A round-up of the week’s news
6 June
A claimant whose exaggerated clinical negligence claim did not make it to trial has been hit with a £323,000 costs bill, one of the biggest penalties issued since fundamental dishonesty rules were introduced in 2015. The case, outlined by defendant firm Clyde & Co, involved a claimant who underwent gastric banding surgery in 2005 and brought a claim for almost £2.6m. Covert recording found that she was a regular golfer who appeared to suffer few ill effects from her purported injuries.
5 June
The world’s 20 million lawyers, paralegals and support staff contribute $1.6 trillion (£1.25tn) a year to the global economy, according to a new study.
The Law Society has urged the next government to monitor the impact of a 10% fee increase for lawyers appointed by the court to prevent domestic abuse complainants being cross-examined by their alleged perpetrator. Society president Nick Emmerson welcomed the rise, but voiced concern that it is not enough to make the scheme sustainable.
A High Court judge ordered a woman to pay nearly a quarter of her former husband’s costs after legal spending on their divorce reached almost £3m. In DH v RH, Mr Justice MacDonald said the costs incurred were a ‘monumental sum’ which were extended by the wife’s ‘egregious and persistent litigation conduct’.
4 June
Students from minority groups have often experienced racism and find it harder than white students to get legal work or paid training. These are among the findings of a University of Exeter report commissioned by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to understand why students from ethnic minorities are more likely to have poorer outcomes than their white peers in legal professional assessments.
Europe’s Unified Patent Court handled 15% of European patent cases in its first year of operation, new figures show. Nicholas Fox, partner at IP firm Mathys & Squire, said that it is too early to tell whether the court will achieve the ambition of becoming Europe’s primary court for patent litigation.
The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office is part of the Ministry of Justice for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act and must therefore comply with an FoI request, the Information Commissioner ruled.
A former partner at top-100 firm Clarke Willmott was suspended for nine months over an incident in 2012 when he entered a colleague’s hotel room and asked to spend the night there. Matthew James Machen Barker, admitted in 1995, did not appear and was not represented at the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
3 June
A charity which helps support those facing civil and family courts without legal representation has posted a free online video to help litigants in person. Support Through Court worked with Bond Solon, a legal training and information company, to produce the short video explaining the court process, what to expect, and how unrepresented individuals can prepare.
A law firm partner who has spent over a decade defending the rights of children and vulnerable migrants has been appointed legal director of high-profile campaign body Public Law Project. Victoria Pogge von Strandmann (pictured), joint head of the public law and human rights department at Simpson Millar, will join Public Law Project as legal director in September.
The number of solicitors going freelance has more than doubled in the last three years to 650 – but this cohort still represents less than 1% of the profession, SRA figures show. Solicitors seeking freelance status reported difficulty in obtaining professional indemnity insurance, with some unable to get cover.
The next government must ‘recognise the urgency’ of legislating to address the damaging effects of the Supreme Court’s PACCAR ruling, litigation funders told the Gazette. The bespoke Litigation Funding Agreements (Enforceability) Bill brought forward to deal with PACCAR fell victim to the general election.
Search procedures at Stratford Magistrates’ Court, which came under fire after a solicitor was allegedly assaulted by security staff, are to be made less onerous for most court users. Under the new regime, enhanced searches, which includes a pat down and shoe removal, will no longer take place at the court’s front doors but be conducted outside courtrooms hearing protester cases.
31 May
A&O Shearman became the latest top-ranking City firm to announce a big increase in pay for newly qualified solicitors. NQ salaries are up to £150,000, an increase of £25,000, while trainee salaries are £6,000 higher, taking year-one trainee pay to £56,000 and year-two to £61,000.
