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14 March 2019 / Vijay Ganapathy
Issue: 7832 / Categories: Features , Personal injury , Procedure & practice
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Getting it right by playing by the rules

Vijay Ganapathy provides an update on the importance of procedure and practice in and out of court

  • Applying the three-stage test in Denton v White.
  • Should a defendant be allowed to rely on statistical life expectancy expert evidence?
  • Carey v Vauxhall Motors Limited—the first English court decision in a secondary exposure case.

So far this year we have seen the courts addressing a variety of issues. Starting with procedure, an issue that keeps coming back to the courts for consideration is the sanctions that ought to be applied when a party fails to comply with court orders, rules or practice directions.

Denton v TH White Ltd [2014] EWCA Civ 906, [2015] 1 All ER 880 sets out the three-stage test for considering when such a party should be granted relief from sanctions. This test requires consideration of the following: the ‘seriousness or significance’ of the breach; whether a ‘good reason’ has been demonstrated for this; and ‘all the circumstances of the case’, which in

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Kennedys—Milan Devani

Kennedys—Milan Devani

Chief information officer appointment strengthens technology leadership

Maguire Family Law—Hannah Barlow & Sophie Hughes

Maguire Family Law—Hannah Barlow & Sophie Hughes

Firm strengthens Wilmslow team with two solicitor appointments

DWF—Ian Plumley

DWF—Ian Plumley

Londoninsurance and reinsurance practice announces partner appointment

NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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