NatWest Bank has been ordered to pay damages equal to the full cost of repair of a property after it failed to undertake a survey for the buyers. The case provides valuable guidance on how the courts will assess damages…read more
Financial Ombudsman blasts banks over scam transfers. Published October 2018
Banks should not refuse to refund victims of transfer scams simply by accusing them of ‘gross negligence’, says the Chief Ombudsman of the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Caroline Wayman says that banks often refuse to make refunds, despite their customers…read more
Ombudsman not ready to take on SME complaints says Select Committee. Published September 2018
The powerful Treasury Select Committee has raised doubts whether the Financial Ombudsman Scheme (FOS) will be ready to take on small business complaints by December 2018. The deadline has been proposed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which oversees the…read more
Expert witness was not a ‘hired gun’ rules judge. Published October 2018
Expert witnesses must provide completely independent opinions in court and it would be a ‘serious transgression’ for legal advisers to get involved in drafting expert witness statements. Nevertheless, in a recent case a judge ruled that an expert witness, accused…read more
Third party litigation funding market is booming. Published September 2018
Litigation funding is becoming mainstream according to one of the UK’s leading providers of third-party finance for legal cases. Burford Capital, which invested over £220m in financing legal cases in the first six months of 2018, says its profits are…read more
New guidance issued by Legal Ombudsman on complaints handling. Published October 2018
Just three out of ten law firms tell their clients about their right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) about poor service at the end of their internal complaints procedure. Now the LeO has published new guidance to tell…read more
Solicitors face hundreds of negligence claims over failed property schemes. Published September 2018
Two law firms are facing multiple claims of negligence after investors lost millions on student accommodation and hotels which were never built. Northampton-based Scott Fowler face 166 claims and Yorkshire-based firm Wilsons 56 claims from disgruntled investors. The buyers, many…read more
