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30 January 2026 / Dominic Regan
Issue: 8147 / Categories: Features , Public , Contempt , Liability , Tort
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How not to ignore a court order

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Persistence pays (eventually): Dominic Regan charts the course of a long-running David vs Goliath story

The judiciary has a sneaking admiration for plucky individuals who fearfully litigate despite having an opponent with bottomless pockets and the finest lawyers. In Ferguson v British Gas Trading Ltd [2009] EWCA Civ 46, the claimant took on British Gas. ‘It is one of the glories of this country that every now and then one of its citizens is prepared to take a stand against the big battalions of government or industry’, observed Lord Justice Jacob. The claimant ended her gas supply contract with the defendant, which continued to bombard her with bills. The defendant then threatened to report her to a credit rating agency. The claimant sued. The defendant failed to get the claim struck out: the court thought she had a good claim.

Legal skirmishes

Now in the spotlight is Nadine Buzzard-Quashie, who has given the chief constable of Northamptonshire Police and his team a sound thrashing. I thought

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Thackray Williams—Lucy Zhu

Thackray Williams—Lucy Zhu

Dual-qualified partner joins as head of commercial property department

Morgan Lewis—David A. McManus

Morgan Lewis—David A. McManus

Firm announces appointment of next chair

Burges Salmon—Rebecca Wilsker

Burges Salmon—Rebecca Wilsker

Director joins corporate team from the US

NEWS
What safeguards apply when trust corporations are appointed as deputy by the Court of Protection? 
Disputing parties are expected to take part in alternative dispute resolution (ADR), where this is suitable for their case. At what point, however, does refusing to participate cross the threshold of ‘unreasonable’ and attract adverse costs consequences?
When it comes to free legal advice, demand massively outweighs supply. 'Millions of people are excluded from access to justice as they don’t have anywhere to turn for free advice—or don’t know that they can ask for help,' Bhavini Bhatt, development director at the Access to Justice Foundation, writes in this week's NLJ
When an ex-couple is deciding who gets what in the divorce or civil partnership dissolution, when is it appropriate for a third party to intervene? David Burrows, NLJ columnist and solicitor advocate, considers this thorny issue in this week’s NLJ
NLJ's latest Charities Appeals Supplement has been published in this week’s issue
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