header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us
26 July 2024 / Charlotte Hill
Issue: 8081 / Categories: Features , Profession
printer mail-detail

Class actions: All for one…

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.
183106
Charlotte Hill provides an update on the pivotal role of group litigation in the English legal landscape
  • Presents a history of the evolution of group litigation in England, and outlines the three current regimes.

Group litigation plays a pivotal role in the English legal landscape. While traditionally associated with US legal procedures, group litigation (also known as class actions) have gained prominence across Europe and in the UK in recent years. Available in English courts for over a century, they form an integral part of modern English civil procedure. The increasing trend in group litigation can be attributed to factors such as access to third-party litigation funding and technological advancements, underscoring the evolution and acceptance of this practice in the UK.

Evolution of group litigation

While we have seen a large increase in the use of group litigation over recent years, this is not a novel concept for the English justice system. As far back as 1893, the Rules of the Supreme Court (the RSC) (the CPR’s predecessor) provided (at

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
Sponsored by
London Solicitors Litigation Association—John McElroy

London Solicitors Litigation Association—John McElroy

Fieldfisher partner appointed president as LSLA marks milestone year

Kingsley Napley—Kirsty Churm & Olivia Stiles

Kingsley Napley—Kirsty Churm & Olivia Stiles

Firm promotes two lawyers to partnership across employment and family

Foot Anstey—five promotions

Foot Anstey—five promotions

Firm promotes five lawyers to partnership across key growth areas

NEWS
Read All
NLJ this week: Divorce ‘nuclear weapon’ freezes assets but entangles outsiders
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
NLJ this week: What counts as ‘rent’? Court says labour alone won’t do
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Your magistrates’ court needs you!
Thousands more magistrates are to be recruited, under a major shake-up to speed up and expand the hiring process
NLJ this week: Freed but failed—justice system leaves the innocent empty-handed
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
NLJ this week: Clarity on whistleblowing, settlements and tribunal limits
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll