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NLJ this week: The insider on blockbuster judgments, fee spats & judicial elevations

11 July 2025
Issue: 8124 / Categories: Legal News , Profession , Procedure & practice , Expert Witness , Costs , Freezing orders , Tort
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Writing in NLJ this week, columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School surveys a month of judicial impatience with poor litigation practices

In Illiquidx v Altana, a claimant’s vague pleadings cost them 50% of their costs. The Court of Appeal moved at lightning speed in Getty v Stability AI, while Judge Hodge KC imposed a six-page limit on a ‘turgid’ defence in Bellhouse v Zurich. A 682-paragraph judgment in Cabo v MGA yielded no damages, reminding claimants that proving loss is key. In Vanquis v TMS Legal, a novel tort claim over mass meritless complaints proceeds.

Regan also highlights the 50th anniversary of the Mareva injunction, a looming costs battle over medical agency fees, and a decline in expert witness participation amid judicial ‘naming and shaming’. 

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
The Court of Protection has ruled in Macpherson v Sunderland City Council that capacity must be presumed unless clearly rebutted. In this week's NLJ, Sam Karim KC and Sophie Hurst of Kings Chambers dissect the judgment and set out practical guidance for advisers faced with issues relating to retrospective capacity and/or assessments without an examination
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
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