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14 September 2012 / Eleanor Mumford-Smith , John Bramhall
Issue: 7529 / Categories: Features , Regulatory , Profession
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The calm before the storm

Expect piggyback litigation in the wake of regulatory intervention warn John Bramhall & Eleanor Mumford-Smith

In a speech in 2005 in those halcyon days before the global financial crisis, Tony Blair (remember him?) described the Financial Services Authority (FSA) as being “hugely inhibiting of efficient business”. It was on the back of that sentiment that a light-touch regulatory regime took centre stage. However, the onset of the recession changed all that, as serious weaknesses in this approach to regulation were exposed. Regulators resolved to ensure transparency in the markets with a more interventionist approach, and a number of high-profile investigations have followed. Off the back of each new investigation, whether into PPI or CDS mis-selling, there has been a wave of litigation brought by disgruntled clients against financial institutions and related professionals.

LIBOR litigation

One of the most recent examples is the £290m fine imposed on Barclays for misconduct in relation to LIBOR, which has the potential to trigger a raft of litigation in the UK, as well

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Robert Dransfield

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Robert Dransfield

London medical negligence practice strengthened by senior partner hire

DAC Beachcroft—seven appointments

DAC Beachcroft—seven appointments

Firm boosts professional risk practice with team hire in Manchester, led by partner Ben Parks

Doyle Clayton—Benedicte Perowne

Doyle Clayton—Benedicte Perowne

Workplace law firm appoints new head of regulatory team

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
A seemingly dry procedural update may prove potent. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold explains that new CPR 31.12A—part of the 193rd update—fills a ‘lacuna’ exposed in McLaren Indy v Alpa Racing
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