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12 February 2020
Issue: 7874 / Categories: Legal News , Profession
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Litigation by the (pro bono) book

Commercial litigators have come together to create a funding initiative that could be a ‘game changer’ for pro bono work

They will launch the UK’s first focused service provider directory for litigation lawyers. Revenue from the directory will be used to fund the National Pro Bono Centre and the work of frontline advice agencies.

Ben Mathews, Group Company Secretary at BP and Chair of the GC100, said the directory ‘provides a one-stop source of valuable information about service providers in the litigation, arbitration and disputes resolution arena’.

More than 100 commercial litigation law firms, the Commercial Bar Association, the GC100 and Commercial Court Judges are taking part in the initiative. The directory launch will take place on 26 March at the Royal Courts of Justice, at a reception to mark the 125-year anniversary of the Commercial Court.

Commercial Litigation Forum (CLF) chair and partner at Arnold & Porter, Hilton Mervis said: ‘The launch of the 2020 CLF Directory of Service Providers is a game changer.’  

Issue: 7874 / Categories: Legal News , Profession
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Firm awards training contracts to paralegals through internal programme

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Private client disputes specialist joins commercial litigation team

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Cumbria firm appoints new head of residential property

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
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