In a special NLJ report, Grania Langdon-Down talks to Mrs Justice Cockerill, head of the Commercial Court, and litigators about the challenges of 2020 and what 2021 will bring in relation to work-flow, procedural reform, diversity and well-being. She also draws on responses from the latest London Solicitors Litigation Association (LSLA) and NLJ Litigation Trends Survey. Overall, most responders were positive that the litigation market would grow or, at least, remain unchanged. There was overwhelming support for virtual hearings and agile working. But there was also a strong message to the profession’s leaders that the legal community needs to do more to promote both diversity and inclusion and the importance of good mental health.
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
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
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority 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