Litigation leopards & a year of discontent

2018 was one hell of a year for civil litigators. Indeed, a number of reported decisions have arisen because of ignorance about fundamentals where people really ought to know better.

The big procedural reform just kicking in is the disclosure pilot scheme being run out nationwide in the business and property courts. It is a bold attempt to curb expensive disclosure activity. Change was precipitated by clients who were appalled at the futility of it all. Confronted by a threat to take their disputes elsewhere for determination, perhaps by way of arbitration, steps were taken to placate the aggrieved. Ed Crosse, immediate past president of the London Solicitors Litigation Association, and many others have done so much to make things better. Let us all hope it works.