‘In a complex piece of litigation in which international fraud is alleged, four defendants contested the jurisdiction of the English courts to hear the claims and the associated insolvency applications. Applying the two-stage test in Spiliada Maritime Corp v Cansulex Ltd [1987], the Court dismissed the applications.’
Mills & Reeve, 3rd April 2023
Source: www.mills-reeve.com
‘Many parties express an initial reluctance to engage in mediation as they think that mediation won’t be able to solve particular types of “personal” disputes, for example, probate claims where a dispute has arisen within a family about a Will or boundary disputes where neighbours are arguing about whether a fence or hedge is in the right place. They are also often concerned that offering to mediate will be seen by “the other side” as a sign of weakness or used against them if the matter does go to Court.’
Becket Chambers, 22nd March 2023
Source: becket-chambers.co.uk
‘Compulsory mediation could force the wrong people into a process at the wrong time with the wrong attitude, the Law Society has warned in response to government plans to get more family disputes resolved away from court.’
Law Society's Gazette, 24th March 2023
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Thousands of children could be protected from witnessing their parents thrash out family disputes through the courts, following plans to mandate mediation for separating families announced today (23 March 2023).’
Ministry of Justice, 23rd March 2023
Source: www.gov.uk
‘Thousands of children in England and Wales could be protected from witnessing their parents pitted against each other in the courts under proposals to legally enforce mediation for separating families.’
The Guardian, 23rd March 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Earlier this year I wrote about the judgment in Nicholas James Care Homes Ltd v Liberty Homes (Kent) Ltd, where O’Farrell J continued an interim freezing injunction that had been granted a month or so earlier. As I said at the time, while I wouldn’t ordinarily be interested in an injunction application, I wrote about it because one of the contractor’s defences to enforcement of the adjudicator’s decision focused on the adjudicator’s request for on account payments for his fees.
Fast forward six months and the case has been back before the TCC judges (also called Nicholas James Care Homes Ltd v Liberty Homes (Kent) Ltd). This time it was in front of Recorder Andrew Singer KC (sitting as a High Court judge), who was asked to look at the payment point as part of the enforcement application. He held that the adjudicator had not exercised a lien before issuing his decision.’
Practical Law: Construction Blog, 15th March 2023
‘Airlines including Wizz Air and Ryanair owe millions of pounds to passengers from unpaid refunds and expenses, according to an investigation by the consumer group Which?’
The Guardian, 17th March 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Can a dormant company enforce an adjudicator’s decision in its favour?.’
Practical Law: Construction Blog , 1st March 2023
‘I can’t say that I recall Dyson LJ’s judgment in Connex South Eastern Ltd v MJ Building Services Group being handed down back in 2005 but I do know it is the case that told us that the phrase “at any time” means exactly that. It’s like Ronseal’s famous phrase, “Does exactly what it says on the tin”. With the Court of Appeal giving the words their literal and ordinary meaning, it was plain speaking at its best! It has also meant that for as long as I can remember, we have all assumed that there is no time limit on when a party can start an adjudication. (In Connex, the court was dealing with a situation where the notice of adjudication was issued after practical completion and after repudiation of the contract.) Consequently, the only limitations (if there are any) are the ones we find in the Limitation Act 1980, which doesn’t prevent a party from starting an adjudication but may provide the responding party with a defence (if taken), which means the adjudicator’s decision will be in their favour. (The same applies in court proceedings and, if the defence is successful, the claim may be struck out.) If this is all so well-established, you might wonder why I’m bothering to mention it. The answer is, because of HHJ Russen KC’s judgment in LJR Interiors Ltd v Cooper Construction Ltd, which he handed down last month.’
Practical Law: Construction Blog , 14th February 2023
‘I advise many clients involved in construction projects who are on the cusp of a dispute. While they take legal advice on the merits of their position, my clients usually continue to seek to reach an amicable solution with their counterparty through direct negotiation as well as continuing to liaise on a day to day basis to get the job finished. In this context, my clients regularly ask, “Should my email be without prejudice?”. Although the law in this area is relatively settled, the question continues to throw up difficulties. I have been involved with several cases where one party has attempted to put material before a judge or adjudicator that the other side says is inadmissible because it was made without prejudice. The recent Privy Council case of A&A v Petroleum Co of Trinidad & Tobago sheds some light on this perennial problem.’
Practical Law: Construction Blog, 7th February 2023
‘The growing complexity of construction and engineering disputes has led to an increased demand for the services of experts regarding various aspects of a typical legal proceeding.’
OUT-LAW.com, 9th February 2023
Source: www.pinsentmasons.com
‘Some years ago I wrote a number of blogs about the long-running legal battle between Gary Paice and Kim Springall (property developers) and MJ Harding (the building contractor). That really was the case that kept on giving, and I’m not sure we’ve had two parties provide such rich blog pickings since. However, I think there might be a favourite to take this most coveted of crowns in the form of the disputes between Sudlows Ltd (the contractor) and Global Switch Estates 1 Ltd (the employer). Although we are only on the second reported TCC enforcement judgment (some of you may recall I wrote about the last one in January 2021), they have had six adjudications and, given that it is clear from the latest judgment handed-down by Waksman J in December 2022 that the parties are still some £16.5 million apart, I suspect we may see more of them in the future.’
Practical Law: Construction Blog, 1st February 2023
‘The UK sanctions regime does not block the courts from entering judgments in favour of a party on the sanctions list, the High Court has ruled.’
Legal Futures, 1st February 2023
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘What does political instability and market volatility mean for separating couples?’
Family Law, 20th January 2023
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
‘Another month, and the publishing of another detailed academic report considering the experiences of parents and their children who have been through a separation. This particular report, “Separating Families: Experiences of separation and support”, was published by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory, with research carried out by University of Bristol. When the key findings first landed on my desk, I must say I was keen to delve into the detail having seen that the main focus of the programme of evidence was to increase understanding of private law proceedings in England and Wales, and in particular the types of support that families drew on to manage the process of separation without using the courts.’
Family Law, 16th January 2023
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
‘The debate around whether mediation can or should be made mandatory has been around for some time. In July this year, the government announced their intention to implement mandatory mediation in all contested claims under £10,000 in the county courts; one driver being only 21% of small claims opt into the present Small Claims Mediation Scheme (SCMS).’
Doughty Street Chambers, 22nd December 2022
Source: insights.doughtystreet.co.uk
‘As a solicitor dealing with will disputes, I know that beneficiaries can sometimes feel deeply frustrated by the behaviour of an executor (also called a “personal representative”) of a will. The emotional fallout from a bereavement sometimes leads to a toxic atmosphere and relationships can quickly sour. Very often this situation arises where executors and/or beneficiaries are not entirely sure of their rights and responsibilities.’
Family Law, 12th December 2022
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
‘Children affected by domestic abuse will be automatically treated as victims regardless of whether they were present during violent incidents, the CPS announced today.’
Crown Prosecution Service, 5th December 2022
Source: www.cps.gov.uk
‘”Smash ‘n’ grab” claims are the most common currently being dealt with by adjudicators in the UK. They are usually straightforward to deal with but some recent cases provide valuable lessons for companies caught up in them.’
OUT-LAW.com, 2nd December 2022
Source: www.pinsentmasons.com
‘Earlier this year I acted as adjudicator in four related adjudications that ran simultaneously, and I thought it would be worthwhile sharing my experience as I think there are some interesting points for parties and their representatives who might be considering using adjudication for multiparty disputes.’
Practical Law: Construction Blog , 23rd November 2022
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