Expert Analysis

• What Private Investment Can Bring To Barristers' Chambers

  

  The recent private equity investment in The Barrister Group, believed to be the first at the Bar of England and Wales, demonstrates how an upgrade in chambers' business processes and technology can be achieved, both essential for the future of the profession, says Harry Hodgkin at The Barrister Group.

• The Path Forward For Blockchain Patents In The UK And EU

  

  The U.K. Intellectual Property Office's recent refusal of an IGT patent application highlights that certain blockchain innovations, including those relating to improved security, are more likely to be patentable than others, which is consistent with the overall European approach and available data, says Andrew Rudhall at Haseltine Lake.

• High Court Case Nearly Settles Fixed-Or-Floating-Charge Test

  

  While the High Court recently clarified in the Avanti Communications case that a limited freedom of a charger to deal with permanent assets will not create a floating charge, it does not resolve the differences in opinion between borrowers' and lenders' lawyers about the extent of that freedom, say Paul Denham and Bruce Johnston at Morgan Lewis.

• What The Oil Spill Case Means For Corporate Enviro Liability

  

  Amid increasing strategic environmental litigation, the recent Supreme Court decision in Jalla v. Shell serves as a reminder of the limitations to using private law action and that the courts will not necessarily dilute procedural or substantive rules to accommodate these claims, say lawyers at Cleary.

• French And UK Patent Litigation Will Likely Influence The UPC

  

  The newly opened Unified Patent Court represents a seismic, yet untested, change to how patent litigation is conducted within Europe, and the practices of French and U.K. courts may play a role in its development, including on issues such as saisies and document production, say lawyers at Gowling.

• Examining The Growing Strength Of FRC Enforcement Actions

  

  As the U.K. Financial Reporting Council prepares to broaden its powers and transition into the Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority in 2024, it is already demonstrating an increased appetite for enforcement, with greater expectations placed on auditors, say Kathleen Harris, Sean Curran and Melissa Dames at Arnold & Porter.

• Insights On UK Efforts To Combat Greenwashing Claims

  

  The recent censure by U.K. advertising and consumer protection regulators of a number of companies' attempts to highlight their green credentials demonstrates that efforts to tackle greenwashing are gathering pace, and the question of how consumers understand sustainability claims made by companies is coming into sharp focus, say Robert Allen and Craig Gilchrist at Simmons & Simmons.

• GDPR Case Offers Useful Clarifications On Data Access

  

  The recent EU Court of Justice decision in FF v. Österreichische Datenschutzbehörde is a critical junction for data protection law, clarifying that the right of access requires copies of documents containing personal data, but this will likely to incur higher compliance costs and administrative burdens for businesses, say Thibaut D'hulst and Defne Örnek at Van Bael & Bellis.

• UK Case Shows Risks Of Taking Shortcuts In Fund Payments

  

  While the High Court recently reversed a decision in Floreat Investment Management v. Churchill, finding that investors routing funds into their own accounts was not dishonest, the case serves as a cautionary tale on the dangers of directing investment funds other than as contractually provided, say lawyers at Dechert.

• How The UK Employment Court Backlogs Jeopardize Justice

  

  While employment tribunal case delays may not top the agenda of new Secretary of State for Justice Alex Chalk, recent data reveals deep and long-term issues, including a staggering half a million current or former employees waiting for their case to trudge forward in the queue, says Heather Wilmot at ARAG.

• ClientEarth Case Shows Shareholder Hurdles In Climate Suits

  

  Climate-related shareholder activism is on the rise, but ClientEarth's recent setback in the High Court case ClientEarth v. Shell suggests that derivative action may not be a fruitful route to force directors to move closer to net-zero targets, say lawyers at Herbert Smith.

• Benefits Of Unified Patent Court Compared To Local Litigation

  

  Recently opened for business, the Unified Patent Court offers a faster, cheaper and more streamlined solution to handle patent disputes compared to EU countries and the U.S., and could become the most important forum for patent litigation in Europe, if not worldwide, say lawyers at McDermott.

• Expansion Of Court Filming May Carry Reputational Risks

  

  In light of the U.K. government’s recent consultation on expanding filming across the courts system in England and Wales, our right to open justice must be weighed carefully against the reputational risk that litigation poses to all parties involved, says Bella von Bohlen at FTI Consulting.

• A First Look At UK's Reform Approach To EU Employment Law

  

  The U.K. government's recent proposal on EU employment laws is relatively modest, retaining the post-Brexit law in areas such as recording working hours and holiday pay calculations, and assuaging predictions of a bonfire of EU employment rights, say Sally Hulston and James Davies at Lewis Silkin.

• PR Perspectives: Strategies For Lawyers Publicizing Litigation

  

  Any business or high-profile individual could end up in court, and with a global audience watching on through social media, lawyers would be wise to use strategic methods to shine a favorable light on their work and cases, says Steve Rudaini at MD Communications.