Herbert Smith Freehills has become a founding signatory of the Greener Litigation Pledge, an important industry-led initiative aimed at reducing the environmental impact of litigation. The Pledge is a commitment by law firms, barristers’ chambers and other organisations involved in dispute resolution in England and Wales. Signatories agree to take active steps to work toward … Read more

The High Court has held that the protection attached to a chain of emails marked “without prejudice” extended to a subsequent email even though it was not so labelled. The last email plainly followed on from the prior emails seeking to resolve a dispute and there had been no clear indication that the sender wished … Read more

Herbert Smith Freehills has developed a new web-based app to help in-house counsel quickly navigate the complexities in determining which documents are likely to be privileged, or not. CLICK HERE TO LAUNCH THE TOOL The “English Law Legal Privilege” web app allows clients to quickly access the information they need both on their mobile phones … Read more

In a recent judgment, the High Court held that a clause in a settlement agreement requiring immediate payment of all outstanding amounts in the event of a late payment (an acceleration clause) was capable of falling within the penalty doctrine, but an obligation to pay a daily sum accruing pro rata on any outstanding amounts … Read more

On 6 September 2021, the government published its response to the 2019 consultation paper, Extending Fixed Recoverable Costs in Civil Cases: Implementing Sir Rupert Jackson’s Proposals (considered here). The response notes that it has been delayed principally due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the name suggests, a fixed recoverable costs (FRC) regime fixes the amount … Read more

The High Court has rejected a challenge to its jurisdiction brought by a defendant who was found to be domiciled in England, and who was also a party to ongoing Ukrainian insolvency proceedings: WWRT Ltd v Tyshchenko [2021] EWHC 939 (Ch). The court found that, since the court had jurisdiction based on the defendant’s domicile … Read more

The High Court has ordered a claimant to disclose its lawyer’s attendance note (or notes) of discussions with one of the defendant’s employees, on the basis that the notes were “impliedly mentioned” in the claimant’s witness statement and the claimant had waived privilege: Scipharm SARL v Moorfields Eye Hospital Foundation Trust [2021] EWHC 2079 (Comm). … Read more

In a recent decision the Technology and Construction Court has held that, in most cases, the Issues for Disclosure under Practice Direction 51U (the Disclosure Pilot) must be pleaded issues that have been crystallised in the statements of case. However, the court stressed that not all issues that appear in the statements of case will … Read more