Commercial Litigation UK

  • March 19, 2025

    Pierson Ferdinand Hires Former Magistrate From Walkers

    Pierson Ferdinand LLP has recruited Daniel Hayward-Hughes, a former magistrate and associate with Walkers, as a junior partner in its international disputes practice as the firm continues to grow its London office a year after its launch.

  • March 12, 2025

    Florist Says Ex-CEO Diverted Cash Amid False Fraud Claim

    A high-end London florist has sued its former CEO for an estimated £4.1 million ($5.3 million) alleging the businessman diverted its revenue before falsely telling customers that the business was insolvent and committing fraud.

  • March 12, 2025

    Housing Co. Challenges Council's £23M School Funding Claim

    A housing developer has hit back at a claim by a local council that it must pay part of a £23 million ($30 million) funding package for constructing a school, asking a London court to rule that the authority had dropped the requirement.

  • March 12, 2025

    Great Lakes Denies Liability For £1.26M Crane Damage

    An insurance company involved in a row over damage caused by a crane in a property in an Essex industrial estate said it is not liable for the £1.26 million ($1.63 million) claimed because the incident happened in a private warehouse.

  • March 11, 2025

    Russia Says Guinea Ruling Backs Dismissal In $5B Award Suit

    A recent D.C. federal court decision supports the Russian Federation's bid to dismiss an arbitration enforcement action stemming from a tax dispute with Yukos Capital Ltd., Russia told the same court.

  • March 17, 2025

    CORRECTED: Union Officer's GoFundMe Page Ruled Defamatory

    A London judge has ruled that a former trade union officer's post on a fundraising website accusing a trade union of committing criminal offenses was defamatory, but concluded that much of it was him expressing his opinion. Correction: A previous version of this article mischaracterized the judge's findings around the opinion defense. The error has been corrected.

  • March 11, 2025

    Fire-Proof Fabric Maker Sues To Nix Rival's Fire Barrier Patent

    A manufacturer of fire-resistant construction materials told a London patent court that a patent owned by its competitor contains features that were already industry-standard, whilst also claiming that its rival had threatened the manufacturer's clients for using its products.

  • March 11, 2025

    Appeals Justices' Latest FRAND Split Poised For Top Court

    The Court of Appeal's split judgment blocking Tesla from litigating licensing terms for a full wireless patent portfolio against the pool manager presents a prime opportunity for the U.K.'s top court to further clarify the country's jurisdiction to settle licensing spats over standard-essential patents, experts say.

  • March 11, 2025

    AXA Says Santander Was In 'Driving Seat' In £670M PPI Trial

    Insurance giant AXA said at the start of a £670 million ($867 million) London trial Tuesday that Santander should compensate it for what it has paid out dealing with claims for missold payment protection insurance because the Spanish bank's subsidiary was "in the driving seat."

  • March 11, 2025

    Motorola, Ericsson License Terms Clarified Ahead Of Trial

    A London court on Tuesday marked the boundaries of Motorola's 2011 license to use Ericsson's cellular technology, helping set the stage for the Swedish company's FRAND showdown with the Lenovo group later in the year.

  • March 11, 2025

    Ex-Bevan Brittan Atty Appeals Antisemitic Tweets Strike Off

    A former Bevan Brittan LLP lawyer fought on Tuesday to overturn a disciplinary tribunal's decision to strike him off after it concluded that he had published abusive and antisemitic tweets about prominent U.K. figures, including a well-known barrister.

  • March 11, 2025

    Staley Denies Knowledge Of Epstein's 'Monstrous Activities'

    Jes Staley told a tribunal on Tuesday that he would not have maintained a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein if he had known about the disgraced financier's "monstrous" activities.

  • March 11, 2025

    Dentons Must Face AML Allegations Again After Tribunal Error

    Dentons must face allegations that it breached money laundering rules for a second time as a London court sent the Solicitors Regulation Authority's case against the firm back to a disciplinary tribunal for reconsideration on Tuesday after finding the tribunal had taken a mistaken approach to the case.

  • March 11, 2025

    Infected Blood School Defeats Ex-Pupils' Group Claim Bid

    A senior High Court judge on Tuesday blocked an application from dozens of former pupils of a school at the center of an infected blood scandal to join together in a single group to seek damages from its trust.

  • March 10, 2025

    Officer Who Faked Home Working Wins Unfair Dismissal Case

    An employment tribunal has ruled that a security firm committed a "fundamental flaw" while investigating whether an employee had misled managers about his whereabouts in order to take some unapproved holiday.

  • March 10, 2025

    Solicitor Was Harassed By Manager's 'Chinese Law' Jibe

    A Chinese-born lawyer working at London law firm TWM Solicitors LLP has won her claim for harassment after a managing associate asked her if she was researching Chinese — not English — law, but failed to prove that she faced several instances of discrimination.

  • March 10, 2025

    IBM Wins Software Reverse Engineering Claim Against Rival

    A London judge ruled Monday that a tech firm breached its customer agreement with IBM by reverse engineering the computing giant's software to help develop a competing product.

  • March 10, 2025

    Barclays' Jes Staley Was 'Honest' With FCA Over Epstein Ties

    Former Barclays boss Jes Staley has denied attempting to mislead the Financial Conduct Authority about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, telling a tribunal on Monday that he always maintained they had a "close professional relationship."

  • March 10, 2025

    Actor Says Guardian Sex Assault Articles 'Smashed My Life'

    Actor Noel Clarke testified at a trial Monday that allegations in a national newspaper he had sexually harassed, abused and assaulted women for around 15 years had "smashed my life."

  • March 10, 2025

    AstraZeneca's $1B Drug Protections Too Vague, Generics Say

    Generic drugmakers urged the High Court to revoke patent protections for AstraZeneca's $1 billion Type-2 diabetes treatment Forxiga at the start of invalidity proceedings on Monday as the pharmaceutical companies hope to clear the way to launch their competitor medicines.

  • March 10, 2025

    Addleshaw Wins Bankruptcy Order Against Former LC&F Boss

    Addleshaw Goddard has obtained a bankruptcy order against a former boss of London Capital & Finance after a court ruled he defrauded investors out of £237 million ($306 million) by running the investment company like a Ponzi scheme.

  • March 10, 2025

    Iranian Oil Co. Faces $96M Claim Over Crashed Ship Hire Deal

    A Cypriot shipping business has sued an Iranian state-owned oil company for $96 million at a London court, alleging that it reneged on a contract to hire a ship and sparked a series of unfortunate events including the seizure of a tanker and a mutiny.

  • March 10, 2025

    Liverpool Fans' Case Against UEFA Can Be Heard In England

    More than 800 supporters of Liverpool Football Club can pursue in England their injury claims against UEFA over congestion chaos at the 2022 Champions League final in Paris, a London court has ruled.

  • March 10, 2025

    Industry Divided On Funders' Oversight As CJC Review Closes

    Submissions to a government-backed review of litigation-funding, which closed this month, have exposed sharp divisions among litigators, funders and trade bodies over whether the market for such financial backing should be targeted with mandatory regulation.

  • March 07, 2025

    £800M Pollution Class Action Against Water Cos. Rejected

    The U.K.'s competition court on Friday threw out an £800 million ($1 billion) proposed class action against several water companies over their alleged failure to report pollution, concluding that the case was excluded by legislation governing the water businesses. 

Expert Analysis

  • Why Indonesia Feels Frustrated By Airbus Dispute Outcome

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    Although the U.K. Serious Fraud Office’s Airbus bribery investigation achieved a record payout for regulators, Indonesia’s threat to sue for lack of credit for its contribution serves as a reminder of the need to take care when settlements are distributed among investigating partners, says Niall Hearty at Rahman Ravelli.

  • UAE Bank Case Offers Lessons On Enforcing Foreign Rulings

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    The High Court recently clarified in Invest Bank v. El-Husseini that foreign judgment debts may be enforceable in England, despite being unenforceable in their jurisdiction of origin, which should remind practitioners that foreign judgments will be recognized in England if they are final and conclusive in their court of origin, say lawyers at Macfarlanes.

  • 9 Hallmarks Of The New German Class Action Regime

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    By recently adopting a new class action regime, Germany is taking an incremental step toward more collective redress, which may fundamentally change its litigation landscape amid increased European regulatory activity, a growing focus on private enforcement of regulations, and a consumer-friendly German judiciary, say lawyers at Gibson Dunn.

  • Protecting The Arbitral Process In Russia-Related Disputes

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    Four recent High Court and Court of Appeal rulings concerning anti-suit injunction claims illustrate that companies exposed to litigation risk in Russia may need to carefully consider how to best protect their interests and the arbitral process with regard to a Russian counterparty, say lawyers at Linklaters.

  • Examining US And Europe Patent Disclosure For AI Inventions

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    As applicants before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the European Patent Office increasingly seek patent protection for inventions relating to artificial intelligence, the applications may require more implementation details than traditional computer-implemented inventions, including disclosure of data and methods used to train the AI systems, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • Incontinence Drug Ruling Offers Key Patent Drafting Lessons

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    In a long-awaited decision in Astellas v. Teva and Sandoz, an English court found that the patent for a drug used to treat overactive bladder syndrome had not been infringed, highlighting the interaction between patent drafting and litigation strategy, and why claim infringement is as important a consideration as validity, says George McCubbin at Herbert Smith.

  • RSA Insurance Ruling Clarifies Definition Of 'Insured Loss'

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    A London appeals court's recent ruling in Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance v. Tughans, that the insurer must provide coverage for a liability that included the law firm's fees, shows that a claim for the recovery of fees paid to a firm can constitute an insured loss, say James Roberts and Sophia Hanif at Clyde & Co.

  • Putin Ruling May Have Unintended Sanctions Consequences

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    By widening the scope of control, the Court of Appeal's recent judgment in Mints v. PJSC opens the possibility that everything in Russia could be deemed to be controlled by President Vladimir Putin, which would significantly expand the U.K.'s sanctions regime in unintended ways, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • EPO Decision Significantly Relaxes Patent Priority Approach

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    In a welcome development for patent applicants, a recent European Patent Office decision redefines the way that entitlement to priority is assessed, significantly relaxing the previous approach and making challenges to the right to priority in post-grant opposition proceedings far more difficult, say lawyers at Finnegan.

  • Landmark EU Climate Case May Shape Future Disputes

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    The European Court of Human Rights' recent hearing in its first-ever climate change case Agostinho v. Portugal, concerning human rights violation claims due to countries' failure to curb emissions, may develop the law on admissibility and guide future climate disputes before domestic courts, say Stefanie Spancken-Monz and Leane Meyer at Freshfields.

  • Bias Claim Highlights Need For Menopause Support Policies

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    The recent U.K. Employment Tribunal case Rooney v. Leicester City Council, concerning a menopause discrimination claim, illustrates the importance of support policies that should feed into an organization's wider diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging strategies, say Ellie Gelder, Kelly Thomson and Victoria Othen at RPC.

  • UK Case Offers Lessons On Hiring Accommodations

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    The U.K. Employment Appeal Tribunal recently ruled in Aecom v. Mallon that an employer had failed to make reasonable adjustments to an online application for an applicant with a disability, highlighting that this obligation starts from the earliest point of the recruitment process, say Nishma Chudasama and Emily Morrison at SA Law.

  • Shifting From Technical To Clear Insurance Contract Wordings

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    Recent developments on insurance policies, including the Financial Conduct Authority's new consumer duty, represent a major shift for insurers and highlight the importance of drafting policies that actively improve understanding, rather than shift the onus onto the end user, say Tamsin Hyland and Jonathan Charwat at RPC.

  • A Case For The Green Investment Regime Under The ECT

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    The EU and U.K.'s potential plans to exit the Energy Charter Treaty, which has been criticized as protecting fossil fuel investments to the detriment of energy transition, ignore the significant strides taken to modernize the treaty and its ability to promote investment in cleaner energy forms, say Amy Frey and Simon Maynard at King & Spalding.

  • How Employers Can Support Neurodiversity In The Workplace

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    A recent run of cases emphasize employers' duties to make reasonable adjustments for neurodiverse employees under the Equalities Act, illustrating the importance of investing in staff education and listening to neurodivergent workers to improve recruitment, retention and productivity in the workplace, say Anna Henderson and Tim Leaver at Herbert Smith.

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