Litigation/Dispute Resolution
High Court rejects law firm’s appeal over “warehousing” claim
The High Court has rejected an appeal by a former law firm whose counterclaim was struck out on the grounds of abuse of process by “warehousing”.
LeO names firms “in public interest” as it publishes first full decisions
The Legal Ombudsman has published three of its final decisions in full for the first time, including the names of the firms involved, arguing that the move increases transparency.
Senior lawyer “should decide if Post Office compensation is full and fair”
A senior lawyer should be appointed to make sure that first compensation offers to victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal are “full and fair”, the first part of the inquiry report has recommended.
Government backs MP’s bill to extend use of remote hearings
The government has given its “wholehearted support” to a private member’s bill that gives judges the power to hold remote hearing for breaches of some injunctions.
Rule change to stop solicitors “unreasonably refusing” service by email
Parties or their solicitors “unreasonably refusing to accept electronic service” could become a tactic of the past under reforms put out by the CPRC.
Court of Appeal upholds post-PACCAR litigation funding deals
The Court of Appeal has upheld as enforceable litigation funding agreements which calculate funders’ return as a multiple of their investment, rather than a percentage of damages.
Automated small claims platform secures £550,000 in funding
An automated platform which uses generative AI to “hold the hand” of customers throughout the small claims process has secured £550,000 in its second funding round.
Solicitor facing tax fraud trial fails in privilege claim over seized material
A solicitor facing trial for tax fraud has failed in his claim that HM Revenue & Customs should return materials it seized from him because they are privileged.
Relief for litigation funders after US tax on proceeds is axed
Litigation funders are breathing a big sigh of relief after a proposed 32% tax on proceeds from successful cases was removed from President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Lawyers criticised for injunction application against general counsel
The High Court has criticised lawyers who unnecessarily brought a without-notice application against an in-house solicitor and then did not present the case in a “fair and even-handed manner”.
Solicitors should include LEI in initial conversations with clients
Legal expenses insurance “should always be included in the initial conversation” between solicitor and client, the Law Society has said.
Judge criticises NHS trust for not explaining why it ignored ADR bid
A King’s Bench master has ordered an NHS trust to comply with a requirement that it provide a witness statement explaining why it had not engaged with proposed ADR.
Bank sues law firm for deluge of “poor-quality” mis-selling claims
A law firm that specialises in financial mis-selling is facing a novel claim of causing loss by unlawful means through deluging a bank with allegedly poor-quality cases.
Law Society calls for “one-stop shop” AI platform for civil justice
The Law Society has called for the creation of a “one-stop shop” platform, backed by AI, to act as a single point of entry to the civil justice system.
Mediation platform offers warring parties £25 chatbot service
A joint venture between a well-established UK mediation firm and a US-based online dispute resolution provider is offering individuals and SMEs a chatbot-based service for only £25 each.
Blog
Change in regulator shouldn’t make AML less of a priority
While SRA fines for AML have been climbing, many in the profession aren’t confident they will get any relief from the FCA, a body used to dealing with a highly regulated industry.
There are 17 million wills waiting to be written
The main reason cited by people who do not have a will was a lack of awareness as to how to arrange one. As a professional community, we seem to be failing to get our message across.
The case for a single legal services regulator: why the current system is failing
From catastrophic firm collapses to endemic compliance failures, the evidence is mounting that the current multi-regulator model is fundamentally broken.
