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27 October 2023
Issue: 8046 / Categories: Legal News , Arbitration
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NLJ this week: French or English? Arbitration anti-suit injunctions depend on your choice!

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A surge in decisions on anti-suit injunctions in the presence of an arbitration clause has caused the courts to grapple with the differences between the English and French legal systems

The reasons are that Paris is a popular choice for arbitration while English law is often chosen as the governing law, write Thomas Kendra, Emerson Holmes, and Emma Ball from Hogan Lovells, in this week’s NLJ.

Whether the anti-suit injunction is granted or not depends on whether a French or English style of interpretation is taken.

The authors write: ‘The deliberations of the English courts appear to be centring around two increasingly pronounced schools of thought: those who are in favour of granting anti-suit injunctions due to perceived similarities between the French and English legal systems and those who are against on the basis of perceived fundamental differences.’

Ball, Holmes and Kendra look at five recent cases in the English Commercial Court and Court of Appeal, as they discuss this evolving phenomenon in multi-jurisdiction arbitration cases. 

MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Ken Fowlie, Stowe Family Law

NLJ Career Profile: Ken Fowlie, Stowe Family Law

Ken Fowlie, chairman of Stowe Family Law, reflects on more than 30 years in legal services after ‘falling into law’

Gardner Leader—Michelle Morgan & Catherine Morris

Gardner Leader—Michelle Morgan & Catherine Morris

Regional law firm expands employment team with partner and senior associate hires

Freeths—Carly Harwood & Tom Newton

Freeths—Carly Harwood & Tom Newton

Nottinghamtrusts, estates and tax team welcomes two senior associates

NEWS
Children can claim for ‘lost years’ damages in personal injury cases, the Supreme Court has held in a landmark judgment
The cab-rank rule remains a bulwark of the rule of law, yet lawyers are increasingly judged by their clients’ causes. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian McDougall, president of the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation, warns that conflating representation with endorsement is a ‘clear and present danger’
Holiday lets may promise easy returns, but restrictive covenants can swiftly scupper plans. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Francis of Serle Court recounts how covenants limiting use to a ‘private dwelling house’ or ‘private residence’ have repeatedly defeated short-term letting schemes
Artificial intelligence (AI) is already embedded in the civil courts, but regulation lags behind practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Ben Roe of Baker McKenzie charts a landscape where AI assists with transcription, case management and document handling, yet raises acute concerns over evidence, advocacy and even judgment-writing
The Supreme Court has drawn a firm line under branding creativity in regulated markets. In Dairy UK Ltd v Oatly AB, it ruled that Oatly’s ‘post-milk generation’ trade mark unlawfully deployed a protected dairy designation. In NLJ this week, Asima Rana of DWF explains that the court prioritised ‘regulatory clarity over creative branding choices’, holding that ‘designation’ extends beyond product names to marketing slogans
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