WITNESS STATEMENTS: GUIDANCE FOR THOSE WHO TAKE THEM AND THOSE WHO SUPERVISE THEM: WEBINAR 15th OCTOBER 2025
On a regular basis on this blog we see cases where judges have been highly critical of the witness statements used at trials or hearings. This criticism is not a rare event and is usually justified. Many witness statements are…
SERVICE POINTS 13: IS A CLAIMANT SAVED BY THE FACT THAT THE DEFENDANT DID NOT FILE AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF SERVICE OR MAKE AN APPLICATION UNDER CPR 11? THE COURT OF APPEAL HAVE A VIEW…
Over the years many claimants have been “rescued” by a defendant’s failure to make a timely, or correct, application to dispute the jurisdiction when the claim form has been improperly served. The limits of the defendant’s obligations were considered by…
SERVICE POINTS 12: ANOTHER CLAIMANT COMES TO GRIEF IN THE COURT OF APPEAL: CPR 7.6 APPLIED AND NOT 3.9 (THE CLAIMANT COULD HAVE GOOGLED THIS)
Here we look at another case where a claimant has come to grief because of a failure to serve the claim form. The ingenious arguments that he should have relief from sanctions were successful at first instance, but were rejected…
MAZUR MATTERS 11: WHAT IS MEANT BY “THE CONDUCT OF LITIGATION” 2 (A) : WHEN SOMEBODY BREACHED THE ACT AND WAS IN CONTEMPT OF COURT BY ARRANGING FOR THE SERVICE OF PLEADINGS
Comment on the implications of the Mazur decision goes on unabated. Some of this is informed commentary, some it is definitely not. On this site we are going to continue the examination of the primary sources of assistance to litigators…
MAZUR MATTERS 10: THE STATUTORY DEFENCE TO THE CRIMINAL OFFENCE: WHY YOU (PROBABLY) WON’T GO TO JAIL: BUT THE POSITION GOING FORWARD MAY BE DIFFERENT…
A person unlawfully “conducting” litigation can be imprisoned for up to two years, be fined and is also in contempt of court. This makes uncomfortable reading for many. However there is a statutory defence. There is useful case law…
THE JUDGE WAS RIGHT TO ALLOW A WASTED COSTS APPLICATION AGAINST THE CLAIMANT’S SOLICITORS TO PROCEED TO STAGE 2: MUCH TO THINK ABOUT HERE FOR CLINICAL NEGLIGENCE LAWYERS (AND INDEED ANYONE WHO DRAFTS PLEADINGS)
Here we are considering a case that covers issues relating to clinical negligence, the drafting of pleadings and wasted costs. It gives much to think about, particularly for those bringing professional negligence actions. (Choose the right type of doctor before…
MAZUR MATTERS 9: WHAT IS MEANT BY THE “CONDUCT OF LITIGATION”? (2): AN EARLY COURT OF APPEAL DECISION WHICH HELPS
We are continuing with a detailed examination of the cases and principles relating to what is meant by the “conduct of litigation”. Here (with some major caveats in mind) we look at the Court of Appeal decision that has been…
MAZUR MATTERS 8: WHAT IS MEANT BY THE “CONDUCT OF LITIGATION” (1): HOW HELPFUL ARE THE REGULATORS?
This is the start of a new sub-series concentrating on one issue. We will be looking at what has become one of the key matters of concern for many litigators – what is meant by the “conduct of litigation”. There…
MAZUR MATTERS 6: FURTHER GUIDANCE FROM CILEX: “FIRMS WILL NEED TO SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT THEY ARE COMPLIANT WITH THE LAW”
CILEX have provided further guidance in a document produced yesterday “CILEx Regulation – Interim Guidance The conduct of litigation and supervision”. (It may not be too late to register for the webinar on this topic today at 12.00 – details…
SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER (BUT NOT JUST THE PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER: WEBINAR 9th OCTOBER 2025
In recent weeks this blog has looked at a number of cases where evidence from social media sources has played a key role in the outcome of a civil case. These issues are is not confined to personal injury litigation. …
MAZUR MATTERS 4: DOES MAZUR COVER ANYTHING PRIOR TO THE ISSUE OF PROCEEDINGS? THREE CASES THAT CONSIDER THE ISSUE
The webinar on Friday the 3rd October will deal with many of the major issues that arise from the the decision in Mazur & Anor v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB). Here we consider the issue relating to…
EXPERT WATCH 16: IS PART 35 PERMISSION NEEDED WHEN A DOCTOR GIVES OPINION EVIDENCE AS TO A PARTY’S ABILITY TO PARTICIPATE IN LITIGATION?
