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The insider: 11 July 2025

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This month our intrepid insider, Dominic Regan, brings us up to speed with turgid claims, blockbuster judgments, fee spats & judicial elevations

What is going on? Last month saw several cases reported where pleadings, as I fondly still call them, were not up to scratch. Given that the substantive requirements have been with us for decades and more, this is puzzling.

Mr Justice Rajah in Illiquidx Ltd v Altana Wealth Ltd and others [2025] EWHC 1566 (Ch) considered there to be a basic injustice on account of the claimant failing to identify its case and plead it with particularity and precision: ‘Pleadings are there to mark the parameters of the case and inform the other side of the case they have to meet. Vague and expansive pleadings do not do that….’. The expensive sanction was to deny the claimant 50% of its substantial costs.

The Court of Appeal moved with astonishing alacrity when it heard an appeal against an order made by Mrs Justice Joanna Smith

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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 NLJ this week, Ian Smith, emeritus professor at UEA, explores major developments in employment law from the Supreme Court and appellate courts
Writing in NLJ this week, Kamran Rehman and Harriet Campbell of Penningtons Manches Cooper examine Operafund Eco-Invest SICAV plc v Spain, where the Commercial Court held that ICSID and Energy Charter Treaty awards cannot be assigned
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