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Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown

22 November 2018 / Julian Acratopulo
Issue: 7818 / Categories: Features , Profession
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​In the face of ongoing uncertainty, Julian Acratopulo asks: is the pre-eminence of the London courts being disrupted?

  • The London courts have long been held up as the gold standard, but could market disruption, Brexit uncertainty and high costs threaten their supremacy?
  • Practitioners must engage with opportunities for reform if London’s courts are to remain at the forefront of the market.

Disruption is now present in every sphere of our lives. However, disruption does not stem solely from technology or business innovations—it is also influenced by demographic shifts, globalisation, macro-economic trends and more. Such terminology may not have existed at the time at which London’s courts forged their international reputation. However, whatever the terminology, the underlying factors which shaped the export of English law and London courts internationally could no doubt now be easily characterised by reference to those labels.

Accordingly, although English courts and procedures have long been the envy of the world, we need to be mindful of the risk of disruption, given the current socio-political environment. As

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gilson Gray—Linda Pope

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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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