Litigation/Dispute Resolution
Judge deprecates LiPs for impugning opposing lawyers’ integrity
The High Court has sharply criticised two litigants in person for making “baseless accusations” that impugned the integrity of their opponent’s legal team.
Litigators given deadline to issue and avoid new fixed costs
Civil litigators will have until 29 September to issue claims if they want to avoid the new fixed recoverable costs but personal injury lawyers will not face a similar rush.
Firm rejects High Court criticism of partners’ “unreliable” evidence
Anglo-Scottish firm Shepherd & Wedderburn has rejected criticism made by a High Court judge of its managing partner and a litigation partner.
Litigation funder records 261% return on Comet liquidator case
A listed litigation funder has announced a £12m profit on a £4.5m investment in the litigation that followed the collapse of electronics retailer Comet.
Law Commission widens planned discrimination ban in arbitration
The Law Commission has suggested widening its proposed ban on discrimination in arbitration from the appointment of arbitrators to the conduct of the arbitration generally.
Court “wrong” to strike out small claim where party was absent but represented
The lower courts were wrong to strike out a small claim where the claimant failed to attend the trial personally but was represented by a lawyer, the Court of Appeal has held.
Completion of court modernisation programme pushed back again
Completion of the court modernisation programme has been pushed back again, this time to March 2024, it has emerged – in a blog, rather than a Ministry of Justice annoucement.
Reserved activities set to stay as they are for now
A full review of the reserved legal activities is not justified at the moment without a “fundamental” reappraisal of the Legal Services Act too, the Legal Services Board has concluded.
Negligence claim over law firm’s ground rent advice dismissed
A circuit judge has dismissed a negligence claim over a London law firm’s alleged failure to give a client proper advice on a how much the ground rent would increase under a lease.
CA: Barrister’s conduct of own litigation “not a private matter”
A High Court judge was right to hold that a barrister’s conduct of litigation in her own right was not a private matter beyond the Bar Standards Board’s reach, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
Soaring insolvencies boost litigation funder to record year
Listed insolvency litigation funder Manolete Partners has enjoyed a record year so far as the number of insolvencies in the UK soars, with more new cases than ever before.
Law Society calls in leading figures to support ’21st century justice’ project
The Law Society has pulled together figures from law firms, technology, NGOs and business to support a project looking at how the justice system can be made “fit for the future”.
Unregulated paralegal firm “conducted litigation” in possession claim
A CILEX member running an unregulated business conducted litigation in breach of the Legal Services Act 2007 when she acted on a possession claim, the High Court has ruled.
Government decides to sign Singapore mediation convention
The government has decided that the UK should join the Singapore Convention, which provides a framework for international recognition and enforcement of commercial mediation agreements.
Bellamy declines opportunity to back fixed costs uprating
Justice minister Lord Bellamy has refused to commit to regularly uprating the new or existing fixed recoverable costs by inflation.
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.