Here we look at a case where a party was seeking a stay of litigation on medical grounds. Medical evidence was provided which supported the litigant’s stance. The claimant took objection to the report as it contained “opinion” and the…
COST BITES 294: “A DETAILED ASSESSMENT IS NOT THE FORUM TO RESCUE OR TO ATTEMPT TO CHANGE THE EFFECT OF A POORLY WORDED ORDER”: THE COURT WOULD NOT CONSIDER ASSERTIONS OF POTENTIAL FUNDAMENTAL DISHONESTYOF THE PRIMARY ACTION ON ASSESSMENT
Here we are looking at an attempt by a paying party defendant to raise issues of conduct, including potential fundamental dishonesty, at the assessment of costs stage. The defendant argued (or attempted to argue) that the costs judge should take…
MAZUR MATTERS 2: THE ROLE OF THE SOLICITORS REGULATORY AUTHORITY : THE REGULATOR THAT GOT THE LAW WRONG AND IS NOW “PONDERING” WHAT TO DO…
The webinar on Friday the 3rd October will deal with many of the major issues that arise from the the decision in Mazur & Anor v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB). One interesting aspect of the case is…
THE JOINT EXPERT AND THE MEETING OF EXPERTS: WEBINAR 1ST OCTOBER 2025: WITH SOME IMPORTANT RECENT DEVELOPMENTS CONSIDERED
There have been some interesting decisions this year about the significance of the joint meeting of experts and also about the role of the “joint expert”. These decisions will be looked at in this webinar as they highlight the importance…
PROVING THINGS 269: PROVING THAT A SOLICITOR WAS DISHONEST: IS TURNING A “BLIND EYE” ENOUGH?
This is an important and interesting case about findings of dishonesty on the part of a practising solicitor in their failure to make relevant checks on the background of their client. It was not suggested that the solicitor was aware…
MAZUR MATTERS 1: THE PENALTIES FOR NON-QUALIFIED STAFF CONDUCTING LITIGATION (AKA “HOW MUCH TIME COULD I SERVE”)
The webinar on Friday the 3rd October will deal with many of the major issues that arise from the the decision in Mazur & Anor v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB). However it is clear that it…
SERVICE POINTS 11: A PARTY CANNOT SIMPLY MAKE UNILATERAL DECISIONS AS TO SERVICE WHICH OVERRIDE SPECIFIC COURT ORDERS
When a court makes an order as to the means of alternative service it expects the party in question to comply with that order. Here we have a case where the claimant decided on a different means of “serving” the…
A REMINDER: WEBINAR ON THE PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF MAZUR (AND HOW TO AVOID SOLICITORS BREAKING THE CRIMINAL LAW WHEN USING NON-QUALIFIED STAFF): 3rd OCTOBER 2025
The fallout, concern and – dare I say it – recriminations in relation to the decision in Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys continues. There has been a lot of commentary already. This webinar aims to look through the “chatter” by concentrating…
WHEN A WITNESS COULD NOT SPEAK ENGLISH: A STATEMENT PREPARED SO BADLY THAT AN ADJOURNMENT WAS NECESSARY
It is fitting that on witness evidence Wednesday we are also looking at a case where there was a wholesale failure to comply with the rules relating to evidence from those whose primary language is not English. The breaches in…
THE CIVIL LITIGATION BRIEF TOOLBOX SERIES 3: WHERE DO YOU LOOK IF YOU WANT (OR WANT TO OPPOSE) AN APPLICATION THAT A TRIAL BE ADJOURNED BECAUSE A PARTY OR WITNESS IS ILL?
