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Litigating through lockdown

22 July 2020 / Grania Langdon-Down
Issue: 7896 / Categories: Features , Profession , Covid-19
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How did the commercial litigation world cope when it had to go digital almost overnight? Grania Langdon-Down reports

Four months after the country was told to work from home, commercial litigators are starting to return to offices and court.

‘We all just want the lockdown restrictions to end but getting back to the office is going to be complex and slow—but isolating isn’t good for the soul,’ says senior litigator and NLJ consultant editor David Greene. He warns the stress caused by the pandemic and its fall out must be addressed as firms and chambers look for a path out of the crisis.

But Greene, senior partner at Edwin Coe, and fellow litigators across the legal community say there have also been some very positive lessons from the lockdown which they hope will lead to lasting change, including an improved work/life balance.

So how did the commercial litigation world cope when it had to go digital almost overnight?

Essential service

As COVID-19 tightened its grip on the UK, the government made

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gilson Gray—Linda Pope

Gilson Gray—Linda Pope

Partner joins family law team inLondon

Jackson Lees Group—five promotions

Jackson Lees Group—five promotions

Private client division announces five new partners

Taylor Wessing—Max Millington

Taylor Wessing—Max Millington

Banking and finance team welcomes partner in London

NEWS
The landmark Supreme Court’s decision in Johnson v FirstRand Bank Ltd—along with Rukhadze v Recovery Partners—redefine fiduciary duties in commercial fraud. Writing in NLJ this week, Mary Young of Kingsley Napley analyses the implications of the rulings
Barristers Ben Keith of 5 St Andrew’s Hill and Rhys Davies of Temple Garden Chambers use the arrest of Simon Leviev—the so-called Tinder Swindler—to explore the realities of Interpol red notices, in this week's NLJ
Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys [2025] has upended assumptions about who may conduct litigation, warn Kevin Latham and Fraser Barnstaple of Kings Chambers in this week's NLJ. But is it as catastrophic as first feared?
Lord Sales has been appointed to become the Deputy President of the Supreme Court after Lord Hodge retires at the end of the year
Limited liability partnerships (LLPs) are reportedly in the firing line in Chancellor Rachel Reeves upcoming Autumn budget
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