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04 October 2024
Issue: 8088 / Categories: Case law , In Court , Law digest
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Law digests: 4 October 2024

Contract

Unicredit Bank GmbH v ­Ruschemalliance Llc [2024] UKSC 30, [2024] All ER (D) 34 (Sep)

The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal of the appellant Russian company (RCA) against the decision of the Court of Appeal, Civil Division, which granted an injunction requiring RCA to discontinue Russian proceedings on the reasoning that the English court had jurisdiction over the respondent German bank’s (UniCredit’s) claim. The parties had entered engineering procurement and construction contracts for the construction of facilities in Russia which were secured by on demand bonds issued by UniCredit which were governed by English law but provided for International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration in Paris. The contracts had been terminated due to the contractor’s non-performance of its obligation. The court held, first, applying the principles in Enka Insaat Ve Sanayi AS v OOO Insurance Company Chubb [2021] 2 All 2021] 2 All ER 1 (Enka), that there was nothing in the wording of the bonds which excepted cl 12 (the arbitration clause) from the choice of English law as the governing law. The exception to those principles

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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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