Procedure
UK leads the way as class actions surge across Europe
A record number of class actions has been filed across Europe in recent years, with more than half of them brought in the UK, with bespoke procedures and more active claimant law firms key drivers.
High Court rejects challenge to supervising solicitor’s independence
The High Court has rejected a bid to remove a supervising solicitor overseeing a search order on the grounds that his previous instruction by the same law firm raised questions about his independence.
Binding arbitration to settle Covid commercial rent disputes
The government is to introduce mandatory, binding arbitration to settle disputes between landlords and businesses struggling to pay their rent because of the pandemic.
Medical agency admin fee “not recoverable” as part of fixed costs
Defendant solicitors have welcomed a ruling that medical agency costs beyond the cost of the actual report are irrecoverable under the fixed-costs regime.
National Archives to centralise publication of important judgments
Access to important court and tribunal judgments is to be centralised at the National Archives, which the Ministry of Justice said would increase transparency and secure free access for all.
Motor insurance market enjoys profitable year – but losses to return
The Covid-related drop in vehicle use and motor claims meant the motor insurance market recorded its best underwriting profit last year since records began, according to EY.
Law firm competition sharpens design focus on spinal injuries
An innovative wheelchair wheel design has won a competition run by London law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp to raise awareness of the day-to-day challenges facing people with spinal cord injuries.
Statistics regulator rebukes MoJ over figures used to justify JR reform
The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has rebuked the Ministry of Justice and the Faulks review of administrative law for issuing “overly simplistic” figures to support the case for reform of judicial review.
Tribunal judges found it “difficult to communicate” at video hearings
A major report on the impact of the pandemic on the tribunal service has found that almost a third of judges found it “difficult to communicate” at video hearings in the first few months.
Small claims court delays continue to increase
Delays in cases going through the civil court continued to rise in the first quarter of 2021, throwing a potentially huge spanner in the works of the whiplash reforms.
Blog
Malleable memory and the reliability of witness evidence in a digital age
For some years, judges have treated witness evidence as less reliable than contemporaneous documents. But is this an issue solely with witness evidence or do those assessing it play a part?
