Litigation/Dispute Resolution
Judge refers barrister to BSB and ‘legal consultant’ for contempt
The High Court has referred a barrister and his chambers to the Bar Standards Board over their involvement in litigation run by a legal consultant it employs.
Menon contempt hearing stayed for jurisdiction challenge
The Court of Appeal has stayed the contempt hearing against KC Rajiv Menon so that the High Court can decide his challenge to its jurisdiction to hold it.
Civil and criminal courts put focus on witnesses’ use of AI
The CJC is to continue exploring “proportionate transparency” on the use of AI in preparing witness statements as the Court of Appeal recommends a similar investigation for criminal cases.
Claimant cannot rely on document solicitor disclosed by error
A libel claimant cannot rely on a document inadvertently disclosed by the defendant’s solicitor in “an absolutely paradigm case of a clear and obvious mistake”.
Angry family member in contempt for threatening probate solicitors
A man who threatened to “beat the shit” out of solicitors who acted as administrators of his aunt’s will has been found in contempt of court by the High Court.
Pressure on law firms as car finance litigation funder goes down
A litigation funder which specialised in car finance claims has gone into administration because of delays in progressing cases, with its latest accounts showing outstanding loans of £249m.
CA condemns sting that saw solicitor disclose privileged information
The Court of Appeal has strongly condemned ‘privilege hunting’ – illicit methods to obtain information from litigation opponents – in a case where a law firm partner was successfully duped.
$74m law firm negligence claim thrown out after service failure
The London arm of a leading US law firm has been granted summary judgment against a $74m negligence claim because it was brought out of time.
Law firm in dock for running cases using “fraudulent” documents
A judge has expressed deep concern about how an East London law firm has run immigration cases, with multiple clients relying on materially similar documents.
Government set to allow DBAs in opt-out collective actions
The government has proposed lifting the ban on the use of damages-based agreements to fund opt-out collective actions.
Academic shares vision for creating access to justice
A prominent barrister and academic has put forward plans to create two new institutes to help remove the barriers that prevent 3.5m people each year from accessing legal support.
CAT hits out at “unhelpful and misleading” Pogust Goodhead
Pogust Goodhead was “unhelpful, uncooperative, deliberately obfuscatory and misleading” by not revealing its client’s litigation funding problems for three years, the CAT has ruled.
Appeal in offing after Dieselgate ruling goes largely for car makers
There is a “compelling case” for an appeal, claimant lawyers have said, after the High Court’s liability ruling in the Dieselgate litigation largely went in favour of car manufacturers.
CPS admits putting hallucinated cases before High Court
The Crown Prosecution Service put hallucinated cases produced by artificial intelligence before the High Court in an extradition appeal, it has admitted.
SRA outlines specific regulation for law firms using litigation funding
Law firms arranging or using third-party litigation funding for consumer claims will have to tell the SRA about it, under plans unveiled today.
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.
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