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22 November 2018 / Julian Acratopulo
Issue: 7818 / Categories: Features , Profession
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Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown

​In the face of ongoing uncertainty, Julian Acratopulo asks: is the pre-eminence of the London courts being disrupted?

  • The London courts have long been held up as the gold standard, but could market disruption, Brexit uncertainty and high costs threaten their supremacy?
  • Practitioners must engage with opportunities for reform if London’s courts are to remain at the forefront of the market.

Disruption is now present in every sphere of our lives. However, disruption does not stem solely from technology or business innovations—it is also influenced by demographic shifts, globalisation, macro-economic trends and more. Such terminology may not have existed at the time at which London’s courts forged their international reputation. However, whatever the terminology, the underlying factors which shaped the export of English law and London courts internationally could no doubt now be easily characterised by reference to those labels.

Accordingly, although English courts and procedures have long been the envy of the world, we need to be mindful of the risk of disruption, given the current socio-political environment. As

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gateley Legal—Caroline Pope & Bob Maynard

Gateley Legal—Caroline Pope & Bob Maynard

Construction team bolstered by hire of senior consultant duo

Switalskis—four appointments

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Firm expands residential conveyancing team with quadruple appointment

mfg Solicitors—Claire Pope

mfg Solicitors—Claire Pope

Private client team welcomes senior associatein Worcester

NEWS
The controversial Mazur ruling, which caused widespread uncertainty about the role of non-solicitors in litigation work, has been overturned on appeal
Two landmark social media cases in the US could influence social media regulation in the UK, lawyers predict
Barristers have urged the government to set up Nightingale-style specialist courts, with jury trials, to prioritise rape, sexual assault and domestic abuse trials
Victims of violent crimes who suffer life-changing injuries receive less than half the financial support today than those in the 1990s, according to a senior personal injury lawyer
Rising numbers of cases, an increase in litigants in person and an overall lack of investment is piling pressure on the family court, the Law Society has warned
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