The motivation for this series arises from a personal experience earlier this year. I had travelled to a hotel in readiness for a trial the following day. At midnight I found out that the other side were asking for an…
THE PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF MAZUR CONSIDERED: HOW NOT TO BREAK THE CRIMINAL LAW BY USING NON-QUALIFIED STAFF… WEBINAR 3rd OCTOBER 2025
I have written three posts on the decision in Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys already. This judgment has profound practical implications for the profession in the way it manages cases and supervises staff. This webinar on the 3rd October 2025…
A DECISION OF PROFOUND PRACTICAL IMPORTANCE TO SOLICITORS: WHEN IS SOMEONE EMPLOYED BY A SOLICITOR ENTITLED TO “CONDUCT” LITIGATION? A HIGH COURT DECISION THAT WILL HAVE WIDESPREAD RAMIFICATIONS
We are looking at a High Court decision that could have major ramifications for the way in which firms of solicitors organise their practices. In particular in relation to the qualifications of staff who conduct litigation, what is meant by…
COST BITES 290: BARRISTERS TAKE CARE: ANOTHER REASON THE DBAS WERE INVALID – FAILURE TO INCLUDE COUNSEL’S FEES IN THE EQUATION…
We are continuing with our consideration of Damages-Based Agreements that were found to be unlawful. This time the judge considered the position in relation to counsel’s fees and the Regulations. The judge held that the attempt to charge counsel’s fees…
COST BITES 289: INVALID DAMAGES BASED AGREEMENTS MEANT THAT THE APPELLANTS COULD NOT RECOVER £1.3 MILLION IN COSTS (A BAD DAY OUT FOR THE LAWYERS INVOLVED…)
Today we are looking at a case where the appellants claim to £1.3 million in costs was lost because the Damages-Based Agreements were found to be unlawful and unenforceable. It provides a salutary lesson to all those who are involved…
THREE WEBINARS ON EXPERTS: THE JOINT EXPERT AND MEETING OF EXPERTS; PART 35 QUESTIONS AND EXPERTS IN THE COURTS IN 2025
The way in which the “Expert Watch” series has quickly developed shows that issues relating to expert evidence continue to give rise to problems. These three webinars explore many of the major issues in relation to experts. Dealing with the…
BARRISTER REFERRED TO THE BSB BECAUSE OF THE USE OF AI “HALLUCINATED” CASES: IGNORANCE THAT THIS WAS HAPPENING IS NO DEFENCE
We have another example of a lawyer getting into trouble (potentially very serious trouble) through the use of Artificial Intelligence and its ability to “hallucinate” cases. It was accepted that the error was not deliberate. However the Upper Tribunal pointed…
SERVICE POINTS 10: COURT REFUSES CLAIMANT’S APPLICATION WHEN PROCEEDINGS WERE SERVED ONE DAY LATE: A CASE THAT ROUNDS UP TWO WARNINGS GIVEN TODAY
Earlier today I warned that a recent decision by the Divisional Court in relation to CPR 6.15 was unusual and should not give great comfort to litigators generally, later we looked at the new Administrative Court Judicial Review Guide which…
WITNESSES WHO GIVE THE COURT THE BENEFIT OF THEIR “OPINION”: I’M NOT SAYING IT LED DIRECTLY TO THE APPLICANT LOSING THIS CASE – BUT IT DID NOT HELP…
There appears to be no end to the practice of witnesses giving the court the benefit of their opinion in witness statements. There have been numerous cases where the judiciary have warned against this. The white book has a specific…
NEW EDITION OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE COURT JUDICIAL REVIEW GUIDE 2025: FOLLOW THE RULES OR YOU COULD BE SUBJECT TO SANCTIONS
There is a new edition of The Administrative Court Judicial Review Guide 2025 available on the Judiciary website. It contains clear guidance on procedure and, as the Preface makes clear, is keen to help practitioners avoid common procedural pitfalls. It…
