THIS ISSUE
Some 60 law firms were forced to close last year because they were unable to obtain professional indemnity insurance (PI).
Sir Julian Flaux, Chancellor of the High Court has issued a practice note confirming the process to be followed for witnesses giving evidence remotely from a foreign jurisdiction.
The UK legal industry turnover in March 2021 rose 30% to a record high of £4.06bn, according to the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data.
The commercial mediation market grew by 38% in the 12 months leading up to March 2020, the start of the pandemic, with approximately 16,500 commercial mediations performed in the UK, according to a biannual audit by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR).
Arbitration retained its popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic and adapted well to the change in circumstances, according to the 2021 international arbitration survey by Queen Mary University’s School of International Arbitration, conducted in partnership with global law firm White & Case
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Birketts—trainee cohort
Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025
Keoghs—four appointments
Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Brabners—Ben Lamb
Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner
NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Writing in NLJ this week, Thomas Rothwell and Kavish Shah of Falcon Chambers unpack the surprise inclusion of a ban on upwards-only rent reviews in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
Copyright © 2025 LexisNexis
