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06 November 2008
Issue: 7344 / Categories: Opinion , Profession
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Another way

Mediation provides an alternative remedy for mounting credit crunch claims, says Matthew Greenberg

If court activity is a barometer of the economic climate then life out there is somewhat rosy. In September, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) published its court statistics for 2007. The Chancery and Queen’s Bench divisions of the High Court have seen a very modest increase in overall claims, and bankruptcy petitions have dropped by 8%. The number of cases brought in these courts is dwarfed by those started in the county courts. The county courts issued over 2m non-family claims in 2007. The number of these cases has dropped by 8% from the previous year.

Global problem
But, needless to say, global economics are not rosy, and these statistics arguably reflect a happier climate in 2007. In the last few weeks and months, we have seen some of the most dramatic events in economies both here and abroad (particularly in the United States), and time will tell how these events will unfold.

The experience of the Americans may provide a clue. There is evidence

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NEWS
Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR
In a striking financial remedies ruling, the High Court cut a wife’s award by 40% for coercive and controlling behaviour. Writing in NLJ this week, Chris Bryden and Nicole Wallace of 4 King’s Bench Walk analyse LP v MP [2025] EWFC 473
A €60.9m award to Kylian Mbappé has refocused attention on football’s controversial ‘ethics bonus’ clauses. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Estelle Ivanova of Valloni Attorneys at Law examines how such provisions sit within French labour law

The Court of Appeal has slammed the brakes on claimants trying to swap defendants after limitation has expired. In Adcamp LLP v Office Properties and BDB Pitmans v Lee [2026] EWCA Civ 50, it overturned High Court rulings that had allowed substitutions under s 35(6)(b) of the Limitation Act 1980, reports Sarah Crowther of DAC Beachcroft in this week's NLJ

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