SERVICE POINTS 8: APPLICANT FAILS TO SERVE THE SECRETARY OF STATE PROPERLY: A BAD NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM…
I don’t know how many planning lawyers subscribe to this site – it may be none do. However I am fairly confident that they could get full value out of their subscription if it persuaded them to pay attention to…
THE CURRENT IMPORTANT OF PLEADINGS 32: “BOTH THE PARTICULARS OF CLAIM AND DEFENCE ARE LENGTHY DOCUMENTS, UNJUSTIFIABLY SO”
We are here honing on in one aspect of a decision that was about allocation. The judge commented on how poor the pleadings of both side were. The Particulars of Claim and Defence were too long, a Reply was unnecessary. …
NEW RULES COMING INTO FORCE ON THE 12TH SEPTEMBER 2025 AND THE 1ST OCTOBER 2025 (2): DISPUTING EVIDENCE AND FILING EVIDENCE IN PART 8 PROCEEDINGS
Here we look at the latest statutory instrument which makes changes to the rules. This time a highly specific rule making amendments to Part 8 to deal with the filing of evidence where the defendant states it intends to dispute…
THE PERIODICAL REMINDER OF THE DANGERS OF A SOLICITOR SIGNING A STATEMENT OF TRUTH ON BEHALF OF A CLIENT: IN THIS CASE THE CLIENT WAS FOUND TO BE FUNDAMENTALLY DISHONEST
Here we are considering once again the question of whether it is wise for a solicitor to sign a statement of truth on behalf of a client. It arises from the case we have already looked at this morning. However…
COST BITES 284: DEFECTIVE WITNESS STATEMENTS PLAY A PART IN A DECISION TO AWARD INDEMNITY COSTS: “DEPRIVING THE DEFENDANT OF THE USUAL RIGHT NOT TO PAY DISPROPORTIONATE COSTS, IS AN ENTIRELY PROPORTIONATE RESPONSE TO THE DEFENDANT’S CONDUCT OF THIS ACTION”
Here we look at a judgment where indemnity costs were awarded against an unsuccessful defendant. As we shall see there were a number of factors in that decision. However it is notable that, in both judgments, the judge commented on…
WILL AN INSURER PAY FOR THIS? THE THIRD PARTY RIGHTS AGAINST INSURERS ACT 2010, THE ROAD TRAFFIC ACT, THE MIB AND OTHER ROUTES TO OBTAINING PAYMENT: WEBINAR 16th SEPTEMBER 2025
The new series on enforcement on this site shows the major problems a successful litigant can have even after they have obtained a judgment. This webinar looks at the routes by which a claimant can attempt to investigate or ensure…
MEMBER NEWS: “ON DEMAND” CIVIL LITIGATION BRIEF WEBINARS AVAILABLE TO WATCH AT A TIME AND PLACE TO SUIT YOU: WITH DISCOUNTS FOR CLB MEMBERS
Last week we looked at webinars coming up which may be of interest to CLB readers. CLB members can obtain a discount on these webinars. The same discount applies to webinars which are now available “on demand”. These webinars are…
ATTENDANCE NOTES IN CIVIL LITIGATION 2025: WEBINAR 15th SEPTEMBER 2025
There have been at least three cases over the previous few months where attendance notes taken by solicitors have played a significant part in the outcome of a case, appeal or application. These notes protected a solicitor against complaints of…
SERVICE POINTS 6: THERE ARE NO EASILY ACCESSIBLE “BACKDOOR” METHODS FOR CIRUMVENTING THE RULES RELATING TO APPLICATIONS FOR RETROSPECTIVE SERVICE
It may not have escaped reader’s notice that we have already started the month by looking at a case about defects in the service of the claim form. The claimants in that case (which was said to be a £22…
SERVICE POINTS 5: CLAIMANTS IN £22 MILLION CLAIM FAIL ON SERVICE ISSUES – FOR THE THIRD TIME: ORDERS GRANTING EXTENSIONS OF TIME SET ASIDE
Here we look at a case where the claimants came to grief on issues relating to service – extensions of time for service of the claim form were set aside. One remarkable feature of this litigation is that this was…
