header-logo header-logo

Commercial litigants avoid court

13 July 2011
Issue: 7474 / Categories: Legal News
printer mail-detail

Companies embroiled in “recession” disputes are increasingly turning to alternative methods
of resolution

According to City law firm Reynolds Porter Chamberlain, the number of commercial cases launched in the High Court fell by almost a third, from 68,084 in 2009 to 47,884 in 2010.

However, the firm says this fall masks the real number of disputes, which are increasingly being resolved through arbitration and mediation.

Geraldine Elliott, a commercial disputes partner at Reynolds Porter Chamberlain, said “a lot of hard fought commercial disputes are taking place that will never end up in court.

“The effects of the international financial meltdown and recession are still being felt in widespread, high-value disputes between businesses,” she said.

“If anything, more businesses were working through claims stemming from the credit crunch
last year than in 2009.

Some institutions are making the commercial decision to settle early at a discount and on a strictly confidential basis—those types of disputes never reach the light of day.”

Issue: 7474 / Categories: Legal News
printer mail-details

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Group partner joins Guernsey banking and finance practice

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

London labour and employment team announces partner hire

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Double partner appointment marks Belfast expansion

NEWS
Is a suspect’s state of mind a ‘fact’ capable of triggering adverse inferences? Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Smith of Corker Binning examines how R v Leslie reshapes the debate
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has not done enough to protect the future sustainability of the legal aid market, MPs have warned
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
back-to-top-scroll