header-logo header-logo

03 May 2024 / Mary Young
Issue: 8069 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Fraud
printer mail-detail

Smoke & mirrors in the world of fraud litigation

169539
A cautionary tale from Mary Young, showing that anyone can be duped—including lawyers
  • A discussion of Verdi Law Group PC v BNP Paribas [2023], in which the claimant law firm fell for a scam.
  • Firms need to be more cautious than ever in all their dealings—when agreeing to act, taking instructions and verifying client account details.

It is not uncommon for solicitors’ firms to be parties to litigation (as opposed to representing parties to litigation), even if breach of contract and/or negligence claims are disregarded. In recent years we have seen Dechert brought into the proceedings involving its former client, giving rise to wide-ranging decisions about issues such as the iniquity exception to privilege.

There was a spate of claims involving solicitors’ firms between 2012 and 2014 relating to property hijack cases, where solicitors had inadvertently been involved in fraud relating to the sale and purchase of real estate, where the purported vendor was an imposter who had stolen the identity of the genuine owner

To access this full article please fill the form below.
All fields are mandatory unless marked as 'Optional'.
If you already a subscriber to New Law Journal, please login here

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Kennedys—Milan Devani

Kennedys—Milan Devani

Chief information officer appointment strengthens technology leadership

Maguire Family Law—Hannah Barlow & Sophie Hughes

Maguire Family Law—Hannah Barlow & Sophie Hughes

Firm strengthens Wilmslow team with two solicitor appointments

DWF—Ian Plumley

DWF—Ian Plumley

Londoninsurance and reinsurance practice announces partner appointment

NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
back-to-top-scroll