Litigation/Dispute Resolution


Half of expert witnesses would reject “highly contentious” cases

9 November 2022

Half of expert witnesses would refuse to act in “highly contentious” matters, such as those involving transgender issues, a survey has found.


Birss: Why can’t costs budgets be based on solicitors’ estimates?

8 November 2022

The estimates solicitors are required by their professional rules to give to clients should form the basis of costs budgets, the deputy head of civil justice has argued.


Insurer attitudes forcing more companies to sue for payouts

7 November 2022

Companies are three times more likely to have to sue their insurers for not paying out a claim than they were just five years ago, ground-breaking research has found.


MPs call for single portal for public access to courts

1 November 2022

HMCTS should develop a single digital portal where the public and media can access “full information on court proceedings, court documents and any other relevant information”, MPs said today.


Barrister’s app shuns AI in favour of human collaboration

31 October 2022

A commercial barrister has designed an app designed to involve everybody in a complex case so they can work collaboratively on a single document from start to finish.


Checkmylegalfees comes out fighting after Court of Appeal criticism

28 October 2022

Checkmylegalfees came out fighting yesterday in the wake of the Court of Appeal’s criticism of its business model, pledging to keep on “holding solicitors to account”.


Vos signals end of court challenges to deductions from PI damages

27 October 2022

The possible end of court challenges to solicitors’ deductions from damages and reform of how bills are assessed are the headlines from today’s Court of Appeal ruling in Belsner.


High Court denies rights of audience to disbarred barrister

27 October 2022

The High Court has denied rights of audience to a disbarred barrister jailed for a bomb hoax at the London Olympics, which would have allowed him to represent a prisoner in habeas corpus proceedings.


Top US trial lawyer teams up with barristers to target group actions

19 October 2022

Two barristers have joined forces with a top American civil trial lawyer to launch a group action law firm that aims to replicate his success in the US over here.


Senior Costs Judge: Break the link between case and costs management

10 October 2022

Case and costs management should be separated, and costs judges tasked with setting the budget and also summarily assessing incurred costs, the Senior Costs Judge has suggested.


City solicitor avoids jail after criminal contempt finding

7 October 2022

A senior City partner who told a client to “burn” a private messaging app after it was served with a search order has avoided jail for criminal contempt of court, in part because of the impact on his career.


The driving forces behind the class action revolution: setting the industry in motion

29 September 2022

Jen Dickson explores the explosion of class actions in the UK, looking at it from all angles to discuss the key factors that have built the market up to reach record levels of activity


Solicitor’s libel defence struck out for “persistent failure to engage”

27 September 2022

A High Court judge has struck out a solicitor’s defence to a libel claim following a “persistent failure to engage” with the litigation.


Law Commission seeks ban on discrimination in appointing arbitrators

22 September 2022

Arbitration agreements requiring that the arbitrator be a “commercial man” or otherwise specifying a protected characteristic will be unenforceable under Law Commission proposals published today.


Claimant to pay indemnity costs after latest witness statement failure

21 September 2022

The High Court has ordered a claimant who seriously breached the rules on witness statements to pay indemnity costs, having exacerbated the situation by dismissing the defendant’s concerns.

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Blog


From ‘year zero’ to £6.5m – how a law firm found its second life

In 2018, I hit what I call ‘year zero’. On paper, Olliers Solicitors was a top-tier criminal defence firm but beneath the surface, I could see we were at a crossroads.


Linklaters’ chief growth officer takes the ‘blank sheet’ challenge

In the third and final part of this series, Lucy Murphy, chief growth officer at magic circle firm Linklaters, outlines her vision for the law firm of the future.


The ‘blank sheet’ challenge, part 2 – what would you do differently?

In the second part of this blog series, Shainul Kassam, managing director of small London firm Fortune Law, sets out how she would set up a law firm now.