Litigation/Dispute Resolution
County court has “borne brunt” of court reform failure
The county court has “borne the brunt” of the failure of the court modernisation programme to deliver, a former adviser to the Ministry of Justice has said.
Rising insolvency numbers translate to case records at listed funder
Business is booming at listed insolvency litigation funder Manolete on the back of the highest level of UK insolvencies for 30 years, with a record 418 live cases on its books.
Innovate UK backs law firm’s AI partnership with university
The tech subsidiary of defendant law firm HF and Salford University have launched a partnership to build an AI product which aims to transform claims handling.
SRA issues warnings over conduct of volume consumer claims
Law firms handling bulk financial product mis-selling claims have been warned about their conduct of cases by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Law firm awarded indemnity costs over struck-out negligence claim
The High Court has struck out a negligence claim against a London law firm because the claimant failed to attend court or serve any witness evidence.
Saudi claim dismissed after solicitors withdraw over unpaid fees
The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal brought by embassy of Saudi Arabia because of non-appearance at the hearing, after its solicitors withdrew due to unpaid fees.
Court allows firm to take £386k in fees from frozen client account
A law firm can be paid from monies held in its client account despite them being subject to both a freezing order and a third-party debt order, the High Court has ruled.
Ministers hold fire over retrospective effect of litigation funding bill
The government is still considering concerns expressed about the retrospective effect of the bill to overturn last year’s Supreme Court ruling in PACCAR, a minister said yesterday.
Greener Litigation launches toolkit to drive “cultural change”
Greener Litigation, an initiative to help reduce the environmental impact of dispute resolution, has launched a toolkit as part of its push for further “cultural change”.
Judges praises use of junior counsel in major film tax scheme case
A judge has expressed his “delight” that all the leading counsel in a major claim brought by investors in a failed film tax scheme delegated significant portions of the oral advocacy to their juniors.
Watchstone pays out £5.3m in legal fees after failed S&G claim
Watchstone – the company once known as Quindell – has paid out £5.3m in legal costs in large part due to its failed claim over Slater & Gordon’s acquisition of Quindell’s legal division.
Judge strikes out £68m negligence claim against law firm
A High Court judge has struck out a £68m negligence claim against a law firm brought by companies in liquidation as a result of failed property development schemes.
Senior judiciary “inadequately resourced to deliver leadership”
The senior judiciary is “inadequately resourced and supported” to deliver the leadership functions they are responsible for, a report for the Nuffield Foundation has found.
CJC unveils members and terms of reference for litigation funding review
A High Court judge and the former principal legal adviser to the Lord Chief Justice have been named as co-chairs of the Civil Justice Council review of third-party litigation funding.
Court delays deterring clients and lawyers from bringing claims
Court delays are deterring people from taking legal action, research for the government has found, with lawyers also worried that clients will blame them for the delays.
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
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