header-logo header-logo

Strength in numbers

12 April 2016 / Leigh Callaway
Issue: 7695 / Categories: Features , Profession , Litigation trends
printer mail-detail
001_nlj_7695_calloway

Leigh Callaway on group claims & the future of claimant litigation

The ability of a group or groups of multiple claimants to bring joint claims—a class action—has long existed in a number of legal jurisdictions. The best known jurisdiction is perhaps, the US, which is renowned, perhaps unfairly, for big ticket group claims, involving many dozens if not hundreds of claimants, with damages in the millions. Class actions in England, referred to in this jurisdiction as group litigation orders (GLOs) were brought into law following Lord Woolf’s Access to Justice report, with the CPR establishing a relatively flexible framework for the management of cases involving multiple claims by different parties. Historically, however, the GLO procedure has not been widely used.

The reason why is unclear, but is perhaps attributable to the English cultural approach to litigation—typically as a nation we do not litigate for the sake of litigating—and certainly the “loser pays” principle militates against speculative claims. However, with the rise of litigation funders, who necessarily approach litigation with more of

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

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
In this week's NLJ, Steven Ball of Red Lion Chambers unpacks how advances in forensic science finally unmasked Ryland Headley, jailed in 2025 for the 1967 rape and murder of 75-year-old Louisa Dunne. Preserved swabs and palm prints lay dormant for decades until DNA-17 profiling produced a billion-to-one match
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
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
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
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
back-to-top-scroll