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13 January 2021 / Stephen Gold
Issue: 7916 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Civil way
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Civil way: 15 January 2021

Hands off companies; Hands off stock; Hands off house; Feet up for divorce

LAWBITES

Wound down The restrictions on the use of company statutory demands and presentation of winding up petitions introduced by the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (see ‘Civil way’, 170 NLJ 7895) are extended from 31 December 2020 to 31 March 2021 by SI 2020/1483.

What a business The paralysis in forfeiture or re-entry of business premises for non-payment of rent has been extended from 31 December 2020 to 31 March 2021 by SI 2020/1472 in England and SI 2020/1456 in Wales (see ‘Civil way’, 170 NLJ 7904).

Much ado about little? From 28 January 2021 the civil legal aid financial eligibility cap on the disregard of any mortgage or charge on the applicant’s interest in land is removed. Instead of a limited secured sum of £100,000 of debt being reckoned, the whole lot will be taken into account. Disposable capital of between £3,000 and £8,000 requires a contribution and scoring over £8,000

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Sidley—James Inness

Sidley—James Inness

Partner joins capital markets team in London office

Haynes Boone—William Cecil

Haynes Boone—William Cecil

Firm announces appointment of partner as UK general counsel

Devonshires—Nicholas Barrows

Devonshires—Nicholas Barrows

Firm appoints first chief marketing officer to drive growth strategy

NEWS
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
The long-running Mazur saga edged towards its finale as the Court of Appeal heard arguments on whether non-solicitors can ‘conduct litigation’. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School reports from a packed courtroom where 16 wigs watched Nick Bacon KC argue that Mr Justice Sheldon had failed to distinguish between ‘tasks and responsibilities’

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

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
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