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Civil way: 3 May 2024

PI damages up; Tribunal responses; Family dress; Luba got it right

AVOID DAMAGE

The 17th edition of the Judicial College’s guidelines on the assessment of general damages in personal injury cases is about to hit those bookstalls that litigators frequent. But avoid a negligence claim by NOW revisiting the guidelines of two years ago. This latest edition uplifts figures by reference, as usual, to the retail prices index (RPI) and the index figure of 376.6 for August 2023. Claimant negotiators should avoid a negligence claim by increasing guidelines further for inflation between August 2023 and assessment, as defendant negotiators may curse. Last time a new sub-category of psychiatric injury to cover awards made to victims of sexual abuse was included. Adjustments have now been made to the brackets for these injuries as well as the figures within the range. It is made clear that any challenge to use of the RPI as against the consumer prices index must be made in the courts. Over to you.

The

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson

NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson

Daniel Burbeary, office managing partner of Michelman Robinson, discusses launching in London, the power of the law, and what the kitchen can teach us about litigating

Wedlake Bell—Rebecca Christie

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Firm welcomes partner with specialist expertise in family and art law

Birketts—Álvaro Aznar

Birketts—Álvaro Aznar

Dual-qualified partner joins international private client 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

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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