header-logo header-logo

NLJ this week: Courts clarify the future of UK class actions

226386
Michael Brown and Harriet Campbell of Penningtons Manches Cooper explore how recent rulings are reshaping group litigation in the UK, in this week's issue of NLJ

The High Court’s support for omnibus claim forms in Stuart Angel v Black Horse Ltd streamlines access to justice for thousands of claimants, especially in consumer finance.

Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal’s decision in AXA Sun Life v HMRC refines the binding nature of group litigation order (GLO) issues, stressing precision and fairness.

In Wirral Council v Indivior, the court reaffirmed its discretion over representative claims, warning against their use for strategic advantage or ‘book-building’. Litigation funders must now justify their involvement with clarity.

The Civil Justice Council’s proposed reforms—including a unified contingent fee regime and light-touch regulation—aim to simplify funding and enhance consumer protection. The authors conclude that while representative claims offer efficiency, flexibility and careful procedural choice remain vital.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Mourant—Stephen Alexander

Mourant—Stephen Alexander

Jersey litigation lead appointed to global STEP Council

mfg Solicitors—nine trainees

mfg Solicitors—nine trainees

Firm invests in future talent with new training cohort

360 Law Group—Anthony Gahan

360 Law Group—Anthony Gahan

Investment banking veteran appointed as chairman to drive global growth

NEWS
Artificial intelligence may be revolutionising the law, but its misuse could wreck cases and careers, warns Clare Arthurs of Penningtons Manches Cooper in this week's NLJ
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve reports on Haynes v Thomson, the first judicial application of the Supreme Court’s For Women Scotland ruling in a discrimination claim, in this week's NLJ
The Supreme Court issued a landmark judgment in July that overturned the convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, once poster boys of the Libor and Euribor scandal. In NLJ this week, Neil Swift of Peters & Peters considers what the ruling means for financial law enforcement
back-to-top-scroll