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31 October 2025
Issue: 8137 / Categories: Legal News , Procedure & practice , Civil way , CPR
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NLJ this week: Form N510—not just a box to tick

NLJ columnist Stephen Gold dives into the quirks of civil practice, from the Court of Appeal’s fierce defence of form N510 to fresh reminders about compliance and interest claims, in this week's Civil Way

In Robertson v Google LLC, a claimant’s failure to file the N510 before serving out of jurisdiction proved fatal, confirming that CPR rules can’t be sidestepped via general relief provisions.

Elsewhere, Gold highlights how judges are drawing inferences from absent witnesses and insisting parties follow every step of court-ordered service.

On the money front, Pharos Offshore v Keynvor Morlift confirmed that late payment interest applies even to VAT, with a juicy 12% rate offering creditors a lawful windfall.

Gold’s trademark wit runs through the piece, reminding practitioners that procedural shortcuts rarely pay—and that even minor forms, like the N510, can make or break a case.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Harneys—Maggie Kwok & George Weston

Harneys—Maggie Kwok & George Weston

Harneys senior leadership appointments

Freeths—Keith Browne & Jim Jordan

Freeths—Keith Browne & Jim Jordan

Freeths strengthens London Construction and Engineering practice with two strategic senior hires

Anthony Collins—Laura Moss

Anthony Collins—Laura Moss

Anthony Collins announces strategic hire to deepen skills base in the social business sector

NEWS
Existing defamation law can respond to AI ‘hallucinations’, but allocating responsibility will prove harder where outputs reach users without human intervention
The High Court has upheld a rare successful serious-irregularity challenge after an arbitrator relied on an implied term neither party had advanced
Thirty years after The Future of Law shook a profession still using fax machines, its central forecast looks increasingly less like prophecy and more like description
More than 100 teams from the legal and financial services sectors competed in five sports at the 51st Law Society RFC Festival of Sport earlier this month
Part-time status need only be an effective cause of less favourable treatment, rather than the sole cause, the Supreme Court has held in Augustine v Data Cars
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