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NLJ this week: Name the wrong firm, lose the right claim

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Clare Hughes-Williams and James Gardiner of DAC Beachcroft highlight the dangers of misidentifying defendants in negligence claims—especially after law firm mergers—in this week’s NLJ

In Leggett v AIG, the court ruled that liability does not automatically transfer to successor firms unless a clear novation agreement exists. Despite shared insurance, the LLP was not liable for pre-novation negligence by its predecessor. Claimants must carefully identify the correct legal entity or risk strike-out, as seen in Catton v County Solicitors, where a claim failed due to late substitution after the limitation period.

The authors stress that insurance arrangements do not determine liability, and successor status under indemnity policies does not ‘magically’ transfer responsibility. The takeaway: claimants must investigate firm histories and contractual relationships before issuing proceedings—or risk losing valid claims and facing costs consequences.

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
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
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
In this week's NLJ, Steven Ball of Red Lion Chambers unpacks how advances in forensic science finally unmasked Ryland Headley, jailed in 2025 for the 1967 rape and murder of 75-year-old Louisa Dunne. Preserved swabs and palm prints lay dormant for decades until DNA-17 profiling produced a billion-to-one match
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
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
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