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02 May 2025 / Dominic Regan
Issue: 8114 / Categories: Opinion , Legal services , Profession , Damages , Expert Witness
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The insider: 2 May 2025

217366
Can you call it? Dominic Regan plays damages bingo & enjoys a sunny day in court

The eye-watering amount supposedly at stake in the secret car finance commission litigation is estimated at £44bn. Last October, the Court of Appeal found outright for the various claimants in Johnson v FirstRand Bank [2024] EWCA Civ 1282. In April, the Supreme Court heard the lenders’ appeal over three days.

I dropped in to hear the closing submissions of Rob Weir KC who had won in the court below. As a regular visitor, I was taken aback to discover that it was entrance by ticket only. I detected claims management chancers in the throng. The first-floor court was used for overflow, and it was lovely with sunlight pouring in, acres of space and a video link to upstairs.

In another life Weir could be a bingo caller par excellence. He sailed seamlessly through an ocean of page and paragraph references. Every question put to him by the Bench was answered directly and

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—four appointments

Birketts—four appointments

Firm expands partnership with four lateral hires across key practice areas

Harper James—Lottie Hugo

Harper James—Lottie Hugo

Commercial law firm announces appointment of corporate partner

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Partner joins corporate and finance practice in British Virgin Islands

NEWS
Serial sperm donor Robert Albon has lost his bid for a declaration of paternity, ‘on the ground that to grant it would manifestly be contrary to public policy’
The government is considering wholesale reform of consumer class actions—the ‘opt-out’ collective claims certified by the Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT)
A ‘sophisticated suspected fraud’ may have taken place at PM Law involving the improper removal and misuse of about £39.5m of client funds, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has confirmed
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) will invest in technology to catch tech-reliant fraudsters and handle voluminous case materials
Law firms enjoyed rapid growth in 2025, according to a Financial Benchmarking Survey, published by the Law Society last week
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