Litigation is sometimes criticised as slow and expensive. The ‘Jackson Reforms`, which came into force earlier this year, are intended to get to grip with these issues...
The English Courts have two parallel systems that determine whether the English Courts have jurisdiction: the EU rules for determining jurisdiction as set out in Regulation 44/2001 (the "Regulation") and English Common Law rules. The Common law rules will only apply when the Regulation does not. As a result, there can be situations where it is unclear which test the Courts should be using and this can have profound consequences for the parties involved....
The Court of Appeal has given its Judgment on a recent case that considered the extent of a solicitor`s duty to his client to formulate a binding settlement agreement resulting from a mediation. The background dispute that gave rise to the current case is worth consideration first....
A recent High Court decision ruled on whether Marks and Spencer had infringed trademarks belonging to Interflora through its use of keyword advertising (Interflora Inc and another v Marks & Spencer plc and another [2013] EWHC 1291 (Ch))....
Over the last four or five years many tenants have tried to operate break clauses in their leases in order to reduce their property outgoings in a difficult commercial climate...
A recent Court of Appeal decision has highlighted the importance of parties to an agency contract choosing which country`s law will govern the contract...
There is no getting round the fact that litigation can be expensive and sometimes disproportionately so. This is a problem with which the Courts have been grappling for many years, particularly since the introduction of the Civil Procedure Rules in 1999...
In a recent decision of the Court of Appeal, the question of when a principal can terminate a commercial agency contract on the grounds of an agent`s misconduct has been considered...
Blogging is a popular way for individuals to express their views and opinions freely to a wide audience on the internet. Internet service providers are generally not themselves regarded as the "publisher" of statements posted by their users, thereby avoiding any liability to pay compensation for any defamatory statements. However, the recent Court of Appeal decision in Tamiz -v- Google Inc [2013] EWCA Civ 68 casts doubt on this position....
In English litigation, it is generally the rule that the losing party will be ordered to pay a proportion of the winning party`s legal costs. However, the Court has very wide powers when making an award of costs, and in certain circumstances can order that a non-party to the proceedings should pay them....
Although it is a general principle under English law that parties should be free to negotiate their own contract terms, the Court may decide that a clause is "unenforceable" in certain circumstances, even where both parties have signed up to it....
Litigation can be a very expensive and time consuming process that can be a real drain on a party`s resources. In some cases, the costs of fighting litigation and recovery of those costs can become as important to a party as winning the claim. Mediation is generally seen as a successful method of resolving disputes cheaply and quickly...
When there is a dispute about the performance of a contract, one of the first issues that must be determined is which law applies to that contract, particularly where the parties to the contract are based in different countries or the contract involves working overseas. For example, which law will apply to a contract between Peruvian and Malaysian companies to transport goods between Nigeria and India? The law applicable to that contract will inevitably impact on the outcome of any dispute that arises from the performance of that contract....
One of the functions of the law is to protect consumers against businesses taking unfair advantage of them. The motor industry is no exception in this regard. There is a considerable amount of consumer legislation that is designed to give consumers a redress when they lose out due to unscrupulous business practices....
Many commercial agreements contain clauses stating that one party is required to indemnify the other part for legal costs in the event of a breach of contract....
Two recent cases have shown the challenges that a successful Defendant can face when unable to recover costs from an impecunious Claimant. The general principle employed by the court is that a non-party to the proceedings, but who has funded the litigation, may incur a personal costs liability if they have a financial interest in the outcome of those proceedings....
Since May 2011 the Information Commissioner`s Office (the "ICO") has had the power to issue Civil Monetary Penalties ("CMPs") of up to £500,000 for serious breaches of the Data Protection Act....
1 April 2013 is an important date for lawyers. It is when the new rules on recovery of legal costs in legal proceedings are planned to come into force....
In the latest decision by the English courts concerning the social networking and micro blogging website Twitter, Paul Chambers, a former trainee accountant, has been acquitted of sending a "menacing message". As a result of a message Chambers posted on Twitter he was arrested at his workplace, lost his job, and for more than two years endured the threat of criminal sanctions and terrorist association hanging over him....
A perennial problem faced by the Courts is the temptation by claimants to overstate the value of their claims. The problem is particularly acute in personal injury claims with insurers often taking the brunt of the increased compensation awards which then filter down to consumers through higher insurance premiums. However, the problem is not confined to personal injury cases. Unscrupulous claimants often find ways of exaggerating losses in commercial cases....