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NLJ this week: Alarm bells over Mazur

05 December 2025
Issue: 8142 / Categories: Legal News , Legal services , Profession , Regulatory
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The High Court’s decision in Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys has thrown the careers of experienced CILEX litigators into jeopardy, warns Fred Philpott of Gough Square Chambers in NLJ this week

He describes a bewildering situation in which long-trusted legal executives, once central to litigation teams, now risk being side-lined as mere ‘ciphers’. He traces the problem to regulatory drift following the Legal Services Act 2007 and the growth of mass-market litigation models fuelled by ‘no win no fee’ practices.

Meanwhile, unqualified caseworkers in some modern claims factories are producing erroneous witness statements referencing vehicles or banks that never existed.

Philpott argues that the solution is simple: the regulator must restore clarity by confirming that all qualified CILEX members have rights to conduct litigation. With professions unsettled and livelihoods at stake, he suggests that intervention in the Mazur appeal may yet provide a much-needed corrective.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Kate Gaskell, Flex Legal

NLJ Career Profile: Kate Gaskell, Flex Legal

Kate Gaskell, CEO of Flex Legal, reflects on chasing her childhood dreams underscores the importance of welcoming those from all backgrounds into the profession

Dorsey & Whitney—Jonathan Christy

Dorsey & Whitney—Jonathan Christy

Dispute resolution team welcomes associate in London

Winckworth Sherwood—Kevin McManamon

Winckworth Sherwood—Kevin McManamon

Special education needs and mental capacity expert joins as partner

NEWS
Overcrowded prisons, mental health hospitals and immigration centres are failing to meet international and domestic human rights standards, the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) has warned
Two speedier and more streamlined qualification routes have been launched for probate and conveyancing professionals
Workplace stress was a contributing factor in almost one in eight cases before the employment tribunal last year, indicating its endemic grip on the UK workplace
In Ward v Rai, the High Court reaffirmed that imprecise points of dispute can and will be struck out. Writing in NLJ this week, Amy Dunkley of Bolt Burdon Kemp reports on the decision and its implications for practitioners
Could the Supreme Court’s ruling in R v Hayes; R v Palombo unintentionally unsettle future complex fraud trials? Maia Cohen-Lask of Corker Binning explores the question in NLJ this week
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