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17 January 2025 / Dominic Regan
Issue: 8100 / Categories: Opinion , Profession , Insurance / reinsurance
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The insider: 17 January 2025

203851
Where would the legal profession be without the humble motorcar & the endless disputes it produces? Dominic Regan steers through credit hire confusion & secret commissions

Thank the Lord for the motor vehicle. The legal profession continues to thrive on the back of disputes generated by it, as recent law reports demonstrate.

The Court of Appeal in Johnson v Firstrand Bank Ltd [2024] EWCA Civ 1282 held that consumers who took out loans to purchase a car were entitled to compensation because the lenders paid a secret commission to the dealer who had referred the borrower to them. The judgment caused financial institutions to wobble amid talk of this opening the way to the next PPI claims bonanza. With remarkable alacrity, the Supreme Court has listed an appeal to be heard over three days, starting on 1 April.

Rob Weir KC won for the claimants in Johnson. He was also instructed by the unsuccessful appellant in the intriguing ongoing EUI Ltd v Smith [2024] EWHC 2803 (KB). This

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NEWS
Restrictions on workplace non-disclosure agreements could make settlements slower, more complex and more expensive when reforms expected in 2027 take effect
Private prosecutors face closer scrutiny under Crown Prosecution Service guidance designed to strengthen accountability and consistency when intervention is requested
Foreign states cannot necessarily claim immunity for cyber operations launched abroad against computers in Britain, following a divided Supreme Court ruling
Defendants who make unsupported complaints about their lawyers risk losing legal aid while confiscation proceedings continue without representation
Lawyers advising Russian clients face different sanctions restrictions across the UK, EU and US, despite their shared objective of increasing pressure on Russia
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