Litigation/Dispute Resolution
Court refuses to grant law firm injunction against departed solicitor
The High Court has refused to grant a law firm an injunction to prevent a departing solicitor from trying to entice any of its clients away for two years.
Contractor claims specialist ABS aims to “open floodgates”
The legal director of a new ABS specialising in cases for people classed as contractors says he hopes litigation brought by the firm in the next few months will “open the floodgates” to more claims.
Much still to do, but little money left: MPs savage court modernisation
HM Courts & Tribunals Service has “burned through” almost all of the budget for the court modernisation programme with almost half of it as yet incomplete, MPs have found.
High Court boost for costs lawyers as new way to qualify goes live
The first course offering the new way to qualify as a costs lawyer has begun admitting students in the wake of comments from a High Court master praising the contribution of costs lawyers.
SRA’s unlimited fining power will apply to SLAPPs, minister confirms
A new power for the Solicitors Regulation Authority to levy unlimited fines in cases of economic crime will extend to SLAPPs, the government has confirmed.
Different rules on draft judgment embargoes “totally unacceptable”
The “inexplicable differences” in the embargo rules for draft rulings in the King’s Bench Division, Family Division and Crown Court are “completely unacceptable”, a High Court judge has said.
Court fines US lawyers who cited fake cases produced by ChatGPT
Two lawyers who unwittingly submitted fake cases generated by ChatGPT to support their claim have been fined by a New York court because they “abandoned their responsibilities”.
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.
Blog
Why good governance matters when managing Law Society forms
Everyday legal transactions rely on Law Society forms. But they are often treated as static templates rather than what they really are: living documents that change over time.
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.
Reports
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