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Reform: Action on collective actions?

Kate Corby and Richard Molesworth assess UK compliance with the EU recommendation on collective action ‘Although agreeing that collective redress can have some benefits in certain areas, the UK government has taken the position that the recommendation has gone too far in calling for member states to have systems providing for collective redress for such …
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Confidentiality: Vows of silence

Victor Cardona and James Villanueva review recent US treatment of NDAs ‘An NDA can potentially provide the disclosing party with the assurance that a confidential relationship has been created and that discussions with receiving parties will not be made public without the disclosing party’s permission.’ When one company considers entering into a business relationship with …
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Limitation: Stop the clock?

Sarah Carmichael discusses limitation and adjudication ‘Limitation is not ordinarily a concern at the outset of adjudication but the limitation bar might descend to block later referral of the underlying dispute to a court or arbitrator for final determination.’The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 (the Act) introduced adjudication as an expedient method to …
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ADR: Blessed are the peacemakers

Peter Taylor and Anna Robinson urge a fresh look at mediation ‘You should never ignore an invitation to ADR. If the timing or format of the ADR is an issue then it would be prudent to explain the reasons and suggest an alternative approach to ADR in the context of the dispute.’ Mediation is one …
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Evidence: Cutting it short

Maura McIntosh highlights a recent case limiting witness evidence ‘The power to prohibit the calling of witnesses is relatively extreme and therefore will ordinarily be considered after less intrusive measures have been considered and rejected.’In what appears to be the first High Court decision applying the court’s new express powers to limit factual witness evidence, …
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Data Protection: Ask no questions, tell no lies

Cynthia O’Donoghue considers recent developments in data protection ‘Each of these decisions, opinions and guides all inform and should be used as a basis for interpreting the evolving definition of “personal data” rather than considered in isolation.’ What is ‘personal data’ is a conundrum often grappled with and for which there is little guidance except …
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Part 36: Last chance saloon

Maura McIntosh reviews on a recent decision dealing with costs sanctions and Part 36 ‘The present decision suggests that the court may be less likely to order the new sanction where a claimant’s Part 36 offer is made very late in the day.’In the first case we have seen addressing the new costs sanction introduced by the …
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Privilege: Litigation privilege – the dominance matrix

Clare Arthurs and Phillip D’Costa find out about recent developments in privilege ‘Tchenguiz provides some useful guidance as to how litigation privilege will be applied by the courts.’ Legal professional privilege attracts its fair share of judicial and public attention. Broadly speaking, it protects confidential communications between a lawyer and client from disclosure, in order …
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Summary Judgment: Hot cross bun(ny)

David Sawtell focuses on a recent application for summary judgment ‘From the true measure of the affection of the parties, the status of the Egham property, to the involvement of Mr Baxendale-Walker in the various legal entities referred to in the case, there were a number of different points that could have some material bearing …
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Negligence: Don’t bank on it: borrowers, lenders and the duty of care

Alex Fox and Clare Arthurs report on a recent decision clarifying the duties of banks ‘Where a bank undertakes a regulated activity in circumstances where failure to comply with a statutorily imposed regulation is likely to cause damage to the counterparty, robbing it of its informed choice, a duty of care arises at common law …
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