Litigation/Dispute Resolution
Litigation funder reveals 635% return on £4.8m investment
A litigation funder has reported a 635% return on one investment, while the leading insolvency litigation funder says it is coming out of a Covid-related slump despite a £4m annual loss.
Parties to pay indemnity costs after reneging on mediated settlement
Defendants that reneged on a settlement agreement reached after mediation have been ordered to pay indemnity costs for the subsequent period, including the trial they lost.
Council apologises for press release breaching judgment embargo
A local authority that sent out an embargoed press release about a High Court ruling that had not yet been handed down has apologised to the judge.
MR: Regulators and courts need to control use of ChatGPT in litigation
Legal regulators and the courts may need to control whether and how lawyers can use AI systems like ChatGPT in litigation, the Master of the Rolls has said.
High Court: Letter asserting solicitor’s lien was not defamatory
The High Court has thrown out a defamation claim over a letter sent by one law firm to another asserting a solicitor’s lien over £100,000 of any damages awarded to its former clients.
Appeal judges uphold law firm’s entitlement to £300,000 fixed fee
The Court of Appeal has upheld an award of £300,000 to a small central London law firm owed under a retainer which the client had claimed was not payable.
SLAPPs reform to remove costs risk from defending claims
The government looks set to remove the costs risk from defending cases found to be SLAPPs and will in time extend the curbs it announced on Tuesday beyond economic crime.
Government finally unveils laws to clamp down on SLAPPs
The government is to define in law what a SLAPP is in relation to economic crime and require claimants to prove it has a reasonable chance of success to advance it in court.
Online rule committee gears up for work – but where to begin?
The Online Procedure Rule Committee is finally up and running and due to meet this month – although the specific areas of litigation where it will initially focus are not yet known.
Court rejects solicitor’s appeal after libel claim is thrown out
A High Court judge has dismissed an appeal by a solicitor who launched a £10,000 libel claim over an online review, citing her “longstanding and reprehensible” rule breaches.
Supreme Court will not hear appeal on largest-ever group action
The Supreme Court has refused mining giant BHP permission to appeal the Court of Appeal’s decision allowing the largest group action ever to go ahead.
Law firm had “every right” to terminate retainer, judge rules
A law firm had “every right” to terminate its retainer with a clinical negligence client when presented with evidence from the defendant that she had lied about the severity of her symptoms.
MR on fixed costs extension: “I hope it works”
The Master of the Rolls has said he believes the extension of fixed recoverable costs (FRCs) to many cases worth up to £100,000 in October is “a good thing” and “I hope it works”.
Claim against law firm lost by court can proceed, appeal judges rule
A claim against a law firm thrown out for being served too late can now proceed after the Court of Appeal held that the claim form was sealed with the wrong date.
“About time” – Post Office replaces HSF as Horizon inquiry lawyers
The Post Office has replaced City giant Herbert Smith Freehills as its solicitors for the ongoing Horizon IT Inquiry, it announced yesterday, a move observers suggested was overdue.
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.
