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20 May 2020
Issue: 7887 / Categories: Case law , Law digest , In Court
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Law digests: 22 May 2020

Company

Re Debenhams Retail Ltd (in administration) Rowley and another (as joint administrators of Debenhams Retail Ltd) [2020] EWCA Civ 600, [2020] All ER (D) 42 (May)

The judge had been correct to determine that, by paying only the amounts which might be claimed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (JRS) to employees of Debenhams Retail Ltd (the company) while they had been furloughed, the appellant joint administrators had adopted the contracts of those employees with the effect that those employees had, potentially, enjoyed super-priority in the administration. The Court of Appeal, Civil Division, dismissing the administrators’ appeal, held that the question was whether the conduct of the administrators had been such that they had to be taken to have accepted that the relevant amounts falling due under the employment contracts had enjoyed super-priority. In the present case, because of the nature of the JRS, the administrators had continued the employment of the furloughed employees.


European Union

LG and others v Rina SpA and another C-641/18, [2020] All ER (D) 69 (May)

Article

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson

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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

Sidley—Jeremy Trinder

Sidley—Jeremy Trinder

Global finance group strengthened by returning partner in London

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Joelson—Jennifer Mansoor

West End firm strengthens employment and immigration team with partner hire

NEWS
A seemingly dry procedural update may prove potent. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold explains that new CPR 31.12A—part of the 193rd update—fills a ‘lacuna’ exposed in McLaren Indy v Alpa Racing
The long-running Mazur saga edged towards its finale as the Court of Appeal heard arguments on whether non-solicitors can ‘conduct litigation’. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School reports from a packed courtroom where 16 wigs watched Nick Bacon KC argue that Mr Justice Sheldon had failed to distinguish between ‘tasks and responsibilities’

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

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
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