Litigation/Dispute Resolution
Top judge asks: Why don’t litigators know how much a case will cost?
Litigators should know how much any case is going to cost before they even begin the process of budgeting, Sir Colin Birss, the deputy head of civil justice, has argued.
Judge’s “dismay” at conduct of High Court claim
A High Court judge has expressed her “dismay” that there was no pre-trial review in a case that was discontinued on day four of a trial that had been listed several months earlier.
Ex-solicitor “tried to fraudulently extract money” from escrow account
A disgraced struck-off solicitor has made a “concerted effort” to fraudulently obtain judgment from two courts in a bid to extract money to which he is not entitled, a court has ruled.
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”.











