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NLJ this week: A cautionary tale for prospective litigants in person

08 December 2023
Issue: 8052 / Categories: Legal News , In Court , Litigants in person
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Judges do not necessarily go easy on litigants in person, Stephen Gerlis, retired district judge and recorder, writes in this week’s NLJ

This is the takeaway from a recent case where a farmer made a disastrous decision to represent himself and his wife, as defendants, in a claim relating to a multi-fuel pipeline beneath their land.

It’s a cautionary tale. Gerlis takes us through a humbling litany of mistakes on the part of the unrepresented litigant, and the judge’s response. It is not always possible for a judge to step in where a litigant in person veers off-track. Gerlis writes: ‘This leaves us with the understanding that any assistance from the court to litigants in person is going to be very limited indeed.’ 

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
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
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
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
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
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