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21 October 2022
Issue: 7999 / Categories: Legal News , Competition , Collective action
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NLJ this week: Approach of the opt-out class actions?

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They’re massive, big money, headline-grabbing and share-price rocking—and possibly coming to a court near you! At least, that’s if the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) continues on its current path of greenlighting opt-out collective proceedings. 

In this week’s NLJ, Cameron Laing, associate at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan UK, examines the increasing number of applications for opt-out collective proceedings orders (CPO) on which the CAT has been adjudicating, and notes that, on the whole, the tribunal has tended to grant such applications.

Considering the CAT's approach to strike-out and summary dismissal of these claims, he writes: 'Its hesitance to exercise its discretion in these areas in CPO claims to date demonstrates that, post-Merricks, it is a very high threshold that a defendant needs to meet for a CPO claim to be struck out.

He also looks, in particular, at how the CAT’s assessment of the merits of claims has worked in practice.

Read Cameron's article in full here.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

From mowing lawns to life at the Bar: Stephen Ward reflects on an unconventional career

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

Commercial property partner joins Clarke Willmott in Southampton

Ellisons—Robert Tiffen

Ellisons—Robert Tiffen

Robert Tiffen joins Ellisons as Partner in growing Norwich office

NEWS
The Law Society RFC Festival of Sport returns next month, bringing together legal and financial services professionals for one of the sector’s largest annual sporting events
Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners

Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.

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