Latest from Legal Futures Blog

Steyn: No foundation for allegationsIt was “unacceptable” for lawyers representing the actor Noel Clarke to make allegations that The Guardian newspaper fabricated evidence in defending his libel claim, the High Court said yesterday.Mrs Justice Steyn said “such a grave allegation should not have been made and publicly aired without foundation”.She made the comments in

SRA: Solicitor showed lack of understanding of what constitues an undertakingThe Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) yesterday handed out a fine and a rebuke for breaching undertakings, one relating to property transactions and the other to a divorce matter.Sussex firm Nicola Phillips Solicitors (NPS) was instructed first for the purchaser in a commercial conveyancing deal and

Rosenblatt: My firm regained its independenceThe break-up of listed legal business RBG Holdings was confirmed today after Ian Rosenblatt celebrated taking back control of the law firm at the heart of it.The 40-strong team from the London-based dispute resolution firm has joined the new law firm Rosenblatt Law, trading as ‘Rosenblatt’.RBG retains London non-contentious practice

Hedar: New role at funder as well as continuing at law firmA new group bringing together businesses that fund, litigate, insure and recruit clients, especially to class actions, has been unveiled.Legatus Holdings is owned by Ian Madej, who was chief executive of funder Asertis, one-time DLA lawyer Philip Holden, who was Asertis’s general counsel, and

Ridgway: Costs lawyers should be allowed to sit in the SCCOLitigators need to start preparing for a new era of costs budgeting, with three-year simplified pilots set to start in April, the Association of Costs Lawyers (ACL) has said.The Civil Procedure Rule Committee has so far approved two budgeting pilots to start in April –

Burke: Aim is to have people knocking on mediator’s door firstAwareness of family mediation as an alternative to legal advice is not matched by action, with nearly half of people saying their first professional port of call in divorce or separation would be a lawyer, according to the Family Mediation Council (FMC).The research, commissioned by

Dakin: Bill is part of growth agendaThe Arbitration Bill sailed through its second reading in the House of Commons this week, with the government saying the legislation did not need to address arbitral corruption.The bill, which has already been scrutinised by the House of Lords, won support from both the Conservatives – whose pre-election Arbitration