SERVICE POINTS 3: THE CLAIMANT COMES TO GRIEF OVER FAILURES OF SERVICE OF THE CLAIM FORM: THE COURT MADE MISTAKES BUT THE BUCK STOPS WITH THE SOLICITORS AND NOT THE COURT OFFICE
I remain surprised about how many of the cases relating to service of the claim form are professional negligence actions. Perhaps those who conduct such work come to believe they have a degree of immunity from the normal rules of…
DISCOUNTS FOR MEMBERS ON THE CIVIL LITIGATION BRIEF SERIES OF WEBINARS: THE CODE
As promised in the previous post, here is the discount code for the Civil Litigation Brief series of webinars. The webinars include topics such as cost effective delegation, attendance notes, the liability of insurers to pay judgments, the joint expert…
MEMBER NEWS: DISCOUNTS FOR MEMBERS ON THE CIVIL LITIGATION BRIEF SERIES OF WEBINARS
There are a series of webinars coming up which cover many of the key aspects we look at on this site. Members who subscribe to the site can now obtain a discount on each of the webinars, with further discounts…
WHEN HAS A PARTY CONSENTED TO SERVICE OF DOCUMENTS BY EMAIL? IS A FAILURE TO OBTAIN SPECIFIC CONSENT IN ADVANCE FATAL TO VALID SERVICE?
We are carrying on with the review of the appeal judgment that considered key issues in relation to service by electronic means. Here the judge considered whether the claimant’s failure to obtain the defendant’s specific consent prior to service rendered…
A FASCINATING AND IMPORTANT JUDGMENT: WHEN CAN A NOTICE BE SERVED BY EMAIL? AT WHAT TIME CAN IT BE SERVED? ALSO – SOMETHING ABOUT NOTICES OF DISCONTINUANCE AND QOCS
I have been sent a case that is important and interesting on many levels. Firstly in relation to when it is permissible to serve documents by email; secondly in relation to the latest time in the working day that documents…
THE CURRENT IMPORTANCE OF PLEADINGS 30: WHEN A LAWYER DEFENDANT TRIES TO ARGUE A POINT DIRECTLY CONTRADICTORY TO ITS PLEADED CASE: THIS “FLIES IN THE FACE OF THE PLEADED ADMISSION”
We are continuing to look at the interesting inter-lawyer dispute considered in the previous post. This time at the defendant’s pleaded case and its attempt to resile from a clear admission and put an alternative case in its place. (You…
CIVIL PROCEDURE BACK TO BASICS 105: AN ADVOCATE SHOULD NOT GIVE EVIDENCE (NOR TRY TO SLIP IT INTO A SKELETON ARGUMENT)
This post follows the comments of the judge in a case we looked at last week that “counsel cannot give evidence”. We have seen many examples on this site of judicial criticism that witness evidence is, in fact, commentary, submissions…
APPLICATION TO ENFORCE A TRIBUNAL AWARD WAS MADE TO THE WRONG COURT AND WAS SET ASIDE: CPR 3.10 DID NOT ASSIST WHEN THERE WAS A FUNDAMENTAL ERROR GOING TO JURISDICTION
Here we have a case where the claimant was found to have made a fundamental error of procedure when seeking to enforce an Employment Tribunal award. An application was made to the wrong court. The County Court was the only court…
MEMBER NEWS: INCREASING NUMBERS FOR CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP: INCREASED FLEXIBILITY: ALSO LOOKING AT THE BACK CATALOGUE: “AVOIDING PROCEDURAL DEATH”: POSTS ABOUT THE CLAIM FORM ON THIS SITE
I have had a number of enquiries recently about increasing member numbers for corporate groups. This is possible, the membership system allows this and you can upgrade with the previous payment being taken into account on a pro rata…
AVOIDING NEGLIGENCE CLAIMS IN LITIGATION 2025 (1): LIMITATION IN PERSONAL INJURY CLAIMS – HOW DOES ANYONE MISS A THREE YEAR LIMITATION PERIOD?
In an ideal world all personal injury limitation periods would be three years, and all other action six. However we do not live in an ideal world. The first, and most obvious, place to look at avoiding negligence claims is…
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