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SFO v ENRC: the right outcome?

01 November 2018 / Tom Dane
Issue: 7815 / Categories: Features
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Does ENRC represent a missed opportunity for legal professional privilege, asks Tom Dane

  • This decision provides a short term recalibration of the law. However, the long overdue opportunity for the Supreme Court to provide clarity as to the scope of legal professional privilege is still no nearer.

The Court of Appeal’s decision last month in The Director of the Serious Fraud Office v Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation Limited [2018] EWCA Civ 2006, has been heralded as a success for the legal profession in protecting the boundaries of legal professional privilege. The decision certainly provides a welcome short term recalibration of the law, particularly in the context of internal investigations. However, the long overdue opportunity for the Supreme Court to provide clarity as to the scope of legal professional privilege is still no nearer.

The First Instance Decision

The facts of ENRC will no doubt be well known and can be summarised briefly: various internal investigations were carried out by ENRC’s external lawyers and accountants against the backdrop of allegations of criminal activities

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NEWS
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—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
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
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
Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Rylatt and Robyn Laye of Anthony Gold Solicitors examine recent international relocation cases where allegations of domestic abuse shaped outcomes
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