Three major competition developments, and why they matter
Competition has been thrust ever further into the spotlight in recent weeks, with important consequences for businesses, organisations and competition lawyers alike. Portland’s Litigation and Disputes consultants walk you through those changes, including the potential communications considerations for legal advisors to be aware of. 1 Competition class action against Meta gets knocked back by the […]
Communicating and promoting London’s leading role in dispute resolution
Portland recently hosted an event which looked at ways in which London can be promoted as a leading centre for resolving disputes. Portland’s Philip Hall, Managing Director and Head of the specialist Litigation Communications practice, was joined by: The discussion included identifying the hot topics for the future of dispute resolution, why people should and […]
The Justice System and Arbitration in the Artificial Intelligence Era: Quo vadis homine?
The important advancement of the new technologies, particularly digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI) and smart contracts, has prompted a need to bring an accelerated technological modernisation in the field of the justice system. This is a visible phenomena, particularly in the United Kingdom. In September 2021 the UK Government announced the launch of a national AI strategy, […]
Post-Covid Litigation in England and Wales and the London Commercial Courts
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected two significant changes to the English and Welsh courts, and particularly the London Commercial Courts. It has also seen a gap emerge with some of their competitors. The first and most obvious change was that it turbo-charged the courts’ embrace of digital technology. Digitisation of the courts had until March […]
English law: the platform for international business
While the UK embraces new global trade agreements, we should not forget the business platform that facilitates these and which we in the UK have shared with the world for centuries – the English law itself. English law, through its adaptability and integrity, provides the infrastructure for the trade, financial and commercial contracts on which […]
Russian and Ukrainian litigants face an uncertain future
Litigants from Russia and Ukraine were among the top 10 users of the London commercial courts during the year 2021/22, even though Ukraine’s litigants numbers were sharply down on record totals since the year before. Russia moved up from third to second place in the listings, with 41 litigants appearing before the courts rather than […]
The English courts are a key asset of UK plc. Are they losing their international appeal?
Last year[1], according to the Portland Commercial Courts Report 2021, 50% of judgments in the English Commercial Courts involved foreign litigants. The Portland Report for 2022[2] suggests that, for the 12 months ended 31 March 2022, there may have been a noticeable reduction in those figures. That is something which requires appropriate consideration by those […]
This year’s commercial courts report is bad news, but it is too early to say the courts are in decline
Things decline gradually, said one writer, and then suddenly. On the face of it, the substantial drop in volume in the English commercial courts set out in this report indicates a system that is in a sudden decline. Like the coyote in Roadrunner, the commercial courts in London appear to have been running in mid-air […]
Competing pressures: Balancing legal risk and reputational damage during a crisis
All businesses, organizations and institutions must operate in a world of competing pressures from the media, politics, customers, shareholders and regulators. Their advisors are no different. Lawyers and legal advisors are increasingly expected to consider all the pressures a client faces – not just those that may result in or from active litigation. Communications advisors […]
The door to competition claims in the UK is open
It would seem the first of the big competition class actions for 2022 is out the door. Last week, Facebook was accused of unfairly compensating its users for handing over their data: according to a claim filed in the UK’s Competition Appeals Tribunal, Facebook’s market domination means people’s data is unfairly priced. And now, it […]