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08 September 2023 / Dominic Regan
Issue: 8039 / Categories: Opinion , Costs , Litigation funding , Profession
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The insider: 8 September 2023

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Landed back to an overwhelming in-tray & a deep sense of autumnal angst? Dominic Regan sets out where best to begin

Now that the summer holidays are over, it is time to address current causes of concern for the civil litigator. What should one worry about? Where would you like to begin?

CAT calling

The Supreme Court judgment in R (on the application of PACCAR Inc and others ) v Competition Appeal Tribunal and others [2023] UKSC 28 decided that a litigation funding agreement was unlawful. By a majority of four to one (Lady Rose dissenting in exquisite detail), the court found that the funding arrangement was a damages-based agreement (DBA). Section 47C (8) of the Competition Act 1998 states that a DBA ‘is unenforceable if it relates to opt-out collective proceedings’, which these truck cartel claims were. I am indebted yet again to PJ Kirby KC who, despite being on holiday, gave me the benefit of his wisdom. The problem is that all Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) opt-out claims

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Cripps—Radius Law

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Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

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Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

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Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

NEWS
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NLJ this week: Tightening the screws on JCT terminations
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
NLJ this week: Old rules, fresh warnings in employment law
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
NLJ this week: The rise of the ‘ChatGPT client’ rattles the profession
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
NLJ this week: Surrogacy children caught in succession gap
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’
NLJ this week: Online safety law at a crossroads
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
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