumer Panel is a big fan.
CA urges solicitors to reveal ATE commissions to clients
It would be “unwise” for solicitors not to reply to questions from clients about whether they had paid commissions to after-the-event providers, the Court of Appeal has warned.
Groundbreaking research finds 31,000 expert witnesses working in UK
There are an estimated 31,000 people in the UK carrying out expert witness work – 7,500 on a regular basis – and many are making a decent living from it.
Judge issues AI warning to LiPs after 300-page ‘skeleton’
A judge has warned litigants in person that, like lawyers, they need to take personal responsibility for the use of AI in drafting court documents.
Birss outlines benefits of new Business & Property Division
Creation of the Business and Property Division next month will provide a larger pool of judges and “opportunities to look at how we do things”.
Law firm’s negligence did not cause investor client’s loss
A law firm was negligent in its advice on one aspect of the purchase of investment property but this was not the cause of the client’s loss.
Look who’s back – Goodhead returns to challenge ex-firm
Tom Goodhead, who was ousted last year as the boss of Pogust Goodhead, is leading efforts to wrestle control of the case away from it, he confirmed yesterday.
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
Associates
