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NLJ this week: The rise of sham authorisation & illegal moneylenders

11 October 2024
Issue: 8089 / Categories: Legal News , Procedure & practice , Financial services litigation , Property
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Ne’er a borrower nor a lender be, as the old saying goes. In this week’s NLJ, Fred Philpott, Gough Square Chambers, explores the world of illegal lending, which ruthlessly preys on the desperate & vulnerable

Philpott writes about the recent flourishing of ‘a financial industry whereby some businesses lend money secured on people’s homes without authorisation’. He analyses a Court of Appeal case that illustrates ‘some of the subterfuges that can be used’.

He writes: ‘A recurring theme in these (often tragic) cases is that desperate people will sign anything, no matter how unfair. Thus, misfortune in many cases results in the misery of repossession.’

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
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
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
Writing in NLJ this week, Thomas Rothwell and Kavish Shah of Falcon Chambers unpack the surprise inclusion of a ban on upwards-only rent reviews in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
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