The High Court has found that, where a claimant beat its own Part 36 offer by only a very small margin relative to the size of the claim, that was not a relevant factor in determining whether it would be unjust to award the claimant the Part 36 costs consequences in full: JLE v Warrington … Read more
All too often, a term might seem perfectly clear to the parties when the contract is agreed, but a dispute later arises as to how it is meant to apply in the circumstances that have come about. If the parties cannot resolve the issue, the court may be called on to interpret the contract. Where … Read more
The High Court has held that there is no power under the recast Brussels Regulation to stay English proceedings against an English domiciled defendant in favour of proceedings in a non-EU court commenced pursuant to an exclusive jurisdiction agreement in favour of that court, unless the foreign proceedings were commenced before the English proceedings: Gulf … Read more
On Tuesday 23 July 2019 (1-2pm BST), Anna Pertoldi and Jan O’Neill will deliver the latest in our series of webinars for Herbert Smith Freehills clients and contacts spotlighting legal and practical issues relevant to litigating cross-border disputes. This webinar will focus mainly on the Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements 2005 which applies … Read more
The Court of Appeal has held that a charterer was liable for substantial damages for its failure to make shipments of iron ore pellets under a shipping contract, where the charterer was unable to perform the contract due to a dam burst: Classic Maritime Inc v Limbungan Makmur SDN BHD [2019] EWCA Civ 1102. The court … Read more
Legal professional privilege is recognised as a fundamental human right, which serves an important public interest in allowing parties to take legal advice, and prepare for litigation, without fear that what they say may later be disclosed and used against them. But the English law of privilege has developed in ways that many clients and … Read more
On Tuesday, 2 July 2019, the Hague Conference on Private International Law finalised a new treaty on enforcement of judgments: the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil or Commercial Matters, or the 2019 Hague Judgments Convention. The new Convention has been a long time in the making. Its origins go back … Read more
The Court of Appeal has recently upheld a first instance decision that there was a binding agreement to vary a settlement agreement: Simantob v Shavleyan [2019] EWCA Civ 1105. The claimant argued that there was a lack of consideration for the variation, as the defence which the defendant had agreed not to pursue was without merit … Read more
