Litigation/Dispute Resolution

Immigration and civil litigation were the two areas of legal practice hit hardest by the pandemic last year, with private client and family law “insulated” from the impact, new research has found.

A judge has rejected a recusal application on the grounds of apparent bias made after two barristers withdrew at the last minute from a hearing and complained about his conduct of the case.

A representative action has been launched against IP law firm Marks & Clerk alleging that it “grossly overcharged” thousands of SMEs through a “secret commissions scheme” with CPA Global.

Rethinking the home-buying process – including bringing an end to caveat emptor – and putting digital justice on a firm footing are among projects being considered by the Law Commission.

The High Court has dismissed a council’s objection to the mother of a child with special educational needs bringing a lawyer with them to a mediation, saying it was none of their business.

Not all mistakes made by solicitors are professional misconduct, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has ruled in dismissing allegations that an assistant misled the court.

Legal advice privilege extends to communications with foreign lawyers working in-house even if they are not recognised or regulated as “professional lawyers”, the High Court has ruled.

The Law Society has spoken out against a government clarification sought by Bar Council that means anyone self-isolating after returning from abroad can break quarantine to attend court.

A former equity partner in a two-partner North-East law firm faces a claim to repay his overdrawn director’s loan account of nearly £230,000 as the fall-out from its acrimonious split continues.

The company formerly known as Quindell has served a £63m claim against accountancy firm PwC for allegedly using confidential information to reduce the amount Slater & Gordon paid.

A law firm had to begin legal action to force a partner who had decided to leave to return the files she took home to work on during lockdown, it has emerged.

The president of the Queen’s Bench Division has strongly criticised lawyers at US firm McDermott Will & Emery after they allowed a trial to be live-streamed to observers without the court’s permission.

MPs have today launched an inquiry to investigate delays in the court system and what should be done to clear the backlog of cases amid concerns in particular for the criminal courts.

Video manipulation software, including ‘deepfake’ technology, poses problems for remote courts in verifying evidence and that litigants or witnesses are who they say they are, a report has warned.

The Lord Chancellor has dropped a widely criticised plan to replace juries in some trials with a judge and two magistrates, while the head of HMCTS said the pandemic has “proved the case” for court reform.