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04 October 2013 / Clare Arthurs , Richard Marshall
Issue: 7578 / Categories: Features , Commercial
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Better connected

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When it comes to forum shopping, every little (fact) counts, say Richard Marshall & Clare Arthurs

London appears increasingly popular as a centre for international litigation, particularly among litigants from the former Soviet Republic. You might be forgiven for thinking that international litigants have open access to the UK courts, irrespective of how tenuous the connection might be between the circumstances of their case and this jurisdiction. Recent cases however suggest that international forum shoppers may now be swimming against the tide.

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In VTB Capital plc v Nutritek International Corp [2013] UKSC 5, [2013] All ER (D) 47 (Feb) the Supreme Court refused VTB Capital (VTB) permission to serve proceedings outside the jurisdiction, on the basis that England was not the proper forum for the resolution of the dispute. It was not however a clear cut decision: Lord Clarke and Lord Reed dissented from the majority view, held by Lords Neuberger, Mance and Wilson. Unpicking these judgments provides useful guidance on how the courts will approach the thorny issue

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Cripps—Radius Law

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Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

Switalskis—Grimsby

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Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

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Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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