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24 May 2024 / David Greene
Issue: 8072 / Categories: Opinion , Litigation funding , International
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Funding in flux

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David Greene on the debate about the future of litigation funding at home & abroad

The Litigation Funding Agreements (Enforceability) Bill (LFA(E)B) is on a head-long flight through both Houses of Parliament, currently in committee stage in the House of Lords, where it was introduced. The terms of the Bill are short and sweet (subject to your view, as below), one section reversing with retrospective effect the decision in R (on the application of PACCAR Inc and others) v Competition Appeal Tribunal and others [2023] UKSC 28, [2023] 4 All ER 675. Seemingly the only event standing in its way would be an early election. But while the Bill appears to have wide backing in Parliament, there are those vocally opposed to it and it has given rise to a more general debate about the regulation of third-party litigation funding, now to be considered by the Civil Justice Council (CJC) at the direction of the Lord Chancellor.

Unenforceable agreements

The Supreme Court decision in PACCAR and the interpretation given by the court

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bell Yard Kysen—Liz Giles

Bell Yard Kysen—Liz Giles

Bell Yard Kysen appoints senior legal PR and ex-government communications adviser, Liz Giles

Clarke Willmott—Lee Edwards

Clarke Willmott—Lee Edwards

Clarke Willmott boosts Southampton commercial property team with addition of partner Lee Edwards

Lime Solicitors—four promotions

Lime Solicitors—four promotions

Lime Solicitors announces four promotions

NEWS
The Attorney General, Ellie Reeves KC MP, and Solicitor General, Andy Slaughter KC MP, marked the 25th anniversary of Pro Bono Week by joining lawyers, charities, students and parliamentarians at events celebrating voluntary legal work
Witness evidence can be compromised by AI before a solicitor sees the draft, leaving safeguards focused on authorship incomplete
Possession claims are entering a new digital era, with procedural traps awaiting practitioners who assume familiar rules still govern every step
A polished legal defence may owe more to artificial intelligence than legal merit—and creditors risk paying the price in delay and expense
An indemnity costs battle with a £20m gap could reopen an important question: what weight should an approved budget carry